Fire Injury Lawyers Representing Clients Affected by Burns and Fire Injuries in Freehold and Toms River, New Jersey
Fire injuries are much more common than you would be led to believe. It is a good thing that there are 717 fire departments currently registered with the National Fire Department Registry. The NFDR reported that there were 2.3 deaths and 7.9 injuries for every 1,000 fires in 2020. There have been 6 deaths and 21.7 injuries for every residential structure fire in 2020. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rank fire injuries and deaths caused by fires as the fifth most common cause of unintentional deaths in the United States. They are also ranked as the third highest residential fatal injury.
If you suffered injuries from a fire due to someone else’s negligence in New Jersey, we can help. Our personal injury lawyers fight tooth and nail for the highest possible compensation on behalf of fire victims and others who suffer burns due to accidents in Freehold, Asbury Park, Belmar, Middletown, Manasquan, Howell, Toms River, and throughout Monmouth and Ocean County. Contact us at 732-825-6120 for a free consultation.
Types of Fires and Explosions and How they Start
There are several kinds of fires that can lead to serious injuries:
Electrical fires are among the most common. Old wiring in residential or commercial structures often catches fire, but this kind of fire can be prevented by the building owner. Regular maintenance is required to ensure safety against electrical fires.
Gas and/or explosion fires can occur through gas lines. These fires usually occur after gas lines have been installed improperly or when they have not been maintained according to a required standard of care that must be exercised by the owner of the land on which the gas lines have been installed or by those who install them.
Furnace fires and water heater fires occur when there is a furnace or water heater that has not be maintained. What fuels these installed devices typically accelerate fires, and it is extremely important for these devices to be installed by competent professionals, as well as properly maintained.
Product fires caused by defects are also a big source of actionable injuries. Defective products that cause fires are electrical devices such as power tools, standalone heaters, appliances, cell phones, etc. These are among the most common, but any electrical device, if defective, can cause an electrical fire.
Chemical fires are also very common. Chemical fires typically occur in factories or warehouses where dangerous chemicals are manufactured, stored, and/or maintained. Though liability is tricky when dangerous chemicals are involved, if these chemicals have not been properly cared for by those responsible, they can be liable for any fire resulting from the improperly stored chemicals.
Several “fire suppression” products have already been linked to alleged defects resulting in fire injury. For example, cheap smoke detectors have been known to improperly detect smoke or have a serious delay in detecting smoke from a fire, which has led to fire injury and successful causes of action.
Painful and Traumatizing Effects of Fire Injuries
Third degree burns classify burns where all levels of skin have been charred by the fire. Since the nerves are burnt, the victim most likely will not feel any pain; however, the process of repairing the skin with grafts can be extremely painful. Fourth-degree burns occur where more than the skin has been damaged by the fire. When the fire burns through all levels of the skin, muscle tissue, and bones. When burns get to the fourth-degree level, the victim’s life is in jeopardy.
Besides the most common fire injury, and burns, there are two other types that give rise to legal action. Psychological distress caused by a fire can having long-lasting symptoms. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the body’s abnormal reaction to certain situations. Being exposed to a fire can cause this disorder in anyone, and this is an injury that may be a cause of legal action. The other injury would be the inhalation of toxic fumes produced by the fire. These toxic fumes often lead to death but most certainly will lead to long-lasting and severe pulmonological injuries.
How Long do Burns Take to Heal?
Long-term impacts of burns from a fire are extreme scarring. As previously mentioned, third and fourth-degree burns require skin grafts to replace the damaged skin. This usually results in a loss of feeling in the area of the body that has been badly burned. These victims are literally scarred for the remainder of their life.
Inhalation Injuries from Fire Accidents
Damage from the inhalation of toxic fumes stemming from the fire are also long-lasting, but not easily recognized in public. Only a few minutes of toxic fumes inhalation can result in a severe loss of lung capacity, lung damage, pulmonary damage, nerve damage, and Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS). Symptoms will include excessive coughing and shortness of breath. The victim can also experience frequent headaches, fatigue, changes in the color of their skin, soot residue found in their nostrils and/or throat, as well as a very hoarse voice.
Practical Guidance for Being in a Fire
To avoid being injured in a burning building, it is wise to stay as low to the ground as possible. Being that heat rises, the toxic fumes produced by the fire will rise to the top of the building, and being low to the ground will prevent you from being burned by the hot fumes and stop you from breathing in the dangerous fumes. If crawling on the ground is not an option, place a wet towel over your nose and mouth and escape from the building as quickly as possible. Before opening doors, make sure to feel door knobs to better predict what waits for you on the other side.
Determining Fault for Fires and Explosion Accidents
Liability will often be determined by who was responsible for the upkeep of the premises on which the fire occurred. If the fire happened while the victim was at work, or if the fire occurred in a rented apartment, the person responsible could be the victim’s employer or the victim’s landlord, respectively. For product defect causes of action, liability can be shared or divided among the manufacturer, the distributor, or the retailer of the defective product. Consulting with an attorney experienced in fire injury matters in New Jersey is absolutely essential to suing the right party in order for the victim to be fairly compensated.
Recovering Damages for Burns and Injuries from a Fire in New Jersey
Victims are entitled to be compensated for their medical expenses and lost wages resulting from the fire incident. Furthermore, an experienced attorney can extrapolate damages by analyzing the victim’s earning capacity. If the fire injury now prevents you from working, you may also be entitled to receiving compensation for whatever earnings you could be receiving. Property damage may also be up for grabs. Lastly, the most experienced attorneys will help you obtain compensation for any physical disfigurement, impairment, physical pain and suffering, as well as emotional suffering.
Talk to Our Monmouth County Fire Injury Lawyers for Help with Your Claim
Hiring an experienced attorney for fire-related injury cases is essential to determine who is at fault, who has been negligent, and what you can be compensated for in terms of loss resulting from the fire injury. Negligence is determined by what standard of care the accused is supposed to abide by and how much they have deviated from that standard. These cases can be challenging, but much less so with an exceptional fire accident lawyer advocating for you and handling the complicated matters that may arise in seeking the compensation you need for burns. Whether you have severe burns, explosion injuries, chemical burns, respiratory ailments, or other injuries from a fire in New Jersey, our personal injury team is prepared to assist you.
Call 732-825-6120 for a free review of your case and find out more about your legal avenues toward recovering economic and non-economic damages for your fire and burn injuries today. We serve clients throughout the state of New Jersey, such as Berkeley, Jackson, Stafford, Point Pleasant, Colts Neck, Ocean Township, throughout Monmouth and Ocean County.
