It can be confusing to take legal action if you have been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning. You may not know who you can sue or if you even have the ability to file a lawsuit regardless. The result of carbon monoxide poisoning is a fair amount of medical treatment and time spent trying to figure out where you contracted the illness from. It does not help that there can be numerous sources of CO that may afflict you. Individuals who are in need of legal assistance call our carbon monoxide exposure law firm in Bakersfield, Normandie Law Firm, to file a carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuit against the responsible party. Our lawyers will help you identify the correct entity and take proper action against him.
Identifying Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Sources
Carbon monoxide is given off when fuel sources are not properly are completely burned. The carbon that is not consumed is given off and wafts into the atmosphere, where it can be inhaled. Fuel sources are essentially oils, propane, kerosene, wood, charcoal, and more. These sources are found in many daily situations. For example, we are almost always in close proximity with automobiles, the exhaust fumes of which can emit copious amounts of carbon monoxide if the engine is not properly maintained or if the car is old and dated.
Other sources include:
- Industrial waste and factory fumes
- Household appliances like stoves, ranges, and refrigerators
- Heating systems like water heaters, fireplaces, and central heating
- Defective Appliances like snow blowers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, and more
- Natural occurrences like forest fires and emissions from mines and quarries
- Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, and other smoking products
As you can see, the presence of these sources in your home can lead to more disastrous consequences than if the sources are elsewhere. Forest fires and mines likely do not impact your health as much as the appliances and heating systems within your house do.
If you need assistance identifying potential sources, contact a CO exposure poisoning injury lawyer in Bakersfield.
Symptoms of CO Poisoning
CO poisoning can be difficult to detect. The gas is colorless, odorless, and tasteless; it enters your body through inhalation, and the symptoms can take some time to manifest. You may simply feel as though you are under the weather or suffering from a virus. Many doctors, in fact, incorrectly diagnose carbon monoxide poisoning as the flu and recommend that you simply go home and get some rest.
If you feel any of these symptoms, reach out to a medical professional immediately and request an examination for carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Loss of balance
- Coordination problems
- Muscle weakness
- Delirium
In order to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, you will have pure oxygen forced into your body, whether through a breathing tube or by being placed into a chamber. If you need a recommendation for an adequate healthcare professional, call a Bakersfield lawyer for carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you do not go to a doctor or if your condition is not identified, you can face various injuries, such as chronic headaches, sleep troubles, memory loss, heart issues, lung damage, brain damage, and death.
Who to Sue
If your carbon monoxide poisoning were caused by something more than a natural occurrence or the collective emissions from cigarettes and motor vehicle exhausts, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the responsible party. Keep in mind that the majority of lawsuits dealing with carbon monoxide poisoning as the main injury will have a two year statute of limitations to filing a claim.
If your apartment building featured broken appliances or faulty heating systems, you may be able to sue your landlord for not providing you with safe living quarters. It is the landlord’s duty to ensure that your living space is not dangerous, and if he did not inspect any ranges or stoves for emissions, or if he did not check the central heating, you could hold him responsible for your injuries. It should be noted that all landlords must place carbon monoxide detectors inside apartments that are intended for human occupancy; this was mandated by the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2010.
Commercial buildings may also be places where carbon monoxide can build up. These buildings could have heating systems that were improperly installed or are defective. Often, it can be very difficult for a company to fix this issue, as the business is dependent on profits and shutting down would be problematic for income. However, if you spend time in an office that has evidence of carbon monoxide emissions, you should pursue legal action against your employer or the building owner. Property owners can also be held responsible.
Defective products in your home can also increase the amount of CO emissions. Appliances are one type, but they are not the only kind. There are also lawn mowers and leaf blowers that use fuel sources and combustion to operate. If you keep these items in a garage or in the basement, the fumes can permeate the air and cause the concentration levels of carbon monoxide to rise to deadly amounts. It is important when dealing with defective products to not return the item to the manufacturer or throw the item away. If you do, you will not have the crucial piece of evidence required to win your lawsuit.
To learn who you should sue, consult with one of our Bakersfield lawyers with expertise in CO poisoning today.
Compensation from a Lawsuit
With the help of a Bakersfield lawyer with experience in carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuits, you could earn various types of compensation for your damages. CO can greatly impact your life and leave you worse for wear; it may take away your health and alter your job opportunities. When determining compensation, insurance adjusters or a jury will look at the permanence of the effects and decide if the problems could have been wholly prevented if the responsible party were less negligent. You may be able to receive:
- Coverage of medical expenses, including surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, and more. If you require additional procedures after the fact, you can have those covered as well.
- Lost wages, or any income missed from being absent from work. If you will be unable to go to work in the near future, those additional missed earnings can be reimbursed.
- Property damage can also be covered. The defective products or cost to replace the defective systems in your home can be taken care of.
- Pain and suffering damages, or compensation for emotional damage, mental scarring, psychological trauma, fear, PTSD, anxiety, and more. These damages can total large amounts of money.
- Punitive damages, which are additional forms of monetary compensation handed out to punish the defendant. They are difficult to win, and only a skilled lawyer will be able to acquire them; most courts view them as excessive and too punishing.
In some cases, a loved one may pass away from the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. If this occurs, you have legal options to make sure you are not impossibly affected by the tragedy. You may file a carbon monoxide wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible entity. This lawsuit can secure you funeral expenses, loss of consortium, loss of companionship, reimbursement of anticipated earnings and future savings, loss of inheritance, and more.
For more information on the potential settlement that can come your way, reach out to our law group today.
Let Normandie Help
Carbon monoxide poisoning can devastate your life if you do not take action to prevent it. If you have already been affected, a CO lawyer in Bakersfield can help you get your affairs in order and pursue legal compensation against the liable party. We promise to help you along each step of the way. Our lawyers are aggressive in their pursuit for compensation; you will never have to worry about your claim being tossed aside or postponed. We will relentlessly stay on top of your claim and ensure that the insurance agency is swiftly handling it.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a Bakersfield attorney experienced in CO exposure lawsuits. We will gladly you tell you what you need to know about the legal process behind filing a claim and give you necessary information regarding pursuing a lawsuit. We will also look over your case and inform you what we believe it is worth. If you want to select us for legal help, we will also give you a zero fee guarantee that promises that you will never have to pay any out of pocket expenses for our assistance. If we win your case, our fees will be taken from the settlement we bring you; that way, the entity responsible for causing your CO poisoning will take care of your legal bills. If we lose, you do not have to pay us anything whatsoever; we will cover all the costs of the case ourselves.
If you have been affected by CO poisoning and need a skilled lawyer, contact Normandie Law Firm immediately.
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