Philadelphia Fire and Explosions Lawyer
Fire victims and their families suffer physical and emotional trauma. The burn injury recovery process is painful and often requires the care of skilled nursing staff day and night. Burn cases or cases involving a death of another due to fire can be quite complex, but Philadelphia fire injury attorney at Rosenbaum & Associates has knowledge of fire investigations and can be trusted with your legal case.
Injury and/or loss claims usually involve negligence or product liability issues. Negligent behavior has been proven against building owners, managers or landlords, building designers/architects and firefighters. Manufacturers and distributors of products (such as gas grills, electrical equipment, etc.) that cause fires can also be held responsible under a products liability theory. In a recent study, the NFPA found that in 2011, over 47,700 home fires were caused by a malfunction in electrical equipment. However, many of these victims of home fires did not hold manufacturers responsible for their losses and never received the compensation they rightly deserved.
Property Owner’s/Business Operators Liability
An owner or business is generally responsible for keeping its property safe for persons lawfully on the property. Therefore, fires and injuries resulting from improper use or maintenance can result in liability. For example, storing flammable materials near a heat sources or other improper storage, failure to maintain wiring, and blocking or obstructing fire exits. If the owner is conducting “ultra hazardous” activities, such as blasting, they are responsible for injuries even they were not negligent.
Liability may go Beyond the Property Owner
A thorough investigation may reveal persons involved with the construction and design of the building are at fault. Specifically it is important to review the architect’s and contractor’s work to ensure they met building code specifications. In addition, building maintenance crews and security providers may have contributed to the fire. Liability may be imposed on these providers even if their conduct did not directly cause the fire, but rather contributed to the spread of the fire or the extent of the damage. In some special instances, even firefighters may be held responsible for negligent performance of their job.
Fires/Explosions from Defective Products
Defective or dangerously designed products may directly cause a fire, such as an exploding gas tank. In addition, the product may be defective because it did function/respond appropriately once a fire already started. For example, if sleep ware was not adequately flame resistant or a smoke detector failed to sound. In these cases the manufacturer or distributer would be responsible for the additional damages caused by the failure of their product. More information about defective products.
Jeff Rosenbaum, Philadelphia Fire Injury Attorney
Whatever the legal theory involved, the successful resolution of these claims requires a Philadelphia personal injury attorney experienced in all aspects of fire-related litigation. Involving an experienced fire loss attorney as soon as possible after the incident is critical to the collection of evidence regarding the cause the fire, as well as identifying all responsible parties. By contacting a Philadelphia fire injury attorney at Rosenbaum & Associates with experience in the area of fires and explosions, you ensure that you will receive the fullest possible protection.
If you would like more information please contact us online or call 1 800 7 LEGAL 7 for a Free Case Evaluation.