Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
An elderly man was hospitalized after he was forced to jump from the second-floor window of his home to escape a fire, according to reporting from local media.
The man, who is in his 70s, remained in critical condition as of Tuesday morning, NBC 6 South Florida reported. He was allegedly at home with his daughter and grandchildren around 6 a.m. Monday when the fire broke out at the family’s townhome. The flames had reached the staircase, essentially trapping the family upstairs, police told reporters. The grandfather smashed through the window and slid down the side of the home before falling to the ground where a neighbor found him. Officials said that the man suffered a “major head injury” as a result of the incident.
“I heard glass shatters and I thought someone was breaking into my house,” one neighbor told reporters.
That neighbor called 911 and stayed with the man until emergency responders arrived. A mother and two children were still inside the home and were thankfully rescued. Officials told NBC 6 South Florida that the fire began in the kitchen before spreading throughout the home.
Videos of the aftermath of the blaze show the shattered upstairs window of the family’s townhome and traces of bloody handprints from where the man gripped the wall during his escape.
The cause of the fire was allegedly linked to an electrical issue coupled with “improper storage” of items on the stove, according to local media.
At least three police officers who first responded to the home were taken to the hospital, NBC reported. Additional details, including the status of the officers, was not immediately available Tuesday.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners is a personal injury law firm with five decades of experience representing the victims of fires, burns, explosions, and carbon monoxide incidents. In five decades, our attorneys have secured numerous record verdicts and settlements, approaching every case with the compassion and tenacity necessary to achieve the best possible outcome for every client.
In the U.S., there are an average of 300,000 structure fires that take place each year, causing millions in damages. The most common cause of a house fire in the United States is cooking-related, though anything from disregarding a lit candle to faulty household appliances could cause a potentially dangerous situation. Almost three out of every five fatalities in house fires are in homes that are not equipped with working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Fires are not uncommon in Florida, which has a plethora of dried out brush that can make these incidents more likely to spark. In data from the First Street Foundation, Florida has the third-largest number of properties at risk for a fire behind states such as Texas and California, according to 2022 reporting from WINK News.
In Florida, only 330 fire departments reported National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data in 2022. There are 388 fire departments currently registered with the National Fire Department Registry. The data for that year shows that there were 1.6 deaths per 1,000 fires with 8.9 injuries per 1,000 fires. The national averages for 2022 were recorded as 2.1 deaths and 6.4 injuries per 1,000 fires. Residential structure fires were linked to 4.5 deaths per 1,000 fires in the state and 31 injuries. The national average was 6.1 deaths per 1,000 fires and 19.8 injuries.
The firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, was instrumental in passing carbon monoxide protections throughout the state. This came as Mr. Leesfield represented individuals and families who were exposed to the lethal gas during their stay at a Key West hotel. These cases have gained attention from national and international news outlets.
Carbon monoxide is produced whenever fuels such as charcoal, oil, gas, kerosene, or wood are burned. When inhaled, it binds to the hemoglobin in blood, inhibiting the body’s ability to carry oxygen. Because it can go undetected, the gas can build up quickly in closed spaces undetected. As a person breathes it in, they may experience dizziness or confusion with the lack of oxygen and pass out before they are able to call for emergency services.
In 2024, Mr. Leesfield and Evan Robinson, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, co-wrote an article in Trial Magazine warning people and doling out safety tips. Additionally, the attorneys advised in the article ways in which plaintiffs and their lawyers can preserve documents that may later be used during a lawsuit.
“Carbon monoxide poisoning isn’t just a subtle threat; it’s the second most common cause of non-medicinal poisoning death,” they said.
Previous Carbon Monoxide Cases
One case handled by the firm involves an over $11 million recovery for a woman exposed to carbon monoxide while at a resort.
