Philadelphia Top Injury Lawyer Blog

With Philadelphia wrapped in a blanket of frigid arctic air, space heater sales are on the rise. With temperatures hovering in the single and double-digits and wind chills dipping below zero, Philadelphia residents are turning to space heaters to augment overworked furnaces. Unfortunately, fire, death and personal injury can occur when space heaters are used.

According to the Consumer Reports website, every year electric space heaters account for 40% of the heating-related deaths and 30% of the heating-related personal injuries in Philadelphia and across the U.S. Fuel-fired space heaters carry their own serious risks and are responsible for numerous carbon monoxide deaths every winter. Space heaters account for 16% of all reported Philadelphia home fires.

• On December 28, 2008, seven people died when fire ripped through their Philadelphia home. The source of the fire was found to be a kerosene space heater.
• In March 2009, a 7-year-old Philadelphia child was severely burned when sparks from a space heater started a fire at a local trailer park.
• In October 2009, a 63-year-old Philadelphia man died in a home fire. Firefighters determined

Firefighters say Philadelphia space heater fires are usually caused by faulty construction, faulty electric cords, overuse of electric outlets, placement near combustible objects or a combination of these factors. It can take careful investigation by a Philadelphia personal injury lawyer to discover what happened and who is at fault when people suffer personal injury or are killed by fires related to space heater use. Often defective products are to blame.

Firefighters recommend that Philadelphia residents keep combustibles like paper, curtains, blankets and other household items at least three feet around space heaters. When space heaters are in use, rooms should be properly vented to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Only the fuel recommended by the manufacturer should be burned in non-electric space heaters.

It should be a pleasantly balmy, if breezy, 54 degrees in Philadelphia today. Enjoy it now because tonight the full force of winter will blow into Philadelphia as the fierce winter storm that has hammered the nation blankets the city. Daytime Philadelphia temperatures are expected to drop nearly 20 degrees by tomorrow morning with overnight temps below freezing for the next week. Rain mixed with snow and sleet could make driving conditions around Philadelphia extremely dangerous. Powerful wind gusts over 40 mph could make walking on rain and ice-slicked pavements extremely treacherous and lead to numerous slip and fall accidents.

The storm that's about to descend on Philadelphia has wrought havoc and hundreds of personal injury accidents across the country. Torrential rains caused mud slides in California. Winds over 100 mph ripped roofs off buildings in New Mexico. Fifteen-foot snow drifts immobilized Iowa and Illinois. Southern states are bracing for flooding and tornadoes. Downed power lines, subzero wind chills, power outages, flight delays, falling tree limbs, jackknifed trucks and hundreds of car accidents litter the storm's aftermath. At least four deaths have been attributed to the storm.

When winter storms bring freezing rain, ice and snow to Philadelphia, personal injury accidents and car accidents rise. Unshoveled walks and iced over parking lot puddles create dangerous slip and fall hazards for Philadelphia pedestrians. Black ice on snowy roadways can cause trucks to jackknife and cars to lose control increasing car accidents and truck accidents. When temperatures drop, defective heating products can cause fires in Philadelphia homes. A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer can assist you if you slip and fall. Philadelphia accident lawyers can protect your rights in a car accident. A Philadelphia personal injury attorney experienced in fire and defective product claims can assist you if heating equipment fails. If you become a victim of the coming storm, seek the advice of an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney immediately.

More Americans are killed in fires every year than in all natural disasters combined, a sobering thought when you consider the devastation caused by tornados, ice storms, flooding and hurricanes like Katrina, In 2008 1.5 million fires burned in the U.S. taking the lives of 3,320 people and injuring another 16,705. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 84% of those killed in fires die in residential fires.

Fire is frightening and devastating. You have only to tune into the nightly news to observe the tragedy of death and destruction that follows in a fire's wake. Frightened children who die hiding under beds, heroic fathers rushing into burning homes in frantic efforts to rescue loved ones, sobbing family members devastated by loss, shattered people who have lost everything they own. The physical and emotional trauma wrought by fire is intense. Those who survive with burn injuries face months of painful recovery.

Many fire injury and fire loss claims involve negligence, defective products or product liability issues. Fires are often traced back to negligent behavior on the part of landlords or property managers, building owners and sometimes building designers or architects. Unmade or improperly made repairs, failure to maintain electrical wiring, debris and clutter blocking fire exits, volatile paints and chemicals stored in basements and other problems can spark and fuel a fire that costs residents their lives and home. Fires can be caused by defects in gas grills and electrical equipment typically used in or near homes. In winter many fires are caused by malfunctioning space heaters.

Property owners are responsible for keeping their property safe for residents and tenants. Manufacturers and distributors are responsible for the safety of their products. However, proving negligent behavior when a fire occurs can be complex. A Philadelphia personal injury lawyer with expertise in fire-related personal injury litigation is critical to identifying those responsible when a fire occurs and protecting your rights.