Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the silent killer. Victims suffering carbon monoxide poisoning are often unaware of the cause of their symptoms; they might confuse their serious carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms with mild conditions. Unfortunately, many victims fail to receive early intervention for their exposure to carbon monoxide. Therefore, victims worsen and sometimes lose their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning. Have you been a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning? Was your entire family affected by exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide? Are you familiar with carbon monoxide poisoning news stories in which almost entire families lose their lives? What are their rights? What are your rights if you were affected by carbon monoxide poisoning?
If you or members of your family were affected by carbon monoxide poisoning in Bakersfield, you must seek legal assistance as soon as possible. Normandie Law Firm is a law firm with experience in carbon monoxide poisoning cases. Our Bakersfield carbon monoxide poisoning attorneys have the expertise necessary to represent you and fight for your rights. Our lawyers with expertise in carbon monoxide poisoning claims are ready to help you file your lawsuit—contact our law firm as soon as possible. In the following sections, you will find a series of information about the legal aspect of carbon monoxide poisoning. However, you should not interpret the information below as legal advice or your only source of information. You should contact our law firm and request to speak with our carbon monoxide attorneys for specific information about your claim.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a gas without taste, color, or smell. When people are exposed to and inhale carbon monoxide, they can suffer carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is released during fires, for example. Common appliances, machinery, and equipment, such as cars, lawnmowers, stoves, and clothes dryers, all release carbon monoxide. A more detailed list of the potential sources of carbon monoxide is found below:
- Chimneys
- Clothes dryers
- Fireplaces
- Grills
- Heating furnace
- Heating units
- Stoves and ovens
- Vehicles
- Water heaters
- Fires
Are all items in the list above dangerous? The listed items are not dangerous if they are working properly. If any gas-, coal-, oil-, or wood-powered appliances, machinery, or equipment is not working properly, they can be dangerous.
Let us consider a few examples. A man is doing laundry late in the night. He starts the gas clothes dryer, knowing that he would likely fall asleep before his clothes are dry. Since it’s a chilly night, he makes sure all windows are closed. He falls asleep, but does not wake up the next morning; he was a fatal victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. What our hypothetical victim did not know was that his gas clothes dryer had a carbon monoxide leak. As soon as he closed all the windows in his apartment, there was no ventilation—allowing the carbon monoxide to concentrate throughout his apartment. Let us consider the following example: a family’s car gets a flat tire while they were driving through a snowstorm. The family pulls over and is waiting for a tow truck since they do not have a spare tire. A few minutes into waiting with the vehicle off, it begins getting unbearably cold, and the young child starts crying. To warm the child, the driver starts the car and turns the heater on, and the child falls asleep. As the snowstorm continues, the car is covered in snow. After finally arriving home, the family goes to take the sleeping child out of the car; they quickly realize that the child is unconscious—another victim of carbon monoxide poisoning. The snowstorm resulted in the vehicle, including the exhaust, being covered in snow. Because of that, the carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle was unable to exit through the exhaust and became trapped in the vehicle.
As you can see, things used every day like clothes dryers and vehicles can quickly become dangerous. Symptoms can begin when carbon monoxide reaches levels of 100 parts per million. Common carbon monoxide exposure symptoms include the following:
- Blurry vision
- Cardiac arrest
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Irregular heartbeat
- Lack of coordination
- Loss of consciousness
- Nausea
- Seizures
- Shortness of breath
- Vomiting
- Weakness
If these symptoms are not addressed promptly, victims might continue to be exposed to carbon monoxide, and their symptoms might worsen. If carbon monoxide levels reach 700 parts per million, the symptoms can become deadly. Although symptoms can subdue as soon as exposure to carbon monoxide ends with minimal oxygen-focused treatment, some victims can suffer permanent neurological damage.
Liability for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Who is liable for your carbon monoxide poisoning? If your exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning was caused by the negligent actions of another party, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit. Let us consider one of the two examples mentioned in the previous sections. If the first victim purchased his clothes dryer from an appliance store and paid for professional installation, the store might be liable for the carbon monoxide poisoning. The store likely sent a trained employee to install the clothes dryer. If the employee did not ensure that the dryer had the proper vents, the employee and the store might be liable. Carbon monoxide cases are also common in apartment buildings. Who is liable in cases of carbon monoxide poisoning in apartment buildings? In many cases, the landlord might have some liability. For more information about establishing liability in carbon monoxide claims, you must contact our experienced carbon monoxide attorneys in Bakersfield.
Compensation for Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Claims
If you file a carbon monoxide poisoning claim, you might be eligible to receive compensation. It does not matter if you were the victim or if you are a surviving family member of a deceased victim, you have the right to sue and receive compensation. What forms of compensation might you be eligible to receive? For information about the specific types of compensation available for your claim, you must contact a CO2 poisoning lawyer in Bakersfield for a case evaluation. Our Bakersfield CO2 poisoning attorneys will examine the details of your claim and establish the estimated value of your claim. You might be eligible to receive the following categories of compensation:
- Medical costs
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Punitive damages
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial costs
These categories of compensation might apply regardless if you were the victim or if you are a surviving family member of a deceased victim. For more information about the type and amount of compensation that you might be eligible to receive, you should contact Normandie Law Firm and speak with Bakersfield lawyers that are experienced in CO2 poisoning lawsuits.
The Statute of Limitations for Carbon Monoxide Claims
If you are interested in filing a claim after being a victim of carbon monoxide poisoning, you must understand the statute of limitations that might apply to your claim. A statute of limitations is a deadline to sue—a timeline that establishes the total length of time that you have to file your lawsuit. If you do not file your lawsuit within the allowed time, you might lose your right to sue. How much time do you have to sue? If you suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in Bakersfield, California, you might have two years to file your lawsuit. However, there might be some exceptions to your statute of limitations; these exceptions might lengthen the time you have to file. For more information on the statute of limitations and any exceptions that might apply to your claim, you must speak with an attorney who is an expert in carbon monoxide cases.
Normandie Law Firm
Carbon monoxide poisoning kills nearly 500 people per year and leaves more than 20,000 with symptoms requiring hospitalization. If you or a loved one were negligently exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide, you might have grounds to file a lawsuit. Do not hesitate to seek legal assistance—the legal team at Normandie Law Firm is here for you.
Our Bakersfield law firm provides free consultations and free second opinions to all victims of carbon monoxide poisoning. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our experienced carbon monoxide attorneys will answer all your questions and address all your concerns about your claim. Our attorneys will not rest until you have all the information necessary to file your lawsuit confidently. Have you already spoken to an attorney at another law firm? If you believe that your previous attorney failed to give you all the information about your claim, you might have spoken to an incompetent attorney. Our attorneys will review your claim and ensure that you have every detail of your case. Our experienced lawyers will give you and your claim all the time necessary to review even the smallest detail of your claim. Our carbon monoxide poisoning lawyers will never rush through your claim risking overlooking or neglecting any aspect of your claim. Do not hesitate to contact our law firm to request a free consultation or free second opinion—our attorneys are ready to help you exercise your right to sue.
Our free legal services are available through our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our services. You can contact our firm without ever having to stop and think about any fees. Our law firm is also strictly based on contingency; therefore, clients are not required to pay legal fees until after our carbon monoxide attorneys win their claims. If you do not win your claim and recover the compensation to which you are entitled, you will not be required to pay any legal fees. Contact Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible—our experienced Bakersfield attorneys will give you the legal guidance you need.
