NEW YORK ( CNN ) -- Two undocumented workers from Mexico and one from Ecuador have reached court settlements in recent weeks for a total of $ 3.85 million in damages for New York construction-site accidents , an attorney for the men announced Wednesday . `` All three cases involve construction and terribly unsafe working conditions , '' the attorney , Brian O'Dwyer , said in a news conference . `` We 're here today to re-emphasize -- as we have in the past -- to the Latino community and all undocumented workers that they have the same rights once they 're on the job as any New York citizen . '' A 33-year-old undocumented plumber from Mexico who was scalded by an exploding pipe at a Wall Street construction site in 2004 settled his damage claim for $ 2.5 million , according to a statement given to reporters at the news conference . The married father of two , who says he still has nightmares from the accident , hopes to open a restaurant or bar with the settlement money , his cousin told reporters . In a separate statement , owners of the Wall Street site said only that the injured plumber was `` employed directly by [ the ] contractor and not by the owner of the property nor the managing agent . '' Reached through a public relations firm , a spokesperson for the contractor , Swig Equities , had no comment . Another undocumented Mexican worker suffered severe injuries to his left foot and other parts of his body when a steel beam fell on his lower body at a building site in downtown Manhattan , the news conference statement said . The 52-year-old settled his damage claim against Beway Realty Corp. and F.J. Sciame Construction Co. Inc. for $ 750,000 , according to the statement . David Koeppel , a managing member of Beway Realty , said he was not familiar with the case . F.J. Sciame Construction , the site 's contractor , did not respond to inquiries . A 36-year-old Ecuadorian laborer who worked at the Arverne by the Sea community in Queens -- a neighborhood The New York Times has called a `` bright spot '' in the housing market for its strong sales and low foreclosure rates -- settled a damage claim for $ 600,000 , the news conference statement said . He was injured when three large 44x10-foot trusses , each weighing 200 pounds , collapsed onto him in August 2007 , fracturing his hip and causing other injuries , according to the statement . The father of three , who had worked in construction for more than a decade and owned his own company at the time of the accident , said he was very sad after the accident because he did not know how he would support his family . His two sons , now 7 and 8 , and his 16-year-old daughter were all born in the United States . `` The contractor tried to blame me , '' he said at the news conference , speaking in Spanish . What message would he give other workers ? `` Do n't be afraid to talk to a lawyer . '' Although he had not yet recovered enough to resume construction work , he hopes to use the settlement money to build a home for his family in New Jersey . Messages left for The Beechwood Organization , developers of Arverne by the Sea , were not returned . Joel Magallan , executive director of Asociacion Tepeyac , an immigrant advocacy group , said that while construction work is often dangerous , undocumented workers are likely to work at sites that lack safety equipment and OSHA regulation compliance . `` This is a great day for the undocumented immigrants , '' Magallan said . `` They have to know today that they have rights -- the same rights as other workers who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents . '' `` Many workers are threatened by their employers with deportation or discharge if they bring their cases to court , '' O'Dwyer said . `` What we find normally on work sites in New York is that deaths occur to the undocumented far out of proportion to their work in the workplace , and that is because of the fact that they just do not receive the safety protections , '' he said . In 2005 , O'Dwyer won a historic $ 4 million settlement for a 33-year-old Mexican worker who had fallen 30 feet in a scaffolding accident in the Bronx . The injured worker , who was hospitalized for four weeks and underwent seven surgeries after the 2001 accident , told CNN on Wednesday that workers -- documented or undocumented -- should not to be afraid to stand up for their rights . Although it is illegal for an employer to knowingly hire a worker who is undocumented , according to the New York City Mayor 's Office of Immigration Affairs , if an undocumented worker is hired by an employer , he or she then has the right to be paid minimum wage and overtime , the right to health protection and workplace safety , and the right to organize to improve labor conditions . `` Each of these men was injured in the course of their work on construction sites , and their immigration status was irrelevant to their right to seek redress for those injuries , '' O'Dwyer explained in a statement . `` Enforcing laws requiring a safe workplace serves the interests of all Americans , whether they are citizens or not . '' The men involved in the settlements said they chose to remain anonymous to protect relatives outside of the United States , who could become the target of kidnapping schemes if knowledge of their settlements became public .
Two undocumented workers from Mexico , one from Ecuador reach settlements . The three had been injured in different construction accidents around New York . Attorney says undocumented workers have same rights once they 're on the job . Advocate says undocumented construction workers often have less-safe sites .