Structure Fire Injuries & Death

By retaining us to handle your fire accident case, our firm will conduct a thorough, independent investigation of the circumstances which led to the disaster. During this process, our team will ensure you receive all necessary treatment, gather and preserve evidence to build your case, hire experts, determine liability, demand compensation, file a lawsuit, if the “demand” is not met, and finally, settle your case with your approval or go to trial.

Types of Fire Injuries

The severity of burn injuries is expressed through degrees. Each degree classifies the level of tissue damage in a given area—the higher the degree, the worse the burn.

Most people believe there are three burn degrees, which is a misconception. In fact, there are six burn degrees; we just don’t often hear about fourth degree burns because they carry only a slight chance of survival. Fifth and sixth degree burns are always fatal.

First Degree Burn

First degree burns cause the least skin damage and are recognizable by redness of skin, pain, minor inflammation, swelling, or dry, peeling skin. They are often referred to as “superficial burns” because they only affect the skin’s outermost layer. First degree burns are most commonly sustained due to prolonged sun exposure or contact with hot water.

Second Degree Burn

Second degree burns are more severe as they affect a deeper layer of the skin. They are recognizable by blisters and redness on the burnt skin, and hurt significantly more than first degree burns. Most second degree burns happen as a result of limited contact with flames, boiling liquids, or chemicals. Second degree burns are prone to infection and affected areas can leave severe scarring.

Third Degree Burn

Third degree burns are the most severe in the sub-lethal category, as they destroy all three layers of the skin and require hospitalization. They can also involve muscle, tendon and ligament tissue. Third degree burns are recognized by charring and catastrophic damage to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. In cases where subcutaneous tissue is completely burned, the burn injury victim can develop compartment syndrome, a life-threatening condition caused by pressure buildup from internal bleeding or swelling of tissues.

Typical causes of third degree burns include fire breakout, contact with aggressive chemicals, or suffering an electric shock.

Fourth Degree Burn

These burns cause damage that reaches beyond the skin and can affect internal organs. Most fourth degree burns are caused by a fire breakout or severe electric shock. The fatality rate among victims with fourth degree burns is high. Those who survive always lose skin and other tissue and require a skin grafting procedure.

Fifth Degree Burn

Fifth degree burns affect all soft tissue and all organs in the affected region. They can also damage the bone to some extent. The chances of surviving fifth degree burns is virtually zero. Those who have survived have required amputation.

Sixth Degree Burn

Sixth degree burns are not survivable. Damage from a sixth degree burn are often so extensive that bones can be badly damaged or even charred.

Smoke Inhalation

Contrary to popular belief, smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death in fires. Inhaling smoke can result in thermal injury to the upper airway, irritation or chemical injury to the airways, asphyxiation, and/or carbon monoxide toxicity.

Smoke inhalation can also result in burns to the lungs, windpipe and throat. It can also cause respiratory failure and oxygen deprivation, which can lead to brain damage and/or cardiac issues, which is why inhaling smoke while trying to escape a structure fire can be fatal.

Call (855) 948-5098 to learn about your legal options.

Common Causes and Types of Structure Fires

• Gas lines poorly installed, maintained or repaired
• Gas line leak
• Furnace or water heater poorly installed, maintained or repaired
• Kitchen fire
• Faulty electrical wiring or maintenance
• Flammable materials in building
• Faulty fire safety equipment (smoke detectors, fire sprinklers, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire escapes, etc.)
• Fire safety equipment not provided

Apartment Building Fire

An apartment building consists of three or more apartments, and is typically overseen by a landlord, property manager, superintendent, or the property owner. The property owner is responsible for providing apartment building tenants with a safe building, which means they must comply with fire safety regulations.

Property builders, owners and anyone charged with overseeing an apartment building must comply with applicable fire safety codes. In the event that fire safety regulations are overlooked or outright ignored, tenants or building guests who are killed or injured in a structure fire can file a lawsuit for negligence.

House Fire

If you are a homeowner, homeowner’s insurance covers a house fire. However, if you are a renter and you do not have renters’ insurance, your landlord or the property owner may be liable in the event of a house fire. Alternatively, if a house fire was started by a person hired by the homeowner or landlord to perform maintenance or work on the property, you may have a claim against the person or the business.

Explosions

Gas lines run prominently through residential communities, industrial centers and places of business. In the U.S., we assume that natural gas lines are properly designed, installed and maintained. But sometimes, a gas line becomes corroded over time and isn’t properly replaced, or a gas line ruptures due to faulty repair work. When this happens, the consequence can be a deadly explosion.

Gas line explosions can happen in an instant, leaving certain disaster in its wake. Often, those in the affected area are defenseless against them with little to no time to react.

These explosions are most often caused by gas leaks. Such a gas leak is at the center of the litigation against SoCalGas in the wake of the Porter Ranch gas leak, the largest methane gas leak in U.S. history, which forced thousands of residents to leave their homes.

Fire Accident Lawyer

The law firm of Wisner Baum has experience handling structure fire lawsuits. Our firm understands the devastation wrought by these tragedies and will fight to ensure the maximum available compensation for our clients.

If you would like to speak with a personal injury or wrongful death attorney about your claim, give us a call at (855) 948-5098.