Officials have found more than 100 safety violations — including black mold, a corroded fire pump, overcrowded apartments, combustible materials in the hallway, faulty smoke alarms, and self-closing doors that did not work properly — in a building in Spring Valley, Rockland County where a fire broke out on March 9 and miraculously resulted only in non-life-threatening injuries.
Malfunctioning Self-Closing Doors
Rockland County’s building officials remarked that the doors that didn’t close
properly were particularly worrisome given that earlier in January, malfunctioning doors had allowed smoke to spread during a Bronx apartment fire that left 17 people dead. All of those victims, including several children, had died from smoke inhalation injuries. Officials said that to contain a fire, self-closing doors and fireproof doors are required.
According to safety experts, a closed door in such cases is crucial to contain fire and smoke, particularly in buildings like this one that don’t have automatic sprinkler systems. In the case of the deadly Bronx fire, one door that failed to close properly may have been a huge factor in allowing the fire to spread and the smoke and heat to spread vertically through the building.
Officials said numerous doors in that Spring Valley apartment building did not comply with current code. Inspectors said many of the violations and warning signs were simply in plain sight including lack of fire extinguishers in the hallway and “combustible material” in the hallway, which is against fire code.
Lack of Working Smoke Alarms
As flames ripped through the building, a mother who spoke to NBC on condition of anonymity, said that the smoke detectors were not working. According to county building inspectors, none of the inspected units had smoke alarms in the bedrooms and nearly all of the existing smoke alarms that were tested, failed.
County inspectors said some of the violations found were also listed on a 2019 inspection. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Four people were transported to the hospital. Officials stated that tragedy was avoided in this fire because of the quick response by firefighters. We are indeed relieved that no one was critically injured in this fire despite numerous safety violations in the building.
Property Owners’ Responsibilities
New York City laws require property owners and/or property managers to provide, install and maintain smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in each unit. The devices should also be maintained and remain in good working order. In New York City, large new apartment buildings are required to have sprinkler systems as well as interior doors that swing shut automatically to contain the smoke. But those rules generally may not apply to many of the city’s older buildings.
When a fire is caused by negligence (carelessness) or a lack of property maintenance, the property owners and/or property managers may be held liable for the injuries and loss of life that occurs. Injured victims or families of deceased victims can file a premises liability claim against the responsible parties including, but not limited to, the property owner, property manager, maintenance/repair company, etc.
Injured victims in such cases can seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families that have lost loved ones can file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation as well.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire or explosion, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. For over 50 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of assisting injured victims. One of our clients — a hot water burn victim — secured $750,000 in damages from the property owner and manager.
Our firm also obtained a $985,000 settlement out of a $1 million policy for two people who suffered smoke inhalation injuries because the homeowner did not have smoke detectors installed and the $15,000 that was left on the insurance policy was for a person that we did not represent. Another client recovered $2,500,000 due to a faulty space heater. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/more-than-100-violations-found-at-spring-valley-apartment-building-that-burned/3606594/