Firefighters take issue with unnecessary deaths from building collapse
Our structural collapse injury lawyers point out that in the most recent 20-year span for which data exists, almost 1,500 firefighters died in the line of duty. Slightly more than 400 of these deaths resulted from structural collapses related to burning buildings.
At least 60% of these firefighter deaths from structural collapses happen because the firefighters become trapped in the burning building. The rest occur when a falling object in the structure strikes the firefighter.
Even when a building is no longer burning, firefighters and ire inspectors often must enter the buildings to test for their structural integrity before owners can reenter them to gather belongings. Weakened support timbers and charred structural connections might lead to dangerous structural collapses without warning. Even where victims survive being trapped by a collapse, the resulting injuries might cause permanent disability and/or disfigurement.
In Pennsylvania, Local 22 of the Philadelphia Firefighters Union has taken issue with the way safety precautions were handled at the site of a fire. Two firefighters died from a wall collapse in a Kensington warehouse fire in April. The Union has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Philadelphia claiming that a “collapse zone” was never established around the Kensington warehouse fire.
Our structural collapse injury lawyers note that a collapse zone is an area equivalent to one and one half times the height of the burning building’s walls. The Union maintains that the two firefighters’ deaths were unnecessary and could have been prevented had the proper collapse zones been established.
The City of Philadelphia has not responded to demands form the Union for evidence relating to the deadly wall collapse. The unfair labor practice charge will go before Pennsylvania’s Labor Relations Board. The City’s D.A. has said that he would open a grand jury hearing of the matter.
The failure to follow good safety procedures at the site of a large fire is a serious matter. As the Kensington warehouse fatalities demonstrate, failure to take proper precautions regarding the dangers of structural collapses from a burning building can result in needless deaths.
If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one to a dangerous structural collapse, contact our knowledgeable structural collapse injury lawyers at Denena & Points for a free initial legal consultation. Chad Points and Tony Denena are the go to guys for personal injury expertise relating to structural collapses.
If you have urgent questions about what you should do after a structural collapse accident injury, they have your answers. If you need to know whether your insurance would pay for your injuries and losses, how you could prove the validity of your claim, and what steps you need to take to make a successful financial recovery for your injury, Chad and Tony could ably advise you every step of the way.
Most lawyers have never handled a single structural collapse claim. Tony and Chad have successfully handled several such claims, some of them in high profile, multi-million dollar cases. So don’t hesitate. Contact our structural collapse injury lawyers today. Your initial case evaluation consultation is free and it could arm you with the knowledge you need to make informed choices about what to do following your structural collapse accident.