Burn Injury Resource Center
In mid-May in Joliet, IL, an investigation found that there was no criminal activity involved in a fire that caused the burn death of a 3-year-old boy just days before. The cause of the fire was an accidental electrical malfunction, local fire officials said. There will probably be no liability lawsuit for negligence stemming from this incident.
The child was found in a second-floor bedroom of a home on Sterling Avenue in Joliet, IL. The boy died of soot and smoke inhalation from the house fire, according to the Will County coroner’s office. The boy was pronounced dead shortly after the fire.
The boy’s uncle and another child were on the first floor when the fire started. The uncle had been watching the children because the victim’s mother had left to take a relative to a doctor’s appointment. “The uncle tried to make entry to the room but he was forced back by the fire,” said one fire official. Neighbors who heard the man crying came to his aid but were also not able to help. They too ran into the house, “but the flames coming out of this bedroom were so intense that no one could get to this child.”
The fire seemed to start because of faulty wiring near a microwave and a small refrigerator that were set up in that bedroom, according to the deputy chief, who said that “it was a bad electrical situation” caused by overloaded electrical outlets. The fire official added.that the child died of smoke inhalation but was also suffered severe burns because he fell unconscious, probably just seconds after inhaling the poisonous smoke and soot. There are chemicals such as hydrogen cyanide and carbon monoxide within smoke that make people fall unconscious after just a few breaths. So if you find yourself in a smoke situation, you must drop down and put your face very close to the floor in order to breathe clean air, because smoke and poisonous gases rise.
If you or someone you know suffers an injury such as third degree burns or smoke inhalation, you should call Kramer & Pollack LLP in Mineola, New York so that the personal injury attorneys in that firm can determine whether another party has legal liability for injuries suffered, and if the injured party has a strong legal case.