Brooklyn Fires and Explosions Lawyer

Fires and explosions can happen on the work site if proper care is not taken ahead of time. When these incidents occur, they may cause serious injury or even result in the death of those who are involved.

If you were injured in a fire or explosion at work, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

Contact the Brooklyn fire and explosion lawyers at Shulman & Hill for a free legal consultation.

Why Are Brooklyn Construction Explosions and Fires Dangerous?

Fires are likely to be dangerous no matter where you are. A fire that starts on a construction site can pose additional threats to the property and those inside or nearby. When a building is under construction, there are often hazardous materials on site. Many of these materials are combustible and can catch on fire quickly.

On most construction sites, it is not uncommon to find paint, gases, plastics, paneling, and piled-up garbage near where a team is working. Chemicals and gases, along with some of the other items commonly found on a job site, can easily ignite and combust. This can cause severe injury to anyone near the site.

If an explosion or fire does happen to occur, it can quickly expand. If there are a lot of flammable and combustible items all around, it is easy for a small flame to quickly engulf the majority of the premises, injuring those around.

What can worsen the situation is if the construction site does not contain all of the safety features—including sprinklers, smoke detectors, and fire extinguishers—that are required. For example, if a new building is being constructed, it may not have a fire alarm or a sprinkler system in place yet. This makes it even harder to figure out that a fire is happening until it is too late for a worker to evacuate.

Safety measures are crucial and ignoring them may lead to serious injury or death. If these measures have been neglected by another party and you or a loved one have been injured as a result, contact an attorney to look into your case as soon as possible.

What Can Cause Fire in the Workplace?

There are a few items that should be routinely monitored in the workplace. Especially on construction sites, all safety hazards need to be tended to and moved out of the way. Some of the most common reasons for a fire or explosion to happen at your work site include:

Combustible Dust

Dust particles from metals, plastics, wood, and more can easily cause an explosion when it comes in contact with a heat source. When an explosion happens, the fire is hard to contain.

Hot Work

This includes torch cutting, welding, soldering, heating, burning, and brazing. Since these tasks are all reliant on heat, the chances of a fire happening if one is not careful are high. All caution should be used before starting this type of work.

Flammable Gases and Liquids

Fires due to highly flammable gases and liquids are most likely to happen at chemical plants. In 2010, a power plant explosion happened in Middletown, Connecticut, killing six people and injuring an additional 50. It was started by flammable gas.

Equipment and Machinery

Some equipment and machinery can cause major industrial fires. Heating and hot work equipment can be particularly dangerous. If not used correctly or properly installed, they can become a serious fire hazard. Some types of machinery, like furnaces, are inherently dangerous. But there are times when machinery is faulty or improperly maintained and causes an explosion or fire when you least expect it.

Common Fire and Explosion Injuries

There are different injuries that can happen when a fire or explosion occurs on a worksite. Depending on the extent of the fire or explosion, it can result in burns, broken bones, hearing or sight loss, and even death.

These accidents are likely to seriously harm and injure workers. Unfortunately, some construction sites do not provide the necessary equipment to protect workers from such accidents.

Without the help of smoke detectors, sprinklers, firewalls, or fire alarms, it is easy for a small fire to quickly grow and consume a building. This can lead to more serious injuries since it is harder to put fires out or prevent explosions without these basic safety measures in place.

Why Hire a Brooklyn Fires and Explosions Attorney?

If you are a victim of a workplace fire or explosion accident, it is important to find the right attorney to help you file your workers’ compensation claim.

A skilled attorney will also be able to identify if you may be eligible to pursue additional compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit. If a third party, like a property owner or contractor, was negligent, they may be held financially responsible for your injuries.

Your past and future medical bills and lost wages are examples of losses that you may be able to recover compensation for when filing a workers’ compensation and personal injury claim. A personal injury lawsuit may also result in additional compensation for your pain and suffering.

Why Choose Shulman & Hill?

Construction fire cases are often complex to navigate, but having a skilled Brooklyn fires and explosions lawyer can make the process easier. Our team will make sure that you get all of the compensation you are likely entitled to. It is the job of contractors, developers, and site owners to keep you safe while you are working. But they may not be ready to admit fault when someone gets hurt from a fire or explosion on the worksite.

Our team at Shulman & Hill is happy to help with your fire or explosion case. We understand how harmful these incidents can be to those involved, and believe that you should be fairly compensated for the harm you may have suffered.

We can handle all the work paperwork for you, ensuring that you are able to get the proper help that you need. If we are unable to reach a fair settlement offer, we will fiercely represent you in trial. Contact us today to talk with a Brooklyn fires and explosions lawyer about your case.