Dolcimascolo v. 701 7th Prop. Owner, LLC

2024 NY Slip Op 30782(U)
New York Supreme Court, New York County·Decided March 12, 2024·Unpublished

Opinion

Dolcimascolo v 701 7th Prop. Owner, LLC 2024 NY Slip Op 30782(U)

March 12, 2024

Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: Index No. 156779/2018 Judge: Arlene P. Bluth

Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication.

NYSCEF DOC. NO. 169 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2024

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK: PART 14 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------X MICHAEL DOLCIMASCOLO, INDEX NO. 156779/2018

Plaintiff,

MOTION DATE N/A, N/A -v-

MOTION SEQ. NO. 003 004 701 7TH PROPERTY OWNER, LLC, CNY CONSTRUCTION 701 LLC,

Defendants. DECISION + ORDER ON MOTION

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------X

HON. ARLENE P. BLUTH:

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 003) 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 165, 167 were read on this motion to/for SUMMARY JUDGMENT .

The following e-filed documents, listed by NYSCEF document number (Motion 004) 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 162, 166 were read on this motion to/for JUDGMENT - SUMMARY .

Both plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment (MS 003) and defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint (MS 004) are granted in part and denied in part.

Background

Plaintiff is an employee of Navillus Tile, Inc., a subcontractor hired by defendant general contractor CNY Construction 701 LLC (“CNY”). Navillus supplied a crane for construction work at a property owned by defendant 701 7th Property Owner (“Owner”). Plaintiff alleges that he was struck by an I-beam as it was being hoisted, and dropped, from a truck bed.

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[* 1]

NYSCEF DOC. NO. 169 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2024

On the day of the accident, plaintiff worked as a flagman directing pedestrians around the construction zone. His co-worker, Martin Carmody, a signalman, was attempting to direct a 30- foot steel I-beam into a large flatbed truck trailer from approximately 30 floors above the ground. To do this, the truck had to be parked in a corral zone for loading and unloading, and the workers, communicating via radio, used a large crane with hooks to lower the I-beam into the truck bed. The crane operator lowering the beam, Michael Mulligan, was unable to see Carmody, the signalman who stood in the truck, and they had to rely on radio communications from each other to complete the task.

As the beam was lowered, Carmody, who got no help from the truck’s driver, attempted to straighten the I-beam into the truck bed alone, placing his hand on the side of the beam. Plaintiff either volunteered, or Carmody requested, two wire slings to secure the beam, which plaintiff claims he provided to Carmody to assist in the unloading process. Thus, although plaintiff was a flagman, he entered the corral zone to deliver the slings. Carmody removed the hooks from the beam and radioed to Mulligan to lift the hooks as the beam was now in place on the truck. Carmody testified he had to radio to Mulligan at least three times because, for an unknown reason, Mulligan did not raise the hooks. Carmody briefly turned away from the beam to check if he was on the right radio channel, and during that time, the hooks were lifted. In the suddenness, one hook struck the flange of the beam, causing the beam to lift and fall off the truck bed.

At the time, plaintiff was standing approximately eighteen feet from the edge of the truck observing the process. According to plaintiff, when the beam slid off the truck toward him, he lifted his hands over his head to protect himself. The beam struck him in the hands, tossing him back against a plywood wall. The beam also hit his legs as it bounced on the ground, forcing

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[* 2]

NYSCEF DOC. NO. 169 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2024

plaintiff to fall forward on top of the beam. Plaintiff alleges he sustained several severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital. He filed the instant action alleging various labor law violations. Defendants, however, contend that the beam hit the ground first and plaintiff fell on top of it, refuting plaintiff’s labor law claims.

MS 003

Plaintiff now brings a motion for summary judgment (MS 003) on his Labor Law § 240(1) and 241(6) claims. He contends that the beam was being hoisted and fell from an elevation on top of him. He alleges that defendants failed to properly equip the beam with proper safety devices that would prevent this kind of accident and argues that defendants violated industrial code sections regarding safety devices for hoisting a beam and proper load handling.

In opposition, defendants argue that the beam hit the ground first before plaintiff fell on top of it. Because of this, there is no proper claim under § 240(1) as plaintiff’s injuries are not the result of an elevation-related accident. Defendants contend the incident reports from the day of the accident provide that plaintiff fell on top of the beam after it hit the ground. According to defendants, this precludes recovery under § 240(1) as this statute contemplates injuries that flow from the force of gravity. Moreover, defendants assert that the beam fell off the bed of the truck because Carmody and Mulligan had communication issues, not because of any failure of safety devices. Defendants also argue that plaintiff was not authorized to be in the corral as his assigned position that day was to work as a flagman. Furthermore, defendants contend that all Industrial Code violations in the complaint, not just those plaintiff moves on, are not applicable to plaintiff’s accident. As to the violations plaintiff moves on, defendants argue that the Industrial

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[* 3]

NYSCEF DOC. NO. 169 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 03/12/2024

Code sections are inapplicable because the beam was being lowered, not hoisted, and the tools referenced in the relevant code were not being used at the time.

In reply, plaintiff contends that there are no issues of fact relating to the Labor Law § 240(1) claim. Reliance on Carmody’s testimony is misleading because he did not witness the accident, he only observed plaintiff after the accident occurred. Additionally, plaintiff disputes the admissibility of the accident reports because none of the individuals from the reports proffered testimony or affidavits establishing admissibility of the reports. Plaintiff further argues that he was not working outside the scope of his flagman duties, as he had performed such work in the past and was offering assistance to his coworker. Finally, plaintiff asserts there are no issues of fact as to Industrial Code violations as defendants’ arguments are unsupported while plaintiff relied on expert testimony to demonstrate how defendants violated the Industrial Code.

MS 004

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Dolcimascolo v. 701 7th Prop. Owner, LLC, 2024 NY Slip Op 30782(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2024).

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