New Yorkers may have heard about the deadly apartment fire in Texas that claimed the lives of five people while injuring others. A lawsuit has now been filed in Houston on behalf of four of the survivors and one of the deceased victims.
The fire took place on July 20 in the early morning hours. The fire alarms in the apartment building didn't activate, and an inspection that was conducted by the City of San Marcos found that the complex did not have any type of fire suppression equipment or working fire sprinkler systems.
The plaintiffs are suing the companies that operate and own the apartments and the property owner. The law firm that is representing the victims stated that the property owners and property manager knew that there were safety concerns but still failed to do anything to correct them. The plaintiffs are asking for compensatory and punitive damages.
The owners and operators of properties owe a duty of care to correct known hazards and to help to keep people who visit their premises reasonably safe. When the owners or operators violate the duty of care, the victims may hold them accountable by filing premises liability lawsuits against them. By filing lawsuits, the victims might recover damages to compensate them for their economic and non-economic losses. In egregious cases such as what happened in the San Marcos apartment complex fire, it may be possible to recover punitive damages. People might benefit by consulting with lawyers when they have been injured because of a dangerous condition on property that was owned by someone else.
Source: KENS 5, "Survivors sue Iconic Village Apartments after deadly fire", Aug. 9, 2018