Brooklyn Fires, Burns, and Smoke Inhalation Attorney
Our Brooklyn fires, burns, and smoke inhalation attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm represent clients who are injured as a result of the recklessness or negligence of another. Many fires are preventable and should have been foreseen by landlords or other responsible parties. The injuries from fires are often severe and leave victims with long-term disabilities.
Determining the Responsible Party
Vital to any personal injury case is determining who is responsible for the accident. In a fire case, the responsible party may have caused the incident either knowingly or unknowingly, but is liable nevertheless. For instance, a landlord who neglects to fix damaged electrical wires which lead to a fire can be held liable. One case our Brooklyn fires, burns, and smoke inhalation attorneys settled involved a child who was scalded severely by hot bath water. We were able to recover $2,250,000 for the victim. In another case, one of our clients recovered $2,500,000 in a defective space heater accident.
Common Causes of Fires
Fires in the home, car, or workplace are not as uncommon as one may imagine.
The most common causes of fires are:
- Damaged or faulty electric wiring
- Dangerous appliances—For instance, water heaters produced prior to the late 1970s are prone to explode from heat.
- Furnishings in the home
- Faulty fireplaces
- Poorly maintained smoke detectors, or lack of smoke detectors
Burns and Smoke Inhalation
A Brooklyn fires, burns, and smoke inhalation attorney with our firm will fight for the rights of those injured. Burn injuries can cause significant scarring, not to mention damage to delicate tissues of the body. Burns are rated by degree—first, second, third, etc. This relates to the depth of the burn; therefore, a third-degree burn will cause much more serious injury because it affects tissues below the skin.
Smoke inhalation also causes serious injury. Many victims who die in house fires never wake up. This is because toxins released into the air from burning materials in the home—drapes, carpets, clothing—can cause asphyxiation. Smoke inhalation can cause injury to the lining of the lungs and bronchial tubes. Moreover, breathing the hot air can cause thermal damage.
Our Brooklyn fires, burns, and smoke inhalation attorneys are empathetic to the suffering of fire victims and will fight for their rights. We will help gain compensation for medical costs, loss of income, scarring, physical therapy, pain, suffering, and more. Our clients recovered $975,000 out of a $1 million insurance policy in a smoke inhalation case due to missing smoke detectors.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a fire, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Please contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800 WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in 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 phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800- LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at Work4YouLaw.com
