Burn Injury

May 12, 2017

Vanity Mirrors A Fire Hazard To Drivers

Owners of 2009, 2010, and 2011 Mercury Marquis, Ford Crown Victoria, and Lincoln Town Car vehicles are reporting a dangerous fire hazard.

At issue is an electrical wiring problem in the both the passenger and driver side vanity mirrors that can lead to electrical components heating to such a temperature that they burn and melt the vehicle’s sun visor and the material surrounding it.

In fact, one driver reports that they suffered second to third degree burns due to the melting components falling from above while driving after the driver’s side vanity mirror light began to burn.

October 31, 2011

Trick or Treat: Practice Halloween Safety

Anapol Weiss

Every year Halloween festivities and traditions result in a plethora of injuries (from costume related trauma to flame burns to broken bones), most of which can be prevented, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). To help trick or treaters stay safe and remain free of haunting injuries that can linger well past the holiday, the CPSC issued a simple three point safety checklist. The checklist targets three primary factors that often result in injuries on Halloween: using caution around open flames; making sure children are visible while trick or treating; and choosing safe costumes. The points below summarize the guidelines.

Guard against burn injury and fires:

Only use flame retardant material when selecting costumes or other accompanying items.

July 7, 2011

Child Killed in Philadelphia House with No Smoke Alarms

Anapol Weiss

A 4-year-old boy was killed and two teenagers were injured in a Philadelphia fire that remains under investigation. According to WPVI, the fatal house fire occurred on Herman Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia the afternoon of July 2, 2011. A teenage boy and girl were able to escape from the second floor of the home by jumping onto a tree but the 4-year-old boy could not get out. Firefighters extinguished the fire in 20 minutes and they found the boy unconscious and badly burned. The cause of the fire is unknown, but it has been reported that the home had no working fire alarms.

The report goes on to say that 26 people have been killed in Philadelphia fires this year. Last year at this same time, 17 people had been killed in Philadelphia fires. According to a report in The Philadelphia Daily News, 201 people were injured and 33 were killed in Philadelphia fires in the year 2009. In an attempt to limit the number of fatal fires, Philadelphia firefighters installed 16,000 smoke alarms for free in 2009.

Whenever someone is injured in an apartment or home fire, it must be determined what caused the fire and if the necessary precautions were taken. Property owners are required to provide fire extinguishers and fire alarms that are in good working condition. Buildings should be built to code and residents should have multiple escape options.

May 7, 2010

Anapol Advocate Award Given to Dennis Gleason for Helping PA Burn Injury Victims

Anapol Weiss

The Pennsylvania personal injury law firm of Anapol Weiss Weiss Cohan Feldman & Smalley is proud to announce that Dennis Gleason has been given the Anapol Advocate Award for his tremendous efforts in helping those affected by injuries embrace productive ways of living. Burn survivor Dennis Gleason received his award from managing partner of Anapol Weiss, Joel Feldman, at the Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s Nathan Speare Regional Burn Treatment Center.

To honor Gleason and further recognize those who have devoted much energy and time in helping victims affected by severe injuries, the Anapol Weiss Foundation will be donating $5,000 to the Medical Center’s burn unit. Gleason is the first Anapol Advocate Award winner and has significantly promoted burn prevention and helped better the lives of burn survivors and members of their families. A Philadelphia electrical burn accident resulted in Gleason suffering electrical burns when working as a lineman at PECO, an electric and natural gas utility company located in Philadelphia. Gleason serves as a mentor at the Burn Foundation’s Survivors Advisory Council.

In several instances, burn injury accidents frequently lead to serious burn injuries. This is why burn prevention is so crucial; as are the efforts of courageous and charitable people like Mr. Gleason.

April 27, 2010

Oil Rig Explosion Leaves Eleven Missing and Seven Injured

Anapol Weiss

The Associated Press reported recently that an oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana has left eleven workers missing and seven with critical injuries. Two of the injured were admitted to the burn unit at the University of South Alabama Medical Center, where they are being treated for severe burn injuries.

