Articles Posted in FIre and Explosions

A Massachusetts man and his young niece were hurt Sunday afternoon when a jet ski they were riding on in Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire, blew apart.

According to Marine Patrol, who responded to the incident, the man broke his pelvis and the child, 8, suffered a laceration to her head. Both victims were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Marine Patrol officials are still investigating what may have caused the incident with the watercraft, but were able to put the jet ski back together when they arrived on scene.

jetski.jpgWatercraft and motorboat incidents happen all the time for a variety of reasons. While human error is usually to blame, people do not often think about the mechanical dangers of watercraft and boats, and often these mechanical failures blindside victims. What may start out as a fun day out on the water, can end in tragedy. When a jet ski accident does occur, the machine itself must be thoroughly inspected. Investigators often cite mechanical errors, design flaws, or other safety malfunctions as the causes of many of these types of crashes. Some of these types of safety issues may include complications with the propeller, gross overpowering or issues with the throttle, as well as issues with the fuel line.

Common Injuries Resulting from Jet Ski Accident

The most common types of injuries include:

• Broken bones • Brain injuries • Burns • Damaged ear drums • Dislocations • Serious neck and back injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
Who Is Responsible for My Injuries?

If you were involved in any type of watercraft incident, whether it was a motorboat accident or jet-ski accident, and you believe it was the result of defective design or malfunction, you may be eligible for compensation. Product manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and private sellers are supposed to guarantee that the products they are selling are safe for consumers’ use. When they fail to fulfill their obligations, and consumers are seriously injured or killed as a result of this failure, the injured victim and his or her family may file for damages against the liable party or parties.
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The property owner of a two-and-a-half story Allston apartment has been cited after a deadly fire this weekend.
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Anna Belokurova, the owner of the residence at 87 Linden Street, was cited for illegal occupancy in the basement and overcrowding of the house. According to officials, 18 people had been living in the home at the time of the fire. The house had also not been inspected since 1992.

The fire, which is still under investigation, broke out around 6:30 on Sunday morning, and claimed the life of Boston University student, Binland Lee.

Three residents were rescued by firefighters using ladders, while one resident jumped from an upper story to escape the fire Deputy Chief Stephen Dunbar said. According Dunbar, firefighters had tried to reach Lee who was in the attic at the time, but were unable to reach her.

Six firefighters and nine of the building’s occupants sustained non-life threatening injuries during the fire.
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A woman was killed in a Holyoke fire at her home on Saturday. Investigators believe that the blaze may have started close to a wood-burning stove. Firefighters that rushed to the scene were able to extricate another woman and her dog from the roof of the bungalow’s front porch. Following the fire, the whereabouts of two other dogs were in question.

Also on Saturday, an elderly couple was killed in a three-alarm Chelmsford blaze that caused a significant portion of a 24-unit condo complex to collapse. A seven-year-old boy who sustained third-degree burns is reportedly fighting to survive. The cause of this fire is also under investigation.

And in yet another fire, this one in Winchendon on Friday, a 70-year-old man died in a two-alarm blaze that destroyed his residence. Icy conditions and strong winds impeded firefighter efforts.

Our Boston Personal Injury Attorneys previously blogged about a natural gas explosion at Scores Gentlemen’s Club that injured 18 people and damaged 42 buildings in Springfield’s entertainment district.

Now, authorities appear to have identified the cause. State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said the blast was due to a “human error” that occurred when an unnamed utility worker accidentally punctured a high-pressure pipeline while looking for a leak.

The worker pierced the gas line while using a metal probe to search for a leak, said Coan. Gas then filled the strip club, with a spark of some kind igniting the blast. “Unfortunately when he put the probe in the ground he punctured and penetrated the gas main itself. That allowed a high volume off free flowing gas to enter the building,” Coan said.

The worker was following older markings on a sidewalk that located the position of the gas line, but the markings were incorrect, Coan said. “Some old markings that were in the street from some previous work that had been done were not exactly where they should have been and were off a couple of feet. So while the employee thought he was a safe distance from the gas line, in fact he was directly on top of it,” Coan said.

