Petrillo & Goldberg Law
In the early morning hours of April 28, 2020, a lawn maintenance worker was operating a ride-on mower, cutting grass approximately 10 feet from the edge of a body of water. His body was found later. He had drowned. There were no witnesses to the accident, but the police estimated the mower driver had changed…
A recent New Jersey Supreme Court decision is set to drive change in the laws governing disability discrimination and failing to accommodate such claims under the Law Against Discrimination (LAD). In Mary Richter v. Oakland Board of Education, Docket No. A-23-19 (083273), the court held plaintiffs seek personal injury damages when an employer failed to accommodate…
Under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation rule, an employee who suffers injuries or becomes ill because of their work may be entitled to compensation benefits. Workers compensation generally provides coverage for necessary medical treatment and lost wages. The law provides coverage when the injury victim is an employee, their employee carries workers’ compensation insurance, the employee…
An industrial accident at a New Jersey processing plant killed a Philadelphia man. The accident highlights the dangers faced by employees who work at industrial sites. Emergency personnel, responding to a call at the Safeway Freezer Storage plant in Vineland in New Jersey, found Felipe Rodriguez, a 28-year-old worker, dead at the scene. First responders…
New Jersey workers’ compensation law allows judges to use the odd-lot doctrine to consider factors beyond physical and neuropsychiatric impairments to find a worker permanently and totally disabled. The issue was before the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey in a case in which the injured employee argued her limited English should…
Amazon is a leader in introducing robots into the workplace. The company claims robots speed up production and make human jobs easier and safer. However, interviews and other records suggest that Amazon employees are suffering more injuries and facilities in workplaces with robots. Reveal gathered internal injury records from 23 of Amazon’s 110 fulfillment centers…
Two recent deaths at construction sites in New Jersey serve as a reminder of the dangers faced by construction workers. Eric Papenfuhs was killed at the construction site of the American Dream megamall in East Rutherford. Another worker died in Woodbridge Township as a result of electrocution. Papenfuhs was operating a Bobcat when he collided…
Companies hold events outside regular employment hours and invite employees to participate. If an employee is injured at one of these events, is the injury covered by workers’ compensation? Kim Goulding worked as a cook at a nonprofit organization that provides vocational training and clinical services to individuals with developmental issues. On a Saturday, the…
What happens when an employee being treated for a work injury claims to suffer another injury during the treatment? The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey recently considered this issue. Priscilla Robinson, a flight attendant, fractured her wrist at work. Robinson underwent physical therapy for her injury. She contended that she tore…
Some horseplay can be expected at work. Usually, pranks are harmless, but what are the consequences if an employee suffers an injury? A firefighter for the City of Linden was on duty at a firehouse. As he sat down on a toilet in the men’s restroom, he felt an explosion beneath him. Remnants of an…