The impact from the fall, on Aug. 22, 2009, was undeniable: A Brooklyn man, Brian D. Martin, fell more than 30 feet to the ground, fracturing his back in several spots and shattering his left heel.

How Mr. Martin came to fall was the subject of a nearly three-week civil trial in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn that ended Thursday with Mr. Martin being awarded $4.15 million from the New York Police Department.

In its decision, the jury affirmed Mr. Martin’s version of events, in which two plainclothes officers, Alex Bakalis and Jose Cofresi, had pursued him to the roof of his building, at 225 Hoyt Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn. And while Mr. Martin was hanging from a brick parapet, one of the two officers struck Mr. Martin’s fingers, the court papers said, causing him to lose his grip more than 30 feet above the street and knock down an air conditioner while falling.

Jurors also agreed that Mr. Martin was falsely arrested after he had fallen from the roof. The award included money to cover the “permanent effect of his injuries” and medical expenses over the next 45 years, or until Mr. Martin is in his mid-70s.