NEW YORK BUILDING COLLAPSE ATTORNEY

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New York Building Collapse Attorney

Legally Reviewed by:

Alex Nocerino

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Alex Nocerino is a founding partner at our firm and a successful trial lawyer with roots in New York. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Association for Justice. He has helped injured individuals win hundreds of millions in compensation from large corporations, government entities, and wealthy landlords.

With 18 years of experience, he has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2019 and has a five-star Avvo rating. He is a true New Yorker and a successful trial lawyer who is unafraid to go up against even the powerful and combative defendants.

Content Last Updated: November 5, 2024

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New York is home to thousands of apartment buildings, office buildings, parking garages, and other structures that are more than 100 years old. The danger of a collapse can increase as the building approaches age 50 or more. A building collapse can send thousands of pounds of steel, concrete, and other construction materials onto innocent occupants who are unlikely to know they are in danger. The risk of catastrophic and fatal injuries is high.

Building collapses can also occur due to faulty construction, design flaws, natural disasters, water damage, and rodent damage. City inspectors have failed to take meaningful action on complaints. Our experienced New York building collapse lawyers can help you recover compensation if you or your loved one is hurt in a structural collapse. Our attorneys are fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Greek. Contact us now to schedule your free case review.

Why Choose Our NYC Building Collapse Lawyers?

We have over 20 years of combined experience fighting for people injured in apartment ceiling collapses, parking garage collapses, and other structural collapses. We understand the building codes and the underlying causes of structural failures. We know where to look for evidence to identify those responsible and prove your claim.

You are never just another case to us. We stand up for our clients and refuse to back down. We will always take the time to understand how a structural collapse affected you and your family and provide our honest assessment of your case. You will receive compassionate support while we put heavy pressure on those responsible. We believe in shooting straight—no nonsense, no politics, no talking, just straight war. We pride ourselves on separating ourselves from the rest and taking cases to trial so you receive full compensation.

Meet Our New York Personal Injury Attorneys

Sameer Chopra

Founding partner Sameer Chopra has 17 years of legal experience and has received numerous awards and recognitions only awarded to the nation’s top attorneys. He has been included in the Nation’s Top One Percent every year since 2021 and is a Forbes pick for Top Attorney in Personal Injury for New York in 2024.

Alex Nocerino

Founding partner Alex Nocerino has 19 years of legal experience. He has been recognized as one of the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.

“Sometimes you have clients that you just feel this connection with, and you just feel their pain and you feel what they’re going through, and it just gives you that driving force that you’ll just do anything. You’re going to figure it out.”
– Alex Nocerino

Michael Ma

Before coming to Chopra & Nocerino, Michael Ma successfully managed a Brooklyn law firm where he mentored a team of attorneys with over 30 years of experience.

Pavlo Pavlatos

Pavlo Pavlatos worked as in-house counsel for major insurance companies before joining Chopra & Nocerino. Today, he uses his inside knowledge of insurance company defense strategies to help injured individuals.

Todd Arbesfeld

Todd Arbesfeld has over 30 years of experience representing injured individuals in settlement negotiations and at trial. He managed his own law firm for 15 years before joining Chopra & Nocerino.

Christine Duchatellier

Christine Duchatellier has eight years of experience and has dedicated most of her career to representing injured accident victims throughout the state.

Award-Winning Representation

Our attorneys have received numerous prestigious recognitions only offered to the most accomplished attorneys nationwide, including the following:

Top 100 Lawyers, 2021 Attorney of the Year
National Trial Lawyers Top 100
Super Lawyers Rising Star 2017-2019 & selected as Super Lawyers 2020-present
Top 10 Under 40 by the National Academy of Personal Injury Lawyers
Voted Top Attorney in North America 2021, 2022 and 2023

What Our Clients Say

Our client commitment shines through in everything we do, which makes a world of difference when you are coping with catastrophic injuries or a loved one’s loss. Below are just a few examples of the unsolicited feedback we receive:

“Chopra & Nocerino is the firm you WANT to handle your personal injury case. Not only are these attorneys determined to fight until the bitter end to ensure you see the results you deserve…they actually care about their clients! Both the firm owners and their staff make it a point to check in on their clientele and keep them informed every step of the way. Of course, the results also speak for themselves. Be smart when choosing the right attorney for your case; call this firm!”

“I was and still am a client of this law office and love this team. There’s no better out there, in my opinion, in terms of getting you what you deserve in a timely manner. This law office takes the privacy of their client as well as their personal needs into account when explaining complicated topics and answers. I highly recommend them and have to others looking for a law firm that will better your future. Thank you to Chopra and Nocerino and my personal attorney from the office, Michael, and his legal team.”

“Chopra &Nocerino are outstanding. They picked up my case and seamlessly provided me with excellent communication, realistic approaches coupled with optimism just when I had almost given up hope for any resolution. This firm is a good professional team with outstanding leadership and professional expertise. Alex Nocerino, in particular, ensured effective communication with me throughout the duration of my case with a successful resolution. He is detail-oriented, approachable, and willing to not only provide his best assistance with the situation at hand but also with any future endeavors.”

