New Jersey family forced to jump from burning apartment building

Recently, during a New Jersey apartment building fire, a 39-year old woman and her five children were forced to jump from the third floor to escape. The children were 6, 8, 9, 14 and 17-years old respectfully. Fortunately, a number of other individuals were down below to help catch the children as they leaped, and it appeared that the worst injuries to any family member involved broken toes for one of the teenage girls.

Fires and burn injuries account for some of the most serious lawsuits in the area of premises liability. Here, for example, the reason why the family members were forced to jump was that because there was no fire escape on the building. Under other circumstances, a missing fire escape could have led to tragedy.

Individuals injured in building fires will need to understand their legal options in the event that some other party was negligent for what occurred. There are attorneys that practice primarily in the premises liability area that can help these individuals out.

Especially when it comes to burn injuries, long term medical care is often required, and individuals sustain permanent and often disfiguring injuries. Attorneys can help injured people recover and make certain that their medical expenses are covered.

Apartment buildings need to be designed with the safety of its occupants foremost in the mind of the planner. There needs to be fire escapes, functioning smoke alarms, clearly marked exits, and escape plans that in particular will help out the most vulnerable such as handicapped and elderly residents. Residents should not have to resort to leaping from burning buildings to survive.

Source: NBC New York, “Mom, 6 Kids Leap from Burning Newark Building,” by Katherine Creag and Brian Thompson, Oct. 3, 2012