The explosion damaged 115 residential units located in 42 buildings. Officials condemned three of those buildings immediately, and indicated that 24 others need structural inspections by engineers to assess their safety. The blast completely destroyed the gentlemen’s club. Most of the people hurt in the blast were gas workers, firefighters, and police.

Authorities had evacuated several buildings in the area after the pipe was damaged. Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant commended the department’s firefighters, saying they “did an excellent job evacuating the area which certainly prevented additional civilian injuries and saved many lives.”
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The firework company Pyrotecnico has been suspended from operating in Massachusetts by State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan until July 4, 2013. The suspension occurred following the events of last July 4th, in which Pyrotecnico left unexploded firework shells in parks and playgrounds in the towns of Ayer, Hingham, Marion, Milford, Newton, Westford, Wilmington, Winchester, and Sharon.

The unexploded shells could potentially have been harmful to any passersby, many of whom were children. As this blog reported back in July, the shells were initially discovered after the company’s July 3 show in Stoughton, when a maintenance worker mowing a field accidentally set off one of the shells. Luckily, due to the swift actions of police officers who searched sites statewide and removed any shells that were discovered, no one was seriously injured. Coan explained that a child playing or even a town worker maintaining the premises could accidentally stumble upon the shell and become injured if it were to detonate. Coan called this “unacceptable.”
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This past Saturday, September 8, 2012, a 31 year old man from Danvers, Massachusetts survived a devastating incident that had initially mystified authorities. Karl Marchionda had just finished loading ten gallons of fuel into his Sea Doo GTX 155 personal watercraft. While alone in the craft at Long Lake Marina on Long Lake in Naples of western Maine, at around 4:50pm, he attempted to start the engine. The PWC then exploded. Karl was launched twenty feet into the air, crashing face first into the dock, according to witnesses. Parts of the craft, including the cover to the engine, coasted through the air for sixty feet.

According to the District Game Warden, Neal Wykes, sparks ignited vapors in the hull of the vessel when Marchionda attempted to activate the engine. There was no immediate determination of what caused the explosion. But after further review, Wykes ascertained that a mechanism that secured the fuel lines to the gas tank had become loose. This allowed fuel to enter the hull of the watercraft. Apparently the gas fumes were ignited when the engine started. Fortunately the blaze was quickly extinguished by the marina’s owner, James Davenport.

For Marchionda, though his injuries weren’t threatening to his life, and he was conscious and responsive when Wykes arrived, he had no recollection of the explosion or of being thrown through the air and landing on the dock. The Massachusetts resident was eventually taken to Bridgton Hospital with several broken ribs, two fractured vertebrae, abrasions, and lacerations to the face. The authorities from the Cumberland County Sherriff’s Office and rescuers from Naples Fire and Rescue are presently still investigating the incident.
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The family of a construction worker killed by a propane gas explosion that occurred in Norfolk in August 2010 has come to a $7.5 million settlement in the wrongful death law suit it filed against EnergyUSA and Smolinsky Bothers Plumbing and Heating. William Nichols, 46, was killed when a propane gas tank at a Norfolk condominium construction project was negligently under-filled by the energy company. This allegedly caused the chemical odorant-designed to make the gas detectable-to fade.

The suit also alleges that Smolinsky Bothers did not fully tighten a connection to the furnace, which caused the then-undetectable gas to leak. This leak is what is said to have caused the explosion. The blast essentially buried Nichols in burning debris, crushing him and resulting in burns covering more than 80 percent of his body, until he was extracted by local firefighters. The burns and other injuries resulting from the explosion are what ultimately led to his death.
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The family of William Nichols has reached a $7.5 million Massachusetts wrongful death settlement in its lawsuit against EnergyUSA and Smolinsky Plumbing and Heating over the 2010 Norfolk propane explosion that claimed his life. Nichols, a 46-year-old Blackstone electrician, suffered fatal injuries, including burns to 80% of his body, when the blast happened and then trapped him under rubble for over 90 minutes.

At the time of the explosion, he had been working on the air conditioning and heating system in a duplex under construction. There had been no odor to warn him that an explosion was coming.

