Langston & Lott, PLLC
Fire Safety
Langston & Lott, PLLC
Fire Safety
Fire Safety
Fire Safety
Most residential fires in the United States occur during holiday season and winter months, with more home cooking, flammable decor, and faulty heating to blame. Even in the event where a tenant starts a fire, property owners have a legal responsibility to provide proper fire protections that mitigate the spread and reduce injury. When they don’t, they can be held liable.
In an ideal scenario, the injured person should retain a law firm shortly after the fire occurs. However, clients often retain us months after the incident, when the property has already been demolished and/or rehabilitated and the evidence has been destroyed. While it’s then necessary to rely on the local investigation that was conducted, that doesn’t mean the case is hopeless. Owners and landlords often rely on the “old building” defense and claim that the age of their property limits their responsibility. However, this defense is often easy to overcome. Any major renovations or upgrades requires that the property be brought up to the latest fire safety code, which is why we always check a building’s permit history or construction records.
Lack of egress can also give rise to liability. Historic tragedies such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, where hundreds died due to locked doors and stairwells, have resulted in the strict enforcement of safe exit options in the event of a fire. On a residential property, injury often occurs when people jump out of windows or are forced to break glass, etc. Contractors who install fire alarm or sprinkler systems in residential or hotel buildings or those that are hired to maintain them can also be sued if they were negligent in their work.
With so many building codes and regulations in place enacted to prevent the horrific harm associated with fires, fire injury cases today often occur when someone falls short somewhere along the line. It’s our duty to hold them responsible. If you or a loved one have been injured in a fire related accident, call us today for a free case evaluation.
Website Disclaimer: This firm cannot guarantee results. The results listed on this website are specific to the facts and legal circumstances of each of the clients’ cases and should not be used to form an expectation that the same results could be obtained for other clients in similar matters without reference to the specific factual and legal circumstances of each client’s case. These results are not intended to compare one lawyer’s services with other lawyer’s services. Some of these results were obtained in connection with joint representation and associations with other firms.