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THE EVIDENCE WAS SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN FAVOR OF PLAINTIFF IN THIS LABOR LAW 240(1) FALLING-OBJECT CASE; BRICK WORK WAS BEING DONE ON THE BUILDING ABOVE WHERE PLAINTIFF WAS STANDING AND PLAINTIFF WAS STRUCK BY A FALLING BRICK; THERE WAS NO SAFETY NETTING TO PROTECT AGAINST FALLING OBJECTS (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing (modifying) Supreme Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Manzanet-Daniels, determined plaintiff was entitled to summary judgment on his Labor Law 240(1) cause of action in this falling object case. Plaintiff was unloading a truck in a designated “delivery zone” near the building where bricks were being drilled out to accommodate the installation of windows. Plaintiff was struck on the head by a brick which damaged his hard hat and injured his head:

In the context of falling objects, the risk to be guarded against is the unchecked or insufficiently checked descent of the object” … . It is settled law that a plaintiff establishes a prima facie entitlement to liability on a Labor Law § 240(1) “falling object” claim where he shows that he was struck by a falling object, that such object required securing for the purposes of the undertaking, and that the lack of adequate overhead protection failed to shield against the falling of such object and therefore proximately caused plaintiff’s injuries … . * * *

… [A] “… plaintiff’s prima facie case in a Labor Law § 240(1) action involving falling objects is not dependent on whether the plaintiff observed the object that hit him. . A plaintiff is not required to show the exact circumstances under which the object fell, where a lack of a protective device proximately caused the injuries. Further, [the general contractor’s project manager] identified a photograph of the brick that struck plaintiff, stating that the brick in the photo was consistent with the lone type of brick that was used on the faÇade of the building at the time of the incident … . Torres-Quito v 1711 LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 01279, Frist Dept 3-12-24

Practice Point: The absence of safety netting to protect against falling objects was deemed the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury from a falling brick in this Labor Law 240(1) case.

 

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