Philadelphia Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawyer

There are a lot of dangers that lurk in buildings, posing a threat to the health and safety of those who reside or work in or simply visit them. One concern that poses significant harm is carbon monoxide.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contends that several hundred people die from carbon monoxide exposure annually, a 2023 Clinical Toxicology study published by the National Library of Medicine highlighted how 1,067 people in the U.S. died from carbon monoxide exposure in 2021. Not everyone dies from toxicity. Instead, countless others are left with temporary or more lasting impairments from it.

Our law firm, Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, is committed to helping injury victims, including those who unbeknownst to them were exposed to carbon monoxide (CO) in a residential or commercial building recover compensation for the harm they or their deceased ones suffered. If you are interested in learning whether you’re eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation, get in touch with us now for a free consultation with a Philadelphia carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer in our office.

What To Know About Carbon Monoxide

This gas is both colorless and odorless and is a byproduct of fuel combustion. If you’ve ever heard it’s dangerous to sit inside a running vehicle in a closed garage for a prolonged period of time, it’s because doing so can expose you to a buildup of CO, ultimately causing you to die. The same goes for individuals who don’t heed alerts from a gas detector in their home that warn them that carbon monoxide levels are high. If they remain in their house, especially if they don’t open up windows for ventilation, they may ultimately die within a matter of hours.

Various situations where individuals fell ill or died after becoming exposed to carbon monoxide have made the news in recent years, whether at hotels, daycares, or other facilities. The truth is not just Philadelphia homes but also businesses we frequent run off of carbon monoxide, so there are, unfortunately, many opportunities for all of us to unexpectedly experience toxicity under the right set of circumstances. Definitely consider reaching out to us if you’re one of them.

Symptoms of CO Poisoning

One of the earliest signs of carbon monoxide toxicity is persistent dizziness and a headache. However, some individuals also report:

• Nausea
• A fast heartbeat
• Confusion
• Drowsiness
• Fatigue

Many of those individuals who die from carbon monoxide toxicity don’t connect their symptoms to overexposure to this gas, lose consciousness, and die.

This is why safety professionals always recommend that if you have any reason to believe there may be a buildup of CO in your environment, you vacate the premises, call for help, and seek medical attention right away. People end up falling seriously ill and dying because they don’t.

Understanding the Connection Between Carbon Monoxide Toxicity and Liability

Property owners have an obligation to keep their premises reasonably safe for their residents, tenants, and invited guests. This includes maintaining their facilities and ensuring there aren’t any natural gas leaks that could potentially endanger anyone’s life.

Unfortunately, maintaining premises comes with a cost. Philadelphia residential and commercial property owners might not have checks performed on their systems out of concern that repairs are needed, which may come with a big price ticket. In addition, they may have a serviceperson come out and advise them of a leak but not have the means to address it right away. While this should prompt the tradesperson to flag the unit, making it unusable, what if they don’t?

The scenarios above are just two examples of negligence, a lack of oversight, and other reckless actions or failures to do as one should. Actions like these are often what lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, illnesses, injuries, and fatalities. It’s important that you know that if a residential or commercial property owner’s negligence in addressing a CO buildup resulted in you or someone close to you suffering harm, you can hold them liable for their actions through the civil legal system here in PA.

How Negligence Results in CO Poisoning

Aside from a property owner failing to maintain or repair their equipment or a service person rending a defective product out of order, our experience handling these toxicity cases is that these issues also occur because:

• A utility company damaged the gas line, causing this toxic gas to escape
• A product in use has a defect which causes the release of CO
• An automobile or other vehicle or machinery that produces carbon monoxide isn’t placed or stored in a properly ventilated area
• A service person improperly installed or failed to adequately repair a gas line or appliance that emits CO (i.e., a hot water heater, furnace, etc.), thus allowing the toxic substance to escape into the air

Who You Can Hold Liable For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Now that you understand the connection between carbon monoxide toxicity and liability, let’s discuss who are some of the parties you may hold liable in instances where negligent actions are deemed responsible for harm caused by this toxic exposure. Many of the potential defendants that you can name in your lawsuit fall into the category of residential or commercial property owners and include:

• Hotels
• Homeowners who rent out rooms or their entire homes on temporary vacation rental sites
• Fitness centers
• Conference centers and sports arenas
• Daycares, schools, and universities
• Nursing homes
• Medical centers
• Apartment complexes

In other words, the options are endless for who you can sue, so long as they have a responsibility under

Pennsylvania premises liability law to ensure they’re property is reasonably safe for its visitors.

Additionally, you may meet the grounds to file a product liability lawsuit if you can show that a dangerous or defective product contributed to you suffering CO poisoning.

Pinpointing the cause of your CO-induced illness or the cause of a close relative’s death can be challenging, and so too can it be determining who to hold liable for what happened. This is where a Philadelphia carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer can be of great help to you. It doesn’t cost anything to meet with a member of our legal team at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, so let’s talk now so you can better understand your rights.

Compensation You May Be Eligible for as a Injury Victim

Individuals who survive being exposed to carbon monoxide require immediate medical attention. Initial treatment involves attempts to flush lingering CO from their system. Intensive use of a hyperbaric chamber and oxygen immediately following toxic exposure and in the weeks following that may be necessary.

Receiving the treatment you require to recover may mean that you’re left with significant medical bills and lost wages if you’re unable to work. These are just some of the economic losses you may be eligible to recover after falling ill from CO exposure. Non-economic damages may also be available if you can show that you endured pain and suffering, emotional distress, or experienced a diminished quality of life.

Additionally, recovery of compensation that you can use to pay for funeral costs may be possible by filing a wrongful death claim. Individuals who were exposed to CO in their Philadelphia workplace may be able to recover compensation by filing a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim.

How a Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Lawyer Can Assist With Your Case

Earlier, we mentioned some of the complexities associated with establishing some of the elements of negligence, like causation, and determining who to hold liable in toxic exposure cases like these. Not only can an attorney who regularly handles premises liability cases like these aid you in those areas, but:

• Compile evidence to substantiate your claim
• Secure medical records, bills, job pay statements, and any other documentation that captures the impact exposure has had on your health and finances
• Communicate with insurance adjusters and others on your behalf about your case
• Gather all documentation to send to an insurer demanding compensation
• Take your case to trial if needed to seek a settlement or a fairer one

In short, when you make a decision to hire us, you can count on us to see your case through to finish and for us to be knowledgeable, attentive, and aggressive every step of the way. So, whether you or a close family member has suffered harm from exposure to CO, consider reaching out to us at Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan. Just do so quickly, as there’s a 2-year statute of limitations applicable in cases like these.

When you connect with us, we’ll put you in contact with a Philadelphia carbon monoxide poisoning lawyer on our team with whom you can discuss your case and how to best move forward in exercising your legal rights. So, call us or use our contact form to let us know you’d like to chat today.