PLAINTIFF ALLEGED HE WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A LADDER AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CLIMB UP THE SIDE OF A BRIDGE FROM WHICH HE FELL, SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED, COMPARATIVE FAULT IS NOT A DEFENSE (FIRST DEPT).
The First Department determined plaintiff was properly granted summary judgment on his Labor Law 240 (1) cause of action. Plaintiff alleged he was not provided with a ladder and was instructed to climb up the side of a bridge, from which he fell. The defendants’ claim that plaintiff was at fault because of his size is of no consequence because comparative fault is not a defense:
Plaintiff made a prima facie showing that Labor Law § 240(1) was violated, and that the violation was a proximate cause of his injury … . He testified that onsite supervisors gave him a work assignment requiring him to work from the top of a sidewalk bridge, thereby exposing him to elevation-related risks covered under Labor Law § 240(1). He further stated that he was not provided with a ladder or any other safety device; was instructed to access the top of the bridge by climbing up its side; and that, while attempting to do so, he lost his grip, slipped, and fell to the ground. * * *
Defendants’ recalcitrant worker defense fails, since there is no indication that they instructed plaintiff to use a ladder or informed him that a ladder or other safety device was located at the sidewalk bridge … .
Defendants’ contention that plaintiff fell from the sidewalk bridge as a result of his “carelessness” and “bad decisions,” and because of his size, is unavailing. Any comparative negligence by plaintiff is not a defense to his Labor Law § 240(1) claim … . Cardona v New York City Hous. Auth., 2017 NY Slip Op 06620, First Dept 9-26-17
LABOR LAW-CONSTRUCTION LAW (PLAINTIFF ALLEGED HE WAS NOT PROVIDED WITH A LADDER AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CLIMB UP THE SIDE OF A BRIDGE FROM WHICH HE FELL, SUMMARY JUDGMENT ON THE LABOR LAW 240(1) CAUSE OF ACTION PROPERLY GRANTED, COMPARATIVE FAULT IS NOT A DEFENSE (FIRST DEPT))