Fire Injury law- Liability and Compensation
Our New York City and Westchester personal injury and wrongful death lawyers have extensive experience in representing people who were injured in fires. Explosions and fires are among the most devastating and overwhelming events that occur on a regular basis throughout New York. They often lead to serious burns or other catastrophic personal injuries and death, as well as the destruction of property. Explosions and fires are seen throughout New York state in all manners of locations and circumstances, including improperly protected construction sites, defective home propane tanks, flammable or highly combustible fuels in certain industries, improperly designed gasoline tanks on a motor vehicle or other fuel-powered equipment, defective smoke detectors or fire alarms, faulty wiring in a new house, or negligent maintenance of public electric or gas utilities. Each of these negligent acts alone is enough to cause an explosion or fire or to create an environment where a minor fire becomes a catastrophic event. New York law allows victims of explosions and fires, including firefighters and rescuers, to recover for injuries, death, and property damage when the explosion or fire was caused by negligence. It is a weekly, if not daily, occurrence for there to be a news report of an explosion or fire somewhere in New York. Victims need both immediate and long-term help, including help from experienced New York fire accident lawyers, to protect their rights and move toward recovery.
Recently, a fire broke out inside an Upper West Side apartment building in Manhattan, injuring seven tenants and five firefighters, according to reports by the New York City Fire Department. The civilians and firefighters were both taken to local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.Our New York City and Westchester fire accident lawyers know that one of the most important aspects of handling any fire injury case, is to determine the cause and origin of the fire, which then allows our fire and burn injury lawyers to prove who was at fault for the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Who Can Be Held Liable in New York?
Our New York City and Westchester fire accident and burn injury lawyers know that the determination of who or what caused the fire will also determine who can be held liable for the injuries, damages and losses caused. Potentially liable parties in a New York City fire injury case include:
Property owner who failed to install proper fire alarms or sprinklers.
Property owner or managers whose negligence in maintaining the property caused the fire and resulting injuries.
Individual responsible for causing the fire.
Utility company, if the fire was caused due to a transformer malfunction or gas line explosion.
An appliance manufacturer responsible for creating a defective product that caused the fire or failed to protect the building's occupants.
Property maintenance companies whose negligence caused the fire.
Property maintenance companies and electricians, if the fire was caused by faulty electrical work.
General contractors and landowners, in a construction accident fire for failure to provide a safe work site.
Whenever someone suffers an injury in a fire, it must be determined what caused the fire and how it could have been prevented. Residential and commercial fires that result in injuries can start from a variety of sources including but not limited to open flames, electrical issues, explosions, household chemicals and issues relating to poor building maintenance. The top five causes of accidental fires investigated by the Bureau of Fire Investigation include electrical, smoking, open flame, careless cooking and appliances.
Our NYC fire injury attorneys can help you hold those who were responsible for the fire liable for your injuries. Our New York City and Westchester fire accident lawyers, take a number of important steps to help protect your rights. First, we gather and secure all relevant evidence including police and fire department reports and photographs from the scene of the fire. We will also work with highly credentialed experts including engineers and fire marshals to prove the case.