Avoiding House Fires
In an unexpected turn, the South Florida Sun Sentinel has asserted that there has been a sudden influx of houses fires in South Florida because of the rapidly increasing rise in the number of people who are remaining at home to avoid the new coronavirus. The news outlet recently reported that just days after the global outbreak was declared to be a pandemic, the South Florida American Red Cross had already been called to assist over 130 people who had dealt with over 30 fires just in the South Florida area. The overwhelming majority of these house fires took place in Miami-Dade County.
Understanding Your Legal Rights
Importantly, everyone should understand that many house fires are purely accidental or occur because of natural causes and therefore, the fact that one occurs on rental property does not mean that a landlord can be held legally responsible. In fact, in some cases, a tenant that caused a fire can even be sued by his or her landlord if the tenant caused the fire due to negligence. In these kinds of cases, the question of fault is often determined by experts who examine the patterns on walls and objects in the burned home to determine how the fire started.
However, you also understand that fault is attributable to someone other than a tenant in many cases. For example, you may be entitled to sue the manufacturer for producing a faulty version of a product that is also defective and caused your home to catch on fire and you to suffer damages to your home or injuries to you or your family as a result. In addition, you may be able to hold your landlord accountable if a fire because of his or her negligence, such as:
- Generally failing to provide you with housing that meets minimal housing standards
- Not installing fire detectors in your apartment
Safety Tips to Avoid House Fires
As we are all spending more time in our homes than ever, we should all understand how we can help avoid house fires. This includes:
- Ensure that everyone in your household knows how to call 911
- Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year
- Come up with a family emergency plan and ensure that all household members know who to contact if they cannot find one another
Don’t Let Your Legal Rights Go Up in Smoke.
If you have been injured on the premises of a property you rent because of what you suspect is the negligence of your landlord, you may have legal options under the law to obtain compensation. However, any rights you may have are subject to time limitations under the law so it is imperative that you reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible. As the South Florida lawyers with offices in Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach at Leifer & Ramirez, we can review your case and determine if your injury could justify compensation. Contact us today.
Resources:
leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0500-0599/0553/Sections/0553.835.html
sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-ne-south-florida-home-fires–20200324-cmxlw5bta5bknhuxmozy3r27fa-story.html
https://www.leiferlaw.com/calculating-personal-injury-damages/
