Acute Lung injury due to smoke inhalation is a common injury associated with fires and other smoke-inducing burn injuries.  Smoke inhalation injuries and carbon monoxide poisoning are present in more than 30% of all burn injury hospitalizations. It’s something that many times cannot be helped due to the nature of the circumstance. When you are trying to escape a burning building, you are bound to inhale smoke. When adrenaline is coursing through your veins, your heart rate is increased and, thus, your breathing is accelerated to supply the necessary oxygen to your adrenaled muscles. And so it is more than likely that you will inhale not some smoke, but a rather large amount. Sadly in many instances, smoke inhalation injuries lead to fatalities in more than 40% of burn injuries. Often times smoke from fires contains many toxic chemicals and other hazardous carcinogenic particulates (such as soot, ash, creosote, etc.) which can cause severe respiratory syndromes. Smoke inhalation injuries pulmonary injuries can have devastatingly permanent effects on victim leading a need for lifelong medical care and treatment.If you or a loved one has fallen victim to smoke inhalation in a fire contact our California Burn Injury Victim Attorneys for a free no cost evaluation of your claim.

Smoke inhalation symptoms and medical complications

Smoke inhalation can damage the body through lack of oxygen (asphyxiation) as well as chemical exposure present in the smoke.  Symptoms vary based on the individual some of the most common symptoms of smoke inhalation are as follows

• Coughing
• Irritation if the mucous membrane
• Bronchospasm
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Shortness of Breath
• Skin Color changes
• Soot in the nostrils and throat
• Hoarseness when speaking
• Psychological Changes  including mood changes
• Fatigues and seizures
• Coma

Smoke inhalation can cause other syndromes associated with pulmonary lung disease including:

• Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS),
• Lung and Nerve damage from toxic smoke inhalation
• Reduction or Loss of Lung Capacity
• Fatalities due to Smoke Inhalation

If you have been involved in a fire and are suffering from any of the above complications you may be suffering from smoke inhalation injuries.  You should seek medical attention immediately where you can receive proper medical treatment.

Compensation for your burn injuries:

When your smoke inhalation injuries were the result of negligence from a third party, you are entitled to file a lawsuit against them. If your lawsuit is successful, you can recover compensation for the following:

• Medical Bills – If your injuries required that you go seek medical treatment, the restitution you recover can take care of the medical associated with your smoke inhalation injuries. If your injuries are severe enough and you require any future procedures, the compensation will cover that as well.
• Lost Wages  – If your injuries required you to miss work, compensation can include the wages you lost due to seeking medical treatment and recovery. The wages recovered from the lawsuit are at your normal hourly rate, not including overtime.
• Emotional Pain & Suffering – It is very likely that your smoke inhalation injuries came from a very traumatic event: escaping a burning building, a product that malfunctioned catastrophically, et cetera. Such traumatic events can trigger mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, sudden and reactive mood swings, and more. It is difficult to prove that one is suffering from mental disorders as the damage is not as visible as, say, full-body third-degree burns. An attorney, however, can provide the necessary evidence and experts to support and testify on your behalf.

The following is a list of possible avenues of recovery possible for your injuries:

• Medical costs resulting from hospital and emergency room care, physical therapy, ambulance costs and rehabilitation
• Future medical care
• Loss or income
• Loss of future earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional and psychological damages
• Punitive damages where the property owners displayed reckless behavior or gross negligence
• Property damage
• Loss of consortium

January 2025 Wildfires Cover L.A. County in Smoke and Ash

Los Angeles County is facing a wildfire crisis. Due to a combination of dry weather conditions, high winds, and other factors, dangerous wildfires have ignited. Due to the sudden onset of multiple wildfires, resources were stretched thin, and firefighters struggled to control the blazes. These fires have burned for many days, with new fires appearing every day. Although some fires have been successfully put out, most fires remain active.

The latest fires include the following:

• The Palisades Fire – has burned 21,317 acres and has reached 8% containment.
• The Eaton Fire – has burned 13,956 acres and has reached 3% containment.
• The Kenneth Fire – has burned 1,000 acres and has reached 35% containment.
• The Hurst Fire – has burned 771 acres and has reached 70% containment.
• The Lidia Fire – has burned 395 acres and has reached 75% containment.
• The Archer Fire – has burned 19 acres and is 0% contained.
• The Creek Fire – has burned 3 acres and has reached 25% containment.
• The Sunset Fire – burned 42.8 acres and is now inactive.
• The Woodley Fire – burned 30 acres and is now inactive.
• The Foothill Fire – burned 1 acre and is now inactive.

All of these fires started between January 7^th and January 10^th. At least 5 people have confirmed to have been killed as a result of these fires, though the authorities expect this number to rise once affected areas are searched. Thousands of structures have been destroyed, although final numbers are yet to be determined.

These fires have significantly affected air quality in LA County, including areas that are not immediately threatened by flames. Ash has been raining throughout the county since the first fire started.

Burn Injury Smoke Inhalation Attorneys here to help

Smoke inhalation liability can be placed on, property owners, property managers, defective products, and others; at Downtown LA Law Group our aggressive and skilled burn injury lawyers will keep on the offensive so that you are fully compensated for your injuries.  We will take care of every legal detail and we will go to trial and take on liable gun owners, property owners, and their insurance carriers’ so that your rights are protected. You WILL NOT Be Charged a penny UNTIL you receive compensation for your Injuries. This is called the contingency fee arrangement and is our law firm‘s way of reassuring you that we are not in this for personal gain like many lawyers, we are in this business to ensure that justice is served. Additionally, we offer free legal consultation. You can contact one of our smoke inhalation attorneys and they will listen to you and give you their initial thoughts of your case, free of charge.

More Information on Smoke Inhalation and Fire Injuries

Burn Injury Lawsuit | Statute of Limitations | How Long to File a Claim CHEMICAL BURNS LAWSUIT | WORKPLACE EXPOSURE TO DANGEROUS MATERIAL What To Do After a Smoke and Ash Insurance Claim