Syracuse, New York: Space Heater Fires

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Recognized as a Super Lawyer and American Institute of Trial Lawyers Litigator of the Year, is Committed to Defending the Rights of Space Heater Accident and Burn Injury Victims in Syracuse and Onondaga County. If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured in a Portable Heater Accident That Was Not Your Fault, You Deserve Aggressive Representation and an Attorney Willing to Fight for Your Rights.

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Syracuse has some of the harshest winter weather in the country.

Every year, between November and March, daytime temperatures tend to hover right around freezing. At night, they can drop even lower, keeping evenings cool all the way through May.

Syracuse stays so cold for so much of the year that, from a legal standpoint, homes are only considered habitable if they have a heating system. However, a good furnace is not always enough to beat back drafts and eliminate scattered cold spots. To make up the difference, many families still turn to space heaters as a convenient, cost-effective alternative.

The problem with space heaters, though, is that they often post far more safety risks than manufacturers are willing to admit. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters are responsible for nearly 2,000 residential fires per year. Some of these fires can be attributed to consumer negligence but others have explanations that have much more to do with poor product design than misuse.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. believes that nobody should have to pay the price for a poorly-designed or defective product. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, we know what it takes to file, fight, and win a high-stakes product liability lawsuit and we have the results to prove it. Since our founding in 2005, we have helped our clients in Syracuse and across Upstate New York recover more than $250 million in damages. We could help you, too. Please send us a message online or call us at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a product liability lawyer near Syracuse and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation.

The Understated Danger of Space Heater Fires

“Space heater” is a generic term that is used to describe any device used to warm a small space.

Some space heaters can be large, but most people use this term in specific reference to small, portable heaters that can be moved between rooms and require an electrical connection to work.

In a recent report investigating portable heater fires in residential buildings, the U.S. Fire Administration reached a startling conclusion: although portable heaters cause only 3% of all heating-related fires in homes and multifamily complexes, they are responsible for nearly half of all fatal heating-related fires nationwide.

The U.S. Fire Administration places all heater-related fires into the following two categories:

1. Confined building fires. A confined fire is a minor incident that causes damage to individual types of equipment or objects. Confined fires do not, by definition, spread from their origin point. They are rarely implicated in reports of extensive property damage, serious injuries, or death.
2. Nonconfined building fires. Nonconfined fires spread past their point of origin and can damage equipment and items in other rooms. In some cases, nonconfined fires can destroy entire buildings and surrounding structures. Most fire-related deaths are caused by nonconfined conflagrations.

Fewer than 2% of all space heater-related fires are categorized as confined building fires. Consequently, on average, space heater-related fires are more likely to cause extensive structural damage and result in serious injuries than other types of fires.

An unexpected fire, no matter its size, can have catastrophic consequences.

While you cannot change the past, you could be entitled to reclaim the present. By filing a product liability lawsuit, you could be entitled to obtain compensation for your existing losses and long-term needs without any caps or limitations.

Please contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. today to speak to a space heater fire lawyer near Syracuse and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

3 Facts You Need to Know About Space Heater Fire Lawsuits

Anyone can file a lawsuit against an irresponsible landlord or negligent product manufacturer, but winning takes the right combination of strategy, education, and experience.

You might know exactly how your space heater fire started. However, product liability lawsuits often involve high stakes not just for survivors but the defendants, too. Consider this example. If a manufacturer admits that one of their space heaters has a defect that makes it prone to catching fire, settling your case could make it easier for other victims to file and win their own lawsuits. That means more losses for the company, potentially costing it much, much more money than it would spend fighting your case in court.

Here are three facts you need to know about space heater accident lawsuits before you decide to file one:

1. You Cannot Count on an Easy Settlement

Your priority after a life-altering accident is probably your own health and your own financial well-being. For companies, the priority is almost always turning a profit. Settling claims for a fair amount makes it harder for insurance companies to stay profitable. Even if the defendant is willing to negotiate, their insurer could push to keep your settlement as small as possible.

2. You Will Probably Need Evidence You Cannot Obtain

Space heater companies know that most residential fires are preventable. So, before they will even sit down for negotiations, they will often launch their own investigation into the causes of your accident. In the meantime, you will need to be able to establish that the defendant’s product was defective, that it caused your injuries, and that you sustained damages as a result. Building your own case, and pushing back against the defense’s claims, usually involves extensive input from industry experts.

3. You Might Be Put Under a Microscope

A serious fire means more than medical bills it can entail police reports, insurance claims, and county investigations, too. At some point, you might be required to give a statement to a police officer or an insurance adjuster. Or you could be asked to sign a medical records release. All of these receipts and statements and reports become evidence, freely available to the defense in discovery. And the defense will go over it with a microscope to spot inconsistencies, blame your injuries on pre-existing conditions, and spare their employer’s profit margins.

Potential Compensation in a Space Heater Product Liability Lawsuit

If you have been injured in a fire that you did not start, you have a legal right to file a claim for compensation against the person, or party, responsible for your accident. Depending on the circumstances of your accident and the severity of your injuries, you could be entitled to damages including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Your hospital bills;
2. Your long-term care needs;
3. Physical rehabilitation;
4. Mental health counseling;
5. Reconstructive surgery;
6. Lost income from work;
7. Diminished earning potential;
8. Pain and suffering;
9. Disfigurement; and
10. Wrongful death.

Unlike many states, New York does not cap compensation in most product liability claims. However, you have to act fast. All personal injury lawsuits are subject to strict statutes of limitations, which determine how much time you have to take action against the person ho caused your accident. If you wait too long to contact an attorney, the statute of limitations could run out and once it does, you will most likely lose your case on a technicality.

Do not take chances with your rights: contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. today at 1-866-529-5334 to speak to a space heater accident lawyer near Syracuse and find how out much your case could be worth.

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Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 1-866-529-5334 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking wrongful conviction lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your wrongful conviction claim in Syracuse, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

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