Both firefighters and civilians receive a large proportion of their fire-related injuries due to structural collapses. When floors and stairs give way, people can suddenly plummet to the floors below and be trapped by burning or burnt debris. Some lose their lives when they can’t be rescued in time from the structural collapse that has trapped them.
Data from the most recent 20-year span shows that almost 1,500 firefighters died in the line of duty. And over 400 of these tragic fatalities occurred from the structural collapses inside burning buildings. 60% of these firefighter fatalities happened when the firefighters got trapped in the burning buildings. And our structural collapse lawyers note that the other 40% of the firefighters died because objects falling in the burning building struck them.
Fire weakens structural timbers and connections between structural members in a building. Wood and wood-framed buildings are especially vulnerable, but stone and concrete masonry can easily split, crumble, and crack due to heat and flame. Where and how extensively a structure has been weakened by fire can be unpredictable.
Our structural collapse lawyers point out that even experienced fire investigators and building inspectors can’t always tell what to expect regarding a building’s structural integrity after a fire. They can’t always accurately predict what will remain standing and what will fall.
Example: Tenant, 2 Firefighters injured in Blaze at Houston’s Cancun Apartments
Early Thursday morning around 4:30 a.m., a two-alarm blaze broke out in the Cancun Apartments in northwest Houston. The apartments are on Wirt Road.
One apartment resident and two firefighters were hospitalized from serious injuries they received in the blaze. One of the firemen injured his back in a fall when the floor of a 2nd-floor apartment collapsed after being weakened by the fire and the firefighter fell through.
Contact the Experienced Structural Collapse Lawyers at Denena Points, PC when you need Help after a Building Collapse Injury
Most injury lawyers have never handled a single injury or wrongful death claim resulting from a structural collapse. At Denena Points, PC, our Board Certified personal injury attorneys have successfully handled a number of such cases, including high-profile, multi-million dollar claims.
Contact our structural collapse lawyers for a FREE and confidential legal consultation to discuss your case and get answers to your urgent questions. You have no obligation to hire an attorney. And you could learn what you need to know to make informed decisions about what to do to secure your future after a structural collapse injury has changed your life. Call us at 281-369-4363 or reach us anytime through our online contact form. Let us guide you to the full financial recovery you deserve.