Wrongful Firefighter Death Lawyer in NYC
The members of the New York City Fire Department are referred to as “New York’s Bravest” for good reason: they place their lives at risk every day in order to protect the health and safety of the people of our city. Unfortunately, when one of them is killed in a fatal accident as the result of smoke inhalation or exposure to chemicals, the surviving family members are often left with far less compensation than they deserve. In some cases, they might not receive anything at all. State law does not include firefighters in the list of those who are covered by workers’ compensation, so it is necessary to prove your loved one’s death was caused by negligence on the part of another person before you can recover monetary damages for your loss.
Come to The Law Office of Richard M. Kenny as soon as possible for a free consultation with an attorney from our team. We will take the time to answer all of your questions about the situation and review your options for taking legal action. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, you may have grounds to sue another firefighter, the department, a property owner, or the manufacturer of faulty equipment. Whatever the case, our goal will be to help you shift the economic burden of your loved one’s death away from your family and onto the shoulders of the person who is responsible.
Fatal Firefighter Accident Statistics
According to statistics provided by the U.S. Fire Administration, the most common type of fatal firefighter injury in the period from 2007 to 2011 was a heart attack, which accounted for 46.5 percent of all reported incidents. Various types of trauma (27.7 percent) and asphyxiation (8.3 percent) were the next most common causes of death. Structure fires were the scene of approximately one-third of firefighter deaths, and nearly as many deaths resulted from health complications not directly related to any single incident. Motor vehicle accidents on the way to and from fires caused one in 10 fatalities. Listed as the state with the highest number of reported fatalities, New York cited 40 deaths in the period studied. These figures, however, do not necessarily factor in the premature deaths of firefighters who have developed terminal illnesses as a result of smoke inhalation and exposure to chemicals.
