Defective Smoke Alarm Lawsuit

Attorney David Szerlag is a former fire fighter with training in advanced life support and hazardous material. For a free consultation about a fire caused by a defective smoke alarm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our free consultation form. If you hire our law firm, we will immediately begin an independent investigation to build a case for a lawsuit against a landlord, smoke alarm manufacturer (product liability)and other responsible parties.

Defective Smoke Alarm Lawsuit In a lawsuit filed in Illinois,¹ a husband and wife claim to have been seriously injured after a smoke detector in their apartment failed to work. The complaint alleges that the husband suffered the following:

severe burns
smoke inhalation
kidney failure
emotional distress
amputation
other permanent disability

The complaint alleges that the wife suffered cuts, smoke inhalation and emotional distress.

This lawsuit is similar to an apartment fire lawsuit settled by Attorney Fred Pritzker. In that case, the smoke detector in the apartment did not work, and the landlord had not fixed it. A couch in the apartment caught fire and quickly burned, spreading the fire and filling the apartment with smoke. The mother and one son died. A daughter suffered severe brain damage (cerebral anoxia) from oxygen deprivation. Fred won almost $3 million dollars for the family.

Proving a Defective Smoke Alarm Lawsuit

In a defective smoke alarm lawsuit, the elements of the case usually include the following:

Someone had a duty to provide a working smoke alarm (landlord, manufacturing plant owner, manufacturer)
That person or company breached that duty of care
The breach of that duty caused the burns
Damages (losses to the people injured and the families of people killed)

With a defective smoke alarm case, there may be multiple parties that had a duty of care. Depending on the facts of your case, possible parties with a duty of care to you at the time of your accident could include any of the following:

An employer
A property owner (landlord, manufacturing plant owner, office building owner)
A manufacturer

When you hire a burn attorney at Pritzker Olsen law firm to represent you, we will thoroughly investigate the fire and determine who should be sued to compensate you for your pain, suffering and financial losses.

Damages in a Defective Smoke Alarm Lawsuit

In a case involving a smoke alarm that didn't work compensation generally includes amounts for medical expenses, loss of earnings, disfigurement, disability, pain and suffering, emotional distress and loss of quality of life.

The degree of the burns is taken into account:

Second Degree Burns
Third Degree Burns
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Degree Burns

In some fire cases involving a defective smoke alarm, it may be possible to make a claim for punitive damages, money in such an amount that is punishes the party at fault.

The personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at the firm have been interviewed and quoted by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Lawyers USA and others. To contact the firm regarding a fire caused by a defective smoke detector that didn’t work, please call 1-888-377-8900 (TOLL FREE) or submit our online form for a free consultation.

Keywords: Defective smoke alarm lawsuit, my wife died in a fire because the smoke alarm didn't work, class action lawsuit, Burns to on percent of body because smoke alarm did not sound, lawsuit, lawyer, settlement, apartment fire, work fire, my husband was killed in a fire at work, my son has burns, third degree burns, fourth degree burns, fifth degree burns, sixth degree burns, my daughter's lungs were burned in a fire and she has brain damage. Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, apartment fire settlement, attorney, Michigan, Minnesota, burned in a fire, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, fatal fire, attorney, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Footnotes:

1. http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/06/15/28075.htm (this case was not litigated by Pritzker Olsen, but is used as a recent example of a lawsuit involving a defective smoke alarm.)

Free Case Consultation

Firm News

Fred Pritzker Listed in The Best Lawyers in America

Fred Pritzker has been notified that he will again be listed in The Best Lawyers in America for his work in personal injury and wrongful death litigation.

Burn Injury Lawsuit Settled

Our law firm settled a case involving an apartment fire. Two people died, and two others were injured, one seriously. Learn about a burn injury lawsuit, scald burn, and apartment fire.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen spoke at the annual Minnesota Association for Justice Brain Injury Seminar. They represent brain injury survivors in personal injury cases throughout the nation.

Burn Injury Compensation

Medical expenses
Pain and suffering, including physical pain, suffering, emotional distress, disfigurment, disability, mental impairment
Lost earnings, including lost potential earnings
Cost of care

Burn Attorney

Information on a burn injury lawsuit, including liability of any of the following:

An employer
A property owner
The owner of a vehicle
The driver of a vehicle
A manufacturer
A utility company
A propane company
A person who serviced a propane tank, vehicle, piece of equipment, etc.
A landlord
An insurance company

Burn Brain Damage

Brain damage associated with fires is usually cerebral hypoxia (also referred to as cerebral anoxia), a condition where there is an absence of oxygen to the brain.

This is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The result of each case is determined by the specific facts and the applicable law.