West Tennessee Daycare Fire: Space Heater Almost Kills
Yesterday, an Alamo, Tennessee off-duty police officer was driving by a daycare when he noticed smoke coming from the building. Without regard for his own safety, the officer rescued three children from a fire that has been tentatively determined to have been started by a space heater. The most severely injured child was airlifted to Memphis for treatment of burns. Whether or not the space heater was a dangerous or defective product or the fire was started due to consumer error, remains to be determined.
Trial lawyers deal with these sorts of issues on a daily basis. However, regardless of the cause of the fire, the absence of the daycare owner at the time of the fire could subject the facility to paying damages. Fire cases are a peculiar blend of facts and science. I have handled many of these cases through the years in most parts of West Tennessee and the surrounding area. It is also unusual for a fire to be discovered as was this one:
From 1990 to 1997. 57 children died as a result of daycare fault according to a recent study by the U.S. government. 13 million children are placed in non-parental daycare each year. Similarly, 25,000 residential fires are caused by space heaters each year resulting in 300 deaths according to another national study by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The joinder of these two "accidents looking for a place to happen" can be deadly. Should one of your loved ones or friends suffer harm from either or both of these dangers, consult a qualified and experienced trial lawyer. We can help.
