Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
A forklift accident can leave you dealing with serious injuries, medical treatment, and uncertainty about how you will continue working or supporting your family. If you need help, our Yonkers forklift accident lawyers are ready to assist.
At Shulman & Hill, our attorneys represent injured workers throughout Westchester County. Our firm has recovered more than $1 billion for injured clients across New York, and we regularly assist workers harmed in warehouse, construction, and industrial accidents.
If a forklift injury has affected your health or your ability to work, our legal team can explain the benefits available under New York law. Contact us today to set up a free consultation with one of our Yonkers workers’ compensation lawyers.
Who Our Yonkers Forklift Accident Lawyers Represent
Forklift incidents affect a wide range of workers, particularly those employed in warehouses, distribution facilities, and construction environments where heavy equipment operates in confined spaces.
At Shulman & Hill, we represent employees injured while operating forklifts as well as workers who were struck or harmed by them during normal job duties. Our clients often include warehouse associates, order pickers, dock workers, delivery drivers, laborers, mechanics, and subcontractors working around lift equipment.
Our Yonkers personal injury lawyers also assist individuals who were not operating the forklift but were injured because of unsafe worksite conditions, including contractors, visitors, or drivers making deliveries near loading docks or jobsite staging areas.
Your Legal Options After a Forklift Accident
If you were injured in a forklift accident while working, you can usually pursue workers’ compensation benefits under New York law. These benefits can cover medical treatment and provide partial wage replacement while you are unable to work.
In some forklift accidents, however, responsibility extends beyond your employer. The incident may involve a defective forklift, unsafe conditions created by another contractor, or the actions of a different company operating at the site.
When that happens, you may have the right to bring a separate third-party injury claim in addition to your workers’ compensation case. At Shulman & Hill, we review how the accident occurred and identify whether another party may be legally responsible for your injuries.
Statute of Limitations and Notice Deadlines in New York
For workers’ compensation, New York law generally requires you to notify your employer about the injury within 30 days. A formal claim with the Workers’ Compensation Board must typically be filed within two years of the accident in order to pursue benefits.
If another company or party may be responsible for the forklift accident, a separate personal injury lawsuit may also be possible. In most situations, that type of claim must be filed within three years of the accident,
Claims involving government agencies often require much earlier notice. For that reason, reviewing your legal options soon after the incident is important.
Third-Party Liability In Yonkers Forklift Cases
While workers’ compensation benefits are limited, a forklift accident may also give rise to a lawsuit against a party other than your employer.
Depending on the circumstances, liability may involve:
- A manufacturer that produced a defective forklift or safety component.
- A maintenance company responsible for servicing the equipment.
- A contractor or property owner that created unsafe operating conditions.
- Another company’s forklift operator working on the same site.
Third–party lawsuits allow injured workers to seek compensation that workers’ compensation does not provide, including damages for pain and suffering and the full extent of lost income.
What Compensation Covers
Workers’ compensation benefits cover medical care and part of your lost wages, but they do not address every loss caused by a serious workplace injury.
When a third-party claim is available, additional compensation may be pursued for losses such as:
- The physical pain and limitations caused by your injuries.
- Income lost while you were unable to work.
- Reduced earning capacity if the injury affects your ability to return to your job.
- Medical treatment or rehabilitation not covered by workers’ compensation.
- Long-term care needs caused by permanent injuries.
In fatal accidents, surviving family members may also have the right to pursue wrongful death damages under New York law.
Our Yonkers forklift accident attorneys work to ensure that your benefits are protected while also pursuing any additional claims that may help address the full impact of the injury.
How We Build Your Yonkers Forklift Case
We gather OSHA logs, incident reports, maintenance records, and operator training files to map out what went wrong. Site diagrams, load manifests, and radio traffic can fill in the timeline.
When needed, we retain forklift engineers, human‑factors professionals, and safety experts to analyze speed, visibility, braking distance, and load stability. Their opinions support settlement talks and hearings.
We coordinate your medical proof, track wage loss, and manage liens so benefits flow while the third‑party case develops. Our team keeps you updated and answers questions quickly.
Why Choose Our Yonkers Forklift Accident Attorneys
At Shulman & Hill, we understand how insurers and defense attorneys approach these claims, and we prepare each case with that reality in mind.
We handle these matters on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not pay legal fees upfront. In personal injury claims, our fee is a percentage of any recovery we obtain for you.
In workers’ compensation matters, attorney fees are set and approved by the New York Workers’ Compensation Board and are typically paid from the award rather than out of pocket.
Start Your Case Today With a FREE Consultation
A forklift injury can interrupt your ability to work and leave you dealing with medical treatment, insurance issues, and uncertainty about what happens next. Understanding your rights under New York law is an important first step in protecting your claim.
Our attorneys at Shulman & Hill represent workers throughout Yonkers who have been injured in warehouse, construction, and industrial accidents. Our team can review how the incident occurred, explain the benefits available through workers’ compensation, and determine whether another party may also be legally responsible.
If you were hurt in a forklift accident, reach out to our office to arrange a free consultation with one of our forklift accident attorneys in Yonkers.