Injured Due to Lack of Smoke Alarm or Extinguisher?

Transcript:

Hi. I’m Indiana personal injury attorney David Holub.

Many times, we have assisted families who have suffered injuries or loss of a loved one in an apartment or home fire.

The lack of a functioning smoke alarm or even a lack of a functioning fire extinguisher can be important.

When landlords fail to maintain a safe environment for apartment residents in the event of a fire (even where the landlord is not at fault for the fire) the lack of a smoke alarm or extinguisher may be instrumental in causing injury. Here is what attorneys look for:

• was the smoke alarm sounding at the time of the fire?
• was the smoke alarm properly placed in the apartment, or was it too far from a bedroom to alert someone asleep in a bedroom
• was the smoke alarm of a modern type to quickly sense a fire
• was there a fire suppression system in the apartment (either sprinklers, hand extinguishers, or range hood mounted extinguishers)
• did the lack of suppression equipment combined with a lack of alarm warning increase the risk of injury
• were escape routes marked for the building
• did the apartment have a sufficient number of escape routes
• were fire escape ladders (fixed or rope) provided

Without an experienced attorney in your corner, you could end up not recovering for the full extent of your injuries.

If you would like to learn more about personal injury law, we encourage you to listen to our Personal Injury Primer Podcast or read our book “Fighting For Truth: A Trial Lawyer’s Insight Into What It Takes To Win”.