A man lost his life after suffering severe burn injuries at a strip mall in Pico Rivera after a fire broke out at a nail salon. A fire was reported shortly after 8 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13 in the 9300 block of East Whittier Boulevard.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the building engulfed in flames. One unit was completely engulfed; the flames had also reached an attic. The attic was used as an employee area. The man’s body was found in the attic. The fire was extinguished shortly after 9 p.m. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
One woman sustained severe burns to over 30% of her body; she was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. This woman was one of the owners of the nail salon. One firefighter also sustained injuries.
Based on initial investigations, it is believed that the victim actually spilled some product in the nail salon’s break room; investigations show that the spilled product likely caught fire. The investigations also concluded that the victim was unable to exit the building on time. The city manager has stated that the fire was a result of a chemical spill. The possibility of a candle having part in the fire is also being investigated.
This unfortunate event resulted in the untimely death of the nail shop employee. The incident has also raised many questions regarding the cause of the incident and liability for the harm suffered.
Some questions include the following:
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the building engulfed in flames. One unit was completely engulfed; the flames had also reached an attic. The attic was used as an employee area. The man’s body was found in the attic. The fire was extinguished shortly after 9 p.m. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
One woman sustained severe burns to over 30% of her body; she was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. This woman was one of the owners of the nail salon. One firefighter also sustained injuries.
Based on initial investigations, it is believed that the victim actually spilled some product in the nail salon’s break room; investigations show that the spilled product likely caught fire. The investigations also concluded that the victim was unable to exit the building on time. The city manager has stated that the fire was a result of a chemical spill. The possibility of a candle having part in the fire is also being investigated.
This unfortunate event resulted in the untimely death of the nail shop employee. The incident has also raised many questions regarding the cause of the incident and liability for the harm suffered.
Some questions include the following:
- What spilled product caught fire?
- Why was the product spilled?
- Was there any protocol that should have been followed when handling said product?
- Did the employer (nail salon owner) provide employees with any training for handling said product?
- Did the negligent or reckless actions of nail salon owners contribute to the fire?
Learn more about your options for compensation by calling (213) 389-3765.
Depending on whether it can be determined that they fire was a result of negligence, injured victims and the surviving family members of the deceased victim could have grounds to file a claim against liable parties. If you would like to learn more about the possibility of taking legal action after suffering harm associated with a fire, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance immediately. Whether you or a member of your family suffered harm in the incident mentioned above or any other similar incident, it is essential that you seek legal assistance immediately with the lawyers at Downtown L.A. Law Group. Downtown L.A. Law Group is a personal injury law firm with many years of experience handling all sorts of personal injury claims. If you believe that you or a member of your family has been harmed as a direct result of the negligent actions of a party or entity, you might have grounds to pursue a claim – and our attorneys might be able to help you. When you contact our firm to discuss your claim with our lawyers, you can be certain that there will always be someone ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with all the information that you need to start or continue the legal process against the appropriate party or entity.Understanding Potential Liability for the Incident
In most cases, property owners could be found liable for incidents that occur within their premises. This is based on premise liability. On the basis of premise liability, all property owners owe a duty of care towards all their guests or their customers. For example, nail salon owners have the duty to ensure that there aren’t any hazards on their premises that could result in harm to any of their clients. In this case, the property owner was also an employer. Employers have a specific duty of care towards their employees – specifically, the duty to provide a safe workplace (by following industry standards, meeting requirements, acting promptly to address concerns, discouraging recklessness, and identifying/addressing hazardous situations quickly). In many cases, the incident that resulted in harm could have ultimately been avoided. Specifically, the hazard that contributed to the incident could have been addressed. As mentioned above, both property owners and employers owe a duty of care (to guests and their employees). If they breach their duty of care and contribute to an incident and results in harm (such as a fire that leads to burn injuries, for example), they could face liability. This means that victims and surviving family members will likely have grounds to pursue a claim and even fight for compensation.Recovering Monetary Compensation
Filing a claim and recovering monetary compensation will not reverse the harm caused by the initial incident. However, recovering monetary compensation could help victims and their families start working towards moving forward with their lives after such a traumatic experience. Depending on the specific details of a case, claimants could be eligible to recover compensation for medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, property damage, funeral and burial costs, and punitive damages, for example. There is no guarantee surrounding the compensation that affected parties could be eligible to recover. Therefore, it is always important to discuss the potential value of your claim and the compensation that you could receive with experienced attorneys. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and fight for your right to recover the maximum amount of compensation available. For more information, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance immediately.Filing a Claim with the Experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group
If you or a member of your family suffered harm as a result of a fire, you might have grounds to pursue a claim. However, you could lose your claim if you fail to act within the appropriate length of time. Specifically, you could lose your right to sue if you fail to file within the statute of limitations (a deadline that applies to all claims). Typically, claims in California are subject to a two-year deadline. However, exceptions could apply resulting in tolled or paused statutes of limitations.Learn more about your legal options by chatting with a representative now.
To ensure that you have access to all the information that you need to pursue your claim against the party that contributed to the harm that you suffered, it is essential that you seek legal assistance. You can trust the experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group. Our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of personal injury claims, always dedicated to fighting for the rights of all affected victims. Our personal injury attorneys are ready to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim. Specifically, through our free legal services – both free consultations and free second opinions – affected parties will never have to worry about having to pay anything to speak with our experts. During these free legal services, our attorneys will ensure that you have access to all the information that you need to begin or continue your claim. Our free legal services are available through our Zero-Fee guarantee – a guarantee that you will never be responsible for paying any upfront legal fees. Our firm is also based on a strict contingency structure, which means that clients aren’t required to pay legal fees until after recovering compensation (all fees are covered by the compensation recovered so that there are no out-of-pocket costs). If claims are not successful, claimants will not be required to pay anything. If you are ready to discuss your claim with our lawyers and learn more about your right to pursue a claim, do not hesitate to contact our firm at your earliest convenience. Our lawyers are ready to