Coatesville, Pennsylvania Fire Kills 3 Children
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, September 20th a two alarm fire broke out in a Coatesville home, approximately 30 minutes west of Philadelphia. According to a CBS3.com news report, the home was engulfed in flames by the time the firefighters arrived on the scene.
Firefighters were able to rescue 2 adults from the blaze, but 3 children perished in the flames. Police did not release the names of the victims, but Red Cross spokeswoman Helen Blue said they were all boys, ages 3, 4 and 11. The blaze was extinguished shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, police said. The cause has not been determined.
According to the CDC Deaths from fires and burns are the fifth most common cause of unintentional injury deaths in the United States (CDC 2005) and the third leading cause of fatal home injury (Runyan 2004). Children under the age of 4, the elderly, and low-income Americans are all especially susceptible to being killed in a fire. While smoking and cooking are the two greatest home fire starters, it is actually the inhalation of smoke or toxic gases that kills most fire victims, not the burn injuries.
In fire accident instances like this, the cause of the blaze needs to be determined as soon as possible after the accident. Whether the family owned or rented the property is also of consequence. If they were renting, was the home safe for habitation before the accident? Also – was the home equipped with smoke detecting devices that worked properly? Did a defective electrical product contribute to the start of the blaze? Questions like these can help establish if negligence was a factor in the accident, and if it was, who should and could be found liable for the deaths of the 3 young boys.
Whether a personal injury case appears simple or unusually complicated, the best plan of action is to assume nothing. The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Cherry, Fieger & Marciano will use their knowledge, their aptitude and their ability in pursuit of obtaining considerable damages for the injured party.
