Category: Blog

13 injuries reported in New York apartment fire

Thirteen people were injured when a fire tore through their apartment building in New York. Firefighters were able to get to the scene and put the fire out before it could spread to other buildings, and no one was killed in the incident. The woman whose apartment the fire started in got her young sons and her husband out safely.

The man who was injured the most in the fire actually was hurt because of a dramatic fall that was all captured on video by people at the scene. He was trying to escape by climbing out the window, seeing as how smoke was filling the six-story building rapidly. He got out of the window on a bed sheet and then tried to find a tree branch that he could grab and hold onto, but the branch was not able to support his weight. He fell a few stories and hit the scaffold below. Firefighters were trying to come up and rescue him at the time.

The man did survive the fall, but he had to be taken to the hospital with injuries that put him in critical condition. However, despite these injuries, the doctors do expect him to recover.

As of now, no cause has been determined for the fire. Since firefighters know where it began, though, it should not take them long to find out what started it.

One thing that firefighters will be trying to determine is if the landlord is at fault in any way. If the fire was caused by a negligent property owner and not by something that a tenant did, it is important for all who were injured to know what compensation they deserve.

Source: CBS New York, “Man Plunges Several Stories, 13 Injured In Brooklyn Fire” No author given, Mar. 30, 2014

Evacuation after a fire in a high-rise in New York City

A high-rise building that sits near the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City caught fire and had to be partially evacuated. The fire started on the 8th floor, and it was contained on that floor by the firefighters who responded. However, they did evacuate everyone from 22 of the 40 total floors in the building. This was done as a precautionary measure in case the fire was able to spread before it could be stopped.

It is not clear yet how the fire began, but the building is around 100 years old, and it has tremendous historic value to the city. The majority of the building has been converted into modern offices that are used by branches of the government. In fact, it has been documented as one of the biggest buildings in use by a government in the world. It is right near the headquarters of the NYPD.

There were a few injuries in the fire, but no one was killed. One person who was at work in the building suffered just a minor injury, and they were taken to the hospital for treatment. The same is true for two of the firefighters who were helping to evacuate people and to battle the blaze. None of the injuries were reported to be anywhere near life-threatening, so the injured parties should recover fully.

Those who are injured in a fire may be entitled to compensation that will at least cover their medical bills. This is especially true if the ensuing investigation turns up the fact that any negligence on the part of the building’s owner led to the fire in the first place. All people have a right to work in a safe environment. This does not always stem from an employer alone, but can be traced to a landlord.

Source: NBC New York, “High-Rise Fire at 1 Centre Street, NYC Municipal Building, Forces Evacuation” No author given, Mar. 22, 2014

Negligence considered in New York explosion

An explosion shook New York in the last week when two apartment buildings were completely leveled. The explosion appears to have come from a gas line. Someone in the building actually put in a call about a potential leak, but the explosion happened before the repairman could get to the site. The blast caused a massive fire that ripped through the buildings, which subsequently collapsed. Fireman were able to get the blaze under control, but eight people died in the incident. Many more were injured.

The deaths have officially been ruled to be accidental. This was clearly not a deliberate act or an act of arson. However, for one person who was involved, this does not mean that no one is at fault. A lawsuit has been filed by a woman who was injured by the blast. She claims that she was physically injured, put under a lot of stress and exposed to mental and emotional trauma as a result of her brush with death.

She is now suing the people who owned one of the buildings, claiming that negligent maintenance was really to blame for the explosion. She seeks to prove that the landlords should have done a better job when it comes to the building’s upkeep so that the explosion would not have happened. She requests compensation for her medical bills and for the suffering that she went through.

It is very important for those who are hurt to know what their rights are in a situation like this or in any other accident that could have been prevented by those who own a building. They do not have to take action to cause someone to be injured in order to be liable. Understanding how the law takes negligence into account can help people ensure that the proper parties have to pay for all related bills.

Source: Reuters, “In New York City blast probe, investigators focus on gas lines” Victoria Cavaliere, Mar. 18, 2014

Arsonist from Queens to get a psychiatric evaluation

The arsonist from Queens, New York, who set fire to a number of different stores in a shopping center is going to get a psychiatric evaluation to determine his mental state in the wake of the crime. He has been quoted as saying that he thought that arson was fun, and he put many people in potential danger. This is enough to warrant the evaluation, though it does not necessarily change what he is going to be charged with in the end.

At the first store that he entered, the man allegedly set a fire near some clothes that burned the clothes and melted the carpet and hangers before it was put out. He got away from that without being caught, went to another store, descended to the basement and reportedly started another fire. This one was worse, and the store manager and a number of customers were struck within the cloud of smoke. Customers could not help breathing it in, and they began coughing as they tried to get away.

The man allegedly went to a third store and lit a pillow on fire, but customers at the store were able to stop it quickly. By the time that he was caught, the man had started small fires like these in more than a dozen different stores, according to police.

The most important thing for those who own buildings that are set on fire is to make sure that they take all steps necessary to protect those inside the buildings. This includes things like clearly marking the exits and installing fire alarms. They may not always be able to prevent people from doing things like this, but they can make sure that there is no property negligence on their end that could lead to a lawsuit when someone is injured by the fire or by smoke inhalation.

Source: New York Daily News, “Alleged Queens arsonist ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation” Clare Trapasso, Feb. 27, 2014

Fire destroys a restaurant, yoga studio, clothing store and more

A fire in Huntington Village shocked store owners from New York City when it ripped through a building containing a number of different shops, including a clothing store that had been at that location for nearly two decades. Firefighters responded to the scene, but they were too late to put the fire out before it could spread from the three stores where they believe it started to the rest of the building. They concentrated on containing it within the single structure itself, and they were able to do so.

The fire caused a fair amount of chaos as it tore through the building, destroying multiple shops and causing the roof to collapse in one place. Firefighters said that they believe there is significant structural damage, though they are still cleaning up the scene to find out just how extensive it is. The restaurant, Red, was open when the fire started, and around 70 people had to be evacuated. No one was seriously injured in the fire, and the one minor injury that did occur was to a firefighter who fell while fighting the blaze. He needed stitches, which were administered at the nearby hospital.

The damage to some of the stores was due more to water than to fire and smoke. One store owner reported that the basement had been totally flooded during the event, meaning that all of the inventory was destroyed along with the store itself.

While all fires cannot be prevented, people do have a right to shop and eat in places that have been maintained well enough that they are free of fire hazards. If someone suffered burn injuries in a similar situation, for example, they may be able to start a court case to pay for the pains and suffering or the medical costs if it was found that the owners of the building were responsible for the fire. Thankfully, that did not happen to anyone in this case.

Source: Newsday, “Business owners ‘in shock’ over Huntington Village fire” David M. Schwartz, Mar. 02, 2014