Airport Ramp Agent Injuries in New York

Ramp agents regularly sustain crush injuries from ground support equipment, back and shoulder injuries from loading heavy baggage, strikes from moving aircraft or tugs, and jet blast injuries on the tarmac. Slip-and-fall accidents on wet or icy ramps are also frequent at New York airports during winter months. These injuries can be severe and permanently disabling.

Yes. JFK and LaGuardia are owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a public agency. If your injury claim is against the Port Authority—for example, due to a dangerous condition on airport property—you must serve a written Notice of Claim within 90 days of the accident. Missing this deadline can permanently bar your lawsuit against the Port Authority.

In New York, workers’ compensation is typically the exclusive remedy against your direct employer, meaning you generally cannot sue them in civil court. However, if a third party—such as an airline, ground handling contractor, equipment manufacturer, or another company operating on the tarmac—caused or contributed to your injury, you may be able to bring a separate personal injury lawsuit against that party in addition to filing a workers’ comp claim.

Newark Liberty International Airport is also owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, but it is located in New Jersey. Claims arising from injuries at EWR may be subject to New Jersey law and New Jersey’s notice requirements for Port Authority claims. An attorney familiar with multi-state Port Authority litigation can determine which jurisdiction’s rules apply to your specific claim.

Yes. The constant lifting, twisting, and reaching a ramp agent does breaks down shoulders, backs, and knees over time, and New York workers' comp covers these gradual injuries the same as a single accident. Once your treatment reaches maximum medical improvement and a doctor rates a permanent loss of use in an arm, shoulder, or leg, you can receive a schedule loss of use (SLU) award — a lump-sum payment based on the percentage of permanent loss, paid on top of your medical coverage and lost-wage benefits.

No — they are two separate clocks. New York workers' comp law requires you to give your employer written notice of the injury within 30 days. Telling a lead or supervisor verbally on the ramp is easy for the carrier to dispute later, so put it in writing and keep a copy. That 30-day notice is completely separate from the 90-day Notice of Claim deadline that applies if you also have a claim against the Port Authority for a dangerous condition on airport property.

Ramp collisions between baggage tugs, belt loaders, pushback tractors, catering trucks, and fuelers happen constantly in tight tarmac spaces. If the other vehicle was operated by a different company's employee — another ground handler, a fueling contractor, a caterer — you can collect workers' comp through your own employer and also bring a third-party personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault company. Unlike workers' comp, that separate claim can recover pain and suffering.