Past Case Results

We have won hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients, including several six and seven-figure settlements and verdicts in building collapse cases, such as the following:

$1.45 million for a 25-year-old Queens woman who suffered neck injuries when a bathroom ceiling collapsed on her

Our Office Location

Our office is located in the Garden City Center building at 100 Quentin Roosevelt Blvd., Unit 107, Garden City, New York. Ample parking is available in the lot adjacent to the building for your convenience.

What Our New York Building Collapse Lawyer Can Do for You

When you are injured in a building collapse, you need a legal team that understands the structural and legal aspects of building collapses. When you have Chopra & Nocerino on your side, we will do the following:

Visit the site with a team of structural engineers, inspectors, and construction experts in our network
Gather complaint, violation, maintenance, and inspection records from the Department of Buildings and other sources
Interview occupants of the building, eyewitnesses, and other victims
Identify the causes of the collapse and determine who is liable
File insurance claims with the responsible parties’ insurance companies and negotiate a settlement
“One of the things that we instruct our clients on right after they tell us that they’ve been involved in an accident is don’t speak to anyone from any insurance company, even your own insurance company, without us being present and without us being there and telling you that it’s okay. They’re not your friend. They’re not trying to help you. They’re trying to gather information.” – Alex Nocerino
Fight for you in court if the liable parties and their insurers fail to offer fair compensation

We are real New Yorkers dedicated to helping New Yorkers. We know the city’s building codes and construction practices, and our insight during building collapse investigations allows us to prove legal liability. Our New York roots have allowed us to build key relationships with the Department of Buildings, local judges, and inspectors, so we are well-positioned to expedite your case and get you the best outcome possible.

Compensation Options If You Are Hurt in a Building Collapse

You may be eligible for economic and non-economic damages following a building collapse. Economic damages are compensation for the monetary cost of your injuries, and non-economic damages are compensation for their effects on your quality of life. Examples of economic and non-economic damages include:

Current and future medical expenses
Lost wages
Lost earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of function
Loss of society
Loss of enjoyment of life

FAQs Regarding Building Collapse

How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?

The New York personal injury statute of limitations imposes varying deadlines for building collapse cases, depending on your case’s facts. If a private party is liable, you must file your lawsuit within three years of the incident. If the City of New York is responsible, you must file a notice of claim within 90 days. If the notice does not result in a settlement, you have one year and 90 days to file a lawsuit. If your loved one died in a building collapse, the deadline to file a lawsuit is two years from the date of death.

Is There a Fee for Consulting a Building Collapse Attorney?

The initial consultation with our attorneys is free. If we accept your case, we charge nothing upfront, and you only pay if we win. This arrangement is known as a contingency fee agreement.

“Contingency fees are about us taking a percentage of the victory at the end or settlement or mediation or trial if it goes there, to that point. Standard across New York is 33.3%. That means that you should not be paying out any money. You should not be paying your attorneys or us for that matter, any fees or legal consultation fees or anything during the course of your case. We only collect after the case is fully resolved.“
– Sameer Chopra

How Long Does a Building Collapse Lawsuit Take?

It is not always possible to predict how long it will take to resolve your claim because every case is different. Building collapse lawsuits can take a few months to a few years to resolve. Generally, the responsible party is a large construction company with vast resources to fight claims. It may be necessary to go to trial, particularly if your injuries are severe and significant damages are at stake.

“A personal injury lawsuit can take different periods of time for each individual case.”
– Sameer Chopra

What Causes Building Collapse Accidents in New York?

Buildings collapse when load-bearing structures fail. Common causes include the following:

Water damage from leaky pipes or roofs
Structural damage caused by snow accumulation
Concrete corrosion and spalling in parking garages due to road salt
Heavier vehicles in older parking garages built for older vehicles
Insect and rodent damage
Load-bearing beams becoming rusted
Fire damage
Faulty construction
Unsafe building design

Most building collapses occur after numerous warning signs, such as crumbling concrete, building cracks, water damage, and rotting wood, have been evident for weeks. According to Multi-Housing News, the average New York City building age is approximately 90 years. Meanwhile, many neighborhoods were constructed before 1900—a time when building codes and technology lacked the safety features of today.

Is Anything Being Done to Prevent Building Collapses in NYC?

In 2024, the City Council passed long-overdue legislation called the “Billingsley Terrace Structural Integrity Act.” It requires the Department of Buildings to use predictive technology to assess a building’s collapse risk and inspect buildings that receive a risk score. The technology will rely on data such as the building’s age, 311 complaints, and the building code violation history. Building owners will have 30 days to remedy violations.

Schedule a Free Consultation With a Building Collapse Attorney in NYC

If you or your loved one was injured in a building collapse, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. You can count on our New York building collapse attorneys to identify the responsible parties and hold them accountable. Contact us online today or call (855) NYC-HURT to schedule a free case evaluation.