Woman Injured In Soho Scaffolding Collapse Sues For $50 Million

SOHO, NY — A Brooklyn woman is suing multiple contractors for $50 million after a Soho scaffolding shed collapsed in November, trapping her partially beneath it.

Katherine Lefavre, 33, says she suffered multiple injuries in the Nov. 19 accident, during which heavy guests of wind caused scaffolding and other debris to collapse near the intersection of Broadway and Prince Street in Soho. Lefavre is now seeking $50 million in a lawsuit against the various contractors connected to the scaffolding at 568 Broadway, according to her lawsuit filed on Tuesday.

Lefavre, a former model, says in her lawsuit that she was walking near the corner of Broadway and Prince Street on Nov. 19 when a gust of wind knocked down a sidewalk shed and some of the connected scaffolding. The debris struck Lefavre and threw her to the ground, "where she became trapped and buried under the debris," according to her lawsuit. The debris "struck [her] on the head, neck, and back" before it "buried [her] under the construction and scaffolding materials," according to her suit.

Lefavre suffered multiple injuries, including spinal fractures, head trauma and cuts in addition to injuries to her legs, according to her suit. She says her injuries required an extended hospital stay and surgery. At the time, police said five people suffered minor injuries in the incident.

City inspectors issued a stop work order on the building after the partial collapse of the scaffolding, finding that the structure "did not meet building safety code standards," according to city records. A later inspection allowed work on the site to proceed after the scaffolding was determined to be safe in December.

“New Yorkers are constantly walking under scaffolds, and they are entitled to feel safe when they do," Lefavre's attorney Susan Karten told the New York Post, which was first to report on the suit.

The lawsuit was filed against the owner of the building at 568 Broadway, as well as the scaffolding provider the Rocker Group and the company handling the renovations to the building's facade. Patch was not immediately able to contact any of the defendants for comment.

Image credit: Courtesy of the NYPD