A student who was visiting a college campus and staying at an accommodation owned by the university had to be hospitalized after being exposed to carbon monoxide as the student slept. In an investigation, attorneys found that there was over 200 ppm inside the house. The maximum carbon monoxide level that is considered “safe” while indoors is 9 ppm over eight hours, according to gas measurement specialists. The cause of the leak in that case was found to be an exhaust pipe in from the house’s furnace.
A confidential settlement was reached in that case.
The firm previously secured an eight-figure settlement on behalf of a couple that was exposed to carbon monoxide while on vacation in a foreign country.
“Every casualty from carbon monoxide poisoning has been unnecessary,” Mr. Leesfield said. “We have successfully represented numerous victims of carbon monoxide poisoning for 48 years and fought hard for the passage of Senate Bill 1822.”
Previous Fire and Burn Injury Cases
Leesfield & Partners has also represented countless families and individuals that have been involved in tragic fire and electrocution incidents. The firm previously handled a case involving the fire deaths of a mother and her two children. The three had become trapped in a blaze that broke out at their rental home, which was caused by a defective electrical outlet. Despite previously notifying their landlord about difficulty opening windows, the issue went unaddressed. On the day of the fire, the mother and children were unable to open the windows to escape and perished.
Trial Attorney Eric Shane secured a multi-million-dollar settlement for a client who was burned in an electrocution case.
In an explosion case that started from a spark aboard a cargo ship, Leesfield & Partners secured a substantial award for clients who were badly burned.
For a couple celebrating their honeymoon, what was meant to be the start of their happy life together soon became a nightmare after an improperly capped pipe caused an explosion at their accommodation. Both were severely burned and, tragically, the wife passed away from her injuries.
The firm secured a multi-million-dollar for the husband in that case.
In an explosion that caused burns, Leesfield & Partners secured a $3.25 million recovery for the injured client.
Leesfield & Partners secured a $2.95 million award for a family who lost their 13-year-old daughter after a TV set caught fire in their home. The manufacturer of the defective television set was named as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside the distributor of a defective smoke alarm and the family’s condominium association, which was named in the lawsuit for safety violations. The father involved in this incident burned over 30% of his body when he tried to rescue his daughter.
A construction site accident that resulted in burns to a Leesfield & partners client resulted in an $862,000 recovery.
In a fire that killed at least one person due to the negligence of a company, Leesfield & Partners secured a $600,00 recovery.
For a patient who was burnt in an operating room due to the negligence of a hospital’s medical staff. Attorneys at the firm secured a $600,000 recovery.
The firm has also handled other cases involving burn injuries to clients including a child who was burned at a neighbor’s home by stew that was cooking on the stove. The child in that case, an 11-year-old boy, sustained second-degree burns to his legs when the improperly installed range tipped forward on him. An investigation by our firm determined that the landlord’s failure to use anti-tip brackets paved the way for the incident to occur.
Leesfield & Partners secured a $300,000 settlement in that case.
Fire Safety Tips
Knowing what to do in case of an emergency can mean the difference between life and death in certain situations. Below are only some safety tips that may help in case of a fire emergency. This is not an exhaustive list, and everyone should defer to fire personnel and other emergency responders for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
- Come up with a fire safety plan that everyone in the household can remember. This plan should include a meeting spot that is a safe distance away from the home so that everyone knows where to go once they have escaped in case you are separated by the flames.
- Ensure that all smoke detectors are in working order.
- Never allow children to play with household items such as matches, candles or lighters.
- Educate your family about the dangers of fire
- If a fire breaks out in your home, escape immediately and call 911. Never attempt to put out the fire yourself or to
- Always keep fire extinguishers on hand near kitchens, outdoor fire pits and barbecues.
- Always stay in the kitchen while cooking as stoves that are left unattended can become fire hazards.
- Extinguish candles before leaving a room.
- Never smoke in bed and keep flammable materials like curtains away from heat sources.
- Take a fire safety course with your family to ensure that everyone gets the most up-to-date information regarding fires.
