A North Country man has filed a personal injury lawsuit against Syracuse University and a Rochester-based general contractor overseeing the construction of SU’s National Veterans Resource Center.

Tekaheroken Herne, of Hogansburg, filed a civil complaint Wednesday accusing the university and LeChase Construction Services LLC of being negligent in their operation of the NVRC site.

The NVRC is a $62.5 million building that will centralize SU’s military and veterans programs at 151 Waverly Ave. It is expected to open this semester.

An SU spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit. A LeChase representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Herne’s lawyer, Kenneth Sacks, also declined to comment.

Tekaheroken Herne v. Syracuse University and LeChase Construction Services, LLC by The Daily Orange on Scribd

According to the complaint, Herne was at the construction site last month while working for “Smith Construction,” a subcontractor hired by LeChase.

Herne claims to have sustained “serious and severe injuries” on Dec. 12 after slipping and falling “as a result of ramp ways and runways that were improperly constructed, improperly placed and improperly maintained,” per the complaint.

“Plaintiff was rendered sick, sore, lame and disabled,” the complaint says. Herne filed the complaint in Onondaga County Supreme Court.

SU and LeChase failed to ensure that work areas were free of tripping hazards, the document alleges.

Herne is demanding that the defendants pay for his medical expenses and lost wages, among other things. The complaint does not include a total amount of requested damages.

The NVRC site has been under construction since early 2018.

Published on January 10, 2020 at 10:56 pm

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