It is hard to imagine the fear associated with a massive fire. When you add a crowded setting in to the smoke and flames, it becomes a moment of true panic. We’ve been thinking about those moments as we follow the unfolding story of the recent nightclub fire in Brazil. The team at our Oakland fire injury law firm has also been asking a question we imagine is on many of our readers’ minds – could a similar fire tragedy happen here?
Fire Officials Say More Stringent Laws and Regulations Make Bay Area Clubs Safer
Budget constraints have forced some cutbacks. Although officials still make both announced code checks and unannounced spot checks, fire departments are relying more on club owners to comply with fire codes and other safety rules. Fire authorities do ask that club-goers help by reporting anything suspicious, including locked exits. Guests should also note exits to avoid a panic-induced rush to the main entrance. Officials say they do not believe a disaster like that in Santa Maria would occur in the Bay Area, but they still urge that people look out for their own safety.
Fire Injuries and Fire Injury Law
Fires can lead to a myriad of different injuries. Burns can range from superficial to life-threatening, requiring extensive medical treatment and physical rehabilitation. Severe burns can cause kidney failure. Burns can also lead to lifelong scarring and disfigurement, adding emotional pain on top of physical suffering. Fire injuries can leave a victim vulnerable to infection. Smoke inhalation is also a very serious danger and is more likely to lead to death than the flames themselves.
Fire injuries and deaths are often preventable. Property owners and operators owe a duty to maintain a reasonably safe environment, including taking reasonable efforts to prevent fires. Victims who are injured in a fire caused or exacerbated by the failure to meet this duty may have a legal claim via a premises liability theory. In these cases, the plaintiff must show the defendant had control of the property/condition, breached a duty of care to the victim, and that the breach directly led to the plaintiff’s injury. Premises liability theories can be brought to bear in both injury and wrongful death suits. Other legal concepts may also be relevant in fire-related civil suits, including product liability and landlord/tenant principles.
Representing Fire Injury Victims in Northern California
The nightclub fire in Brazil was a tragedy, especially because news reports suggest that it could have been prevented. We believe that businesses should be held accountable for their failure to invest in safety, decisions that put the bottom-line above human life. If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one in a fire and suspect the property owner or operator had a role in the tragedy, please call. Our Oakland/San Francisco fire injury law firm can help you get compensation and justice.
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