On March 22, 2022, I secured a verdict of $5,100,000 from a Nassau County jury, for a 47 year old roofing mechanic who suffered an intra-articular pilon fracture of his ankle joint in an 8 to 10 foot fall from an unsecured ladder while repairing the roof of a commercial establishment. Liability against the owner and lessor of a car dealership in Amityville (where the accident occurred) was established before the damages trial, by motion based on a violation of the NYS Labor Law governing worker safety.

At the time of the accident the roofer was 40 years old and was the sole financial support for a family of three. Due to the ladder accident, the plaintiff shattered his right distal tibia and fibula bones requiring three surgeries over the next 3 years to: install and later remove an external fixator; and, to install and later remove screws and plates. He was diagnosed with progressive osteoarthritis of his tibiatalar joint and will require a fusion of that joint further worsening his antalgic gait (limp). He will never be able to work in the construction field again and is now employed as a delivery driver at a greatly reduced annual wage. The award included $2M for pain and suffering and over $3M in lost wages and medical expenses based on the testimony of an economist and physiatrist. Karasu v. Security Auto Sales, Inc., Nassau County, Supreme Court, Index # 4428/2016