Over the weekend, an elderly man perished in a fire reported to have been caused by electrical appliance in his home. Mr. Wilson Jones, 91 years old, went to bed on Saturday night in his home in Gary, Indiana, and a fire from an electrical appliance (what kind has not been reported yet) released enough smoke that Mr. Jones died of smoke inhalation.
In another fire, a Chicago firefighter was injured in a home fire along with a resident this morning, the resident reported to be in serious condition at Loretto Hospital, when a fire broke out in a building that houses a storefront on the ground floor with apartments up above. The fire raged for most of this morning, and its cause has yet to be released to the public.
On the job fires are a common problem in our local area: mill workers, longshoremen, factory workers, those working on the railroads and in construction, are all vulnerable to fire injuries as part of their daily work. These men and women bravely do their jobs, day in and day out, all too aware of that risk of chemical fires, electrical fires, explosions, and the like.
Fire injuries on the job are real tragedies. However, even more horrific are fire injuries and deaths that arise in someone’s home.
We are supposed to be safe in our homes, particularly in the dead of night when we are sleeping. However, defective products and things like faulty electrical wiring are all too often the cause of serious injury and death in our country. The National Fire Prevention Association provides details on the most common causes of fires in the home (click on the link for a NFPA Fact Sheet):
- Home Decorations
- Children Playing With Fire (lighters, matches)
- Cooking Equipment Causing a Fire
- Home Heaters (Standalones and In the Wall)
- Smoking Materials (Cigarettes, etc.)
- Candles
- Electrical Wiring Distribution or Lighting Equipment
When a loved one is seriously injured or killed in their home because of a fire, the horror that the family and friends feel can be overwhelming. There is something especially horrible when a human being dies in a fire. It is almost unbearable to deal with this reality when the origin of the fire is revealed to be the result of a flaw in wiring or a defect in a product.
There are few instances when a personal injury lawsuit can have more longreaching results than when a brave family member fights in the courtroom for justice in a products liability or personal injury lawsuit designed to stop fire injuries and wrongful deaths. No one should ever have to deal with this situation, and our condolences go out to all who have experienced a horrific loss and tragedy as a result of fire.