According to the family’s Norfolk wrongful death complaint, EnergyUSA under-filled a new propane tank, which caused the chemical odorant to fade. This is the reason why the propane that leaked had no smell and could not be detected–a theory confirmed by reports about the leak accident. They contend that the company violated the warning located on the propane tank cover that instructs for the new tank to be filled to capacity. Records indicate that only 200 gallons was delivered to the 1,000 gallon tank on April 29, 2010.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission recently announced the recalls of a number of products over concern that they may pose a fire hazard:

Approximately 99,700 outdoor wall mount lanterns: These products were imported by Bel Air Lighting Inc. and made by manufacturers in China. The lanterns’ internal wiring may experience an electrical short circuit, which creates the risk of Boston burn injuries, electrical shock, and fires. Bel Air Lighting has received two reports of lanterns catching fire. So far, no injuries have been reported.

About 53,000 air movers made by EDIC: A fire can start if the air mover’s electrical capacitor should falter and overheat. There have been four fires that caused property damage reported.

Approximately 70,500 portable ceramic space heaters imported by Big Lots: An electrical shock or fire hazard can occur if a heater were to melt and overheat. While Big Lots has received a few reports of space heaters melting and overheating, no injuries or fires have been reported.

185 Frigidaire Self-Clean Gas Ranges: A fire hazard can be triggered if the bake/broil oven features experience a delayed ignition.

Our Boston burn injury attorneys are familiar with the pain and suffering experienced by victims of fires or other accidents. In addition to severe physical injuries can leave lasting emotional and psychological scars even after extensive and costly treatment, the life of someone who has suffered severe burns may be permanently altered. Many victims are left disfigured or disabled and unable to work or live a “normal” life. The lives of loved ones can also be severely affected as a result.

Consumer Product Safety Commission

More Blog Posts:
Explosions and fire ravage Winthrop home, injuring family & damaging house, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 23, 2012
Elderly Somerville Woman Dies After Clothes Ignite in Massachusetts Kitchen Fire, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, February 19, 2012
Products Liability: Massachusetts Manufacturer One of Several Companies to Issue May Recalls to Prevent Child Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 28, 2012 Continue reading

According to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of Massachusetts had the lowest pediatric death rate among all the US states in 2009 at 4 child deaths per 100,000 kids (age 19 and under). The national average for that year was 11 deaths/ per 100,000 children. The CDC has published its findings in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

CDC principal deputy director Ileana Arias says that one reason for Massachusetts’ lower child death rate is that the state has taken pains to address child injury prevention, including developing policies and programs to promote children’s safety. In 2008, the state passed a law mandating that all kids under the age of 8 use a booster seat when riding a car. Following a 2006 law that toughened up requirements for teens seeking to earn their driver’s license, teenage driver deaths declined by 75%.

Our Boston injury lawyers handle Massachusetts injuries to a minor cases. We represent children and their families with civil lawsuits against negligent product manufactures, automakers, physicians, property owners, pet owners, and other liable parties.

Per the CDC’s report, nationwide car crashes comprised close to 50% of the 9,143 pediatric injury fatalities that occurred 2009. Although this figure is still too high, it is a significant decline from the number of child car crash deaths that took place a decade ago. That said, child injuries continue to be the number one cause of children fatalities.

The CDC says that the rates of child fatalities caused by infant suffocation while sleeping and teen poisoning deaths (many from prescription drug overdoses) have gone up. However, there has been a decrease in the number of deaths from fall accidents, drownings, and fires/burn injuries. Unknown causes was cited as the reason for 1070 child deaths in 2009.

Massachusetts Child Injury Cases
We know how devastating it can be to see your child suffer because someone else was reckless/careless. Sometimes, the negligent party may be a company or an individual you do not know. We also represented clients with Boston wrongful death cases or personal injury claims against a relative or a friend.

Massachusetts leads nation with lowest rate of accidental deaths in children, Boston.com, April 16, 2012
Vital Signs: Unintentional Injury Deaths Among Persons Aged 0–19 Years – United States, 2000–2009, CDC
Safe Kids USA

More Blog Posts:
Johnson & Johnson Sued in Wrongful Death of Toddler Who Took Children’s Tylenol, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 11, 2012

Boston Child Injuries: Do Some Toys Cause Hearing Problems?, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 26, 2011

Boston Playground Accidents Can Cause Serious Massachusetts Child Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, September 10, 2011 Continue reading

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