Most of the 126 workers aboard the rig were able to escape safely. The rig continued to burn for several days after the workers were evacuated. Most of the evacuated workers were carried to land in a lifeboat while authorities searched the waters surrounding the burning rig for life rafts carrying the remaining workers.

At the time of the accident, the rig was drilling, but was not yet producing oil. The cause of the explosion is still unknown, though the U.S. Coast Guard and environmental authorities continue to investigate.

March 23, 2010

Great Falls Refinery Fire Leaves Worker With 1st and 2nd Degree Burns

Anapol Weiss

A refinery fire in Great Falls, Montana recently resulted in a worker sustaining first-and second-degree burns. In an article by uk.reuters.com, the fire is described as having broken out late one night in Montana Refining Co’s Great Falls location. The facility in which the blaze took place is a 10,000 barrel per day refinery, and the fire occurred inside a unit that was being repaired at the time of the incident. According to the article, the fire ignited when propane began leaking past one of the check valves. The cause of the ignition is still being investigated by the Great Falls fire marshal.

The more potentially dangerous a work environment is, the greater the precautions that should be put into place in order to ensure employee safety. In the above mentioned incident, it has yet to be determined whether or not negligent action on the part of the employer or a third party (i.e. contractor, sub-contractor, etc.) took place and contributed towards the workplace injury accident. In the event that the employer or a third party did act negligently, the injured employee may be able to seek compensation for his injury. These damages can be used to help cover the costs associated with the accident, such as medical bills, physical therapy fees, and even wages lost as a result of time off of work.
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September 22, 2009

Industrial Explosion Exposes Workers to Toxic Ammonia Fumes

Anapol Weiss

An industrial explosion at the ConAgra Foods Plant in Garner, North Carolina that killed two workers and injured many others in June is still an incident that has many industrial workers concerned over the safety of their future. A wral.com report stated that approximately 300 workers were in the plant at the time of the explosion, many of whom were exposed to toxic fumes released from ammonia leaks. Thirty-eight individuals had to be transported to local hospitals for serious injuries resulting from the explosion, and three firefighters suffered from ammonia inhalation.

According to the article, district chief for Wake County EMS stated, “It’s not just a matter of fire or any chemical exposure, but certainly with the structure collapse, there’s the issue of the safety of going in.” In any explosion, structure integrity is always a serious issue, but it is not the only concern that involved workers have to deal with. Exposure to toxic substances in the workplace can have long-lasting effects on a person’s well-being, putting an individual who has come in dangerous contact with an environmental toxin at risk of organ damage, cancer, severe burns, and many other calamities.

Fortunately in this incident, the ammonia toxic fumes were contained enough that the surrounding community was not threatened. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials kept a close watch over the air quality near the plant soon after the explosion to ensure that the toxic chemicals did not endanger people in the surrounding areas.
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June 10, 2009

Defective Robes Cause Fatal Burn Injuries

Anapol Weiss

Pennsylvania-based Blair LLC., along with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 162,000 women’s chenille robes after reports that several women died and many others suffered burn injuries as a result of the robes catching fire. According to this Associated Press news report, at least six women are believed to have died due to the Pennsylvania flammable products. In five out of six cases, the victims were women who were cooking at the time. CPSC officials are asking that consumers stop using these robes immediately.

The robes, made in Pakistan, have the following item numbers: 3093111, 3093112, 3093113, 3093114, 3093115, and 3093116. The robes were apparently sold in Blair catalogs, on the company’s Web site as well as in Blair stores in Warren and Grove City, Pennsylvania from January 2003 through March 2009. Consumers may return these defective robes to Blair and receive a refund or a $50 gift card.

Burn injuries in Philadelphia can be serious and often life-threatening. In order to prevent these tragic events and to hold those accountable for the injuries responsible, it is important to understand what causes burn injuries. Burns can be caused by many different products, including defective clothing. Burn injuries are also costly.
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