If carbon monoxide poisoning snuck up on you, you should do your best to identify the cause of the troubles and determine if the emissions were the fault of some other party. If you cannot be blamed for your illness but a responsible entity can, you may be able to take swift legal action and pursue a monetary settlement. Carbon monoxide poisoning is nothing to scoff at – it affects over 30,000 people per year and causes hundreds of death annually. You should ensure that you have proper carbon monoxide detectors in your home and that you do not spend excessive amounts of time in buildings that have warnings of exposure to CO, asbestos, and other harmful fumes. If you get ill because of another party, consult with our carbon monoxide exposure law firm in Lancaster/Palmdale, Normandie Law Firm, for more information on filing a lawsuit.
How Carbon Monoxide Occurs
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is emitted from burning fuel sources that do not properly complete combustion. This means that nearly anything that burns for energy and contains carbon can give off carbon monoxide. Oil, propane, kerosene, wood, and gasoline are a few examples of common sources of fuel. These sources may be present in lawn mowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, lamps, refrigerators, furnaces, water heaters, space heaters, fireplaces, ranges, gas ovens, and more. They can be present in any household, and the more enclosed the location, the more dangerous the fumes.
There are also other occurrences in carbon monoxide that do not happen in homes. Industries usually have high energy output and waste disposal at factories, and the burning of these fuels could cause excessive CO emissions. Natural occurrences, such as forest fires, marshland gases, and emissions from mines, can also cause CO to waft into the atmosphere. Of course, members of society contribute as well; cigarette smoking, cigar smoking, and emissions from motor vehicle exhausts all contribute to the growing problem of carbon monoxide.
Depending on where you are affected, you may be able to file a lawsuit. If you are out in nature during a forest fire, you would not be able to file a claim against anyone, but if a landlord provided you with a faulty stove, you would have a clear defendant to sue.
To learn more about carbon monoxide emissions, contact a CO lawyer in Lancaster/Palmdale.
Effects of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning can have extremely adverse effects on the body, especially if you are exposed to the emissions for some time or at severe levels. No amount of carbon monoxide is good for the body, but it is manageable in low doses. The longer you spend breathing in the fumes, the more debilitating the effects. The cells in your body require oxygen to survive, and carbon monoxide deprives them of that oxygen. These suffocated cells can lead to intensely negative effects on the heart, brain, and lungs. If you have any of the following symptoms, you should immediately go to a doctor to determine if you have CO poisoning:
- Dizziness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Balance and coordination troubles
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Muscle weakness
One of the primary problems with diagnosing CO poisoning is how universal the symptoms are. They often mimic flu-like symptoms at an early onset, and if you are misdiagnosed, you may be taking medication and seeking rest at home where the fumes will still weaken and sicken you. A doctor should measure your oxygen levels to determine if you are receiving enough oxygen.
If carbon monoxide poisoning goes untreated or undiagnosed, you may suffer such injuries as sleep disruption and rest problems, lung problems, cardio and pulmonary troubles, persistent and chronic headaches, memory loss, brain damage, delirium, and even death. Carbon monoxide poisoning is very serious, and if you feel you are afflicted with it, go to a doctor to be evaluated. If you require oxygen, the doctor will give you a breathing tube of pure oxygen or will place you in a chamber that will force oxygen into your body.
If you need a Lancaster/Palmdale lawyer for carbon monoxide poisoning, call our law group immediately. We will help direct you to an accomplished medical facility and assist you in filing a lawsuit against the responsible party.
Legal Action
Depending on who is responsible for your carbon monoxide poisoning, you may have to go through a different set of steps before you can file a carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuit. For example, if you aim to take action against a landlord, you will have to prove that the landlord acting with negligence in not providing you with safe appliances or did not properly inspect the heating system to discover the faults.
If you want to sue a company for selling you a defective product, you will need to keep the product and note your injuries, as well as retain the hospital bills. If you get rid of the item or return it for repairs or a replacement, you will have lost the most crucial piece of evidence in your case and will likely receive nothing in a lawsuit.
In the event that a loved one passed away because of complications from carbon monoxide poisoning, you could file a carbon monoxide wrongful death lawsuit. The responsible party must have had a duty of care to protecting your loved one, and that duty must have been ignored or breached, leading to an incident and harm. A landlord could be held responsible, for instance, if he repeatedly ignored the tenant’s requests to inspect the furnace for emissions.
For help determining which lawsuit to file and who the target should be, reach out to a CO exposure poisoning injury lawyer in Lancaster/Palmdale.
Restitution
A lawsuit against the responsible party for your carbon monoxide poisoning can yield numerous types of compensation. You may be able to collect similar expenses regardless of the entity you are suing, but you may also be able to collect specific additional damages n n some cases. You can earn:
- Coverage of medical bills, including hospitalization, medication, treatments, and more. You could also receive coverage for future procedures if you require them.
- Lost wages, or reimbursement for income you missed from work due to not being able to complete your job. You may also receive future lost wages if you need to go undergo more medical treatments or if you need to recover.
- Property damage, or replacement and repair costs of any appliances, belongings, or systems that were impacted as a result of the incident.
- Pain and suffering damages, or compensation for anxiety, fear, PTSD, psychological trauma, mental scarring, and more. The emotional damages that accompany CO poisoning could be worse than the sickness itself because of the medical treatments and headache caused by the legal process.
If you file a wrongful death lawsuit, you can also collect loss of consortium, loss of companionship, loss of future savings and inheritance, funeral expenses, pre-death pain and suffering, pre-death medical bills, and more.
A Lancaster/Palmdale attorney experienced in CO exposure lawsuits will be able to help you earn the compensation you deserve.
Choosing the Right Law Firm
Our team of Lancaster/Palmdale lawyers with expertise in CO poisoning at Normandie Law Firm is here for all victims who have suffered damages from carbon monoxide. We have handled many cases where our clients have been harmed by carbon monoxide because of the negligence of another party and we know exactly how to bring you a settlement. Our lawyers are aggressive and will not stop pursuing your compensation until you are satisfied with the result. If we need to go all the way to court to win your case, we are willing to do so. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a huge problem and no victims should be left without any restitution.
Call our law firm today to speak with an expert attorney. You can schedule a free legal consultation to learn more about the laws pertaining to CO poisoning and what you may be able to do on a legal level. We will discuss your case with you and tell you what we believe it is worth. We encourage you to ask us any questions you want; our lawyers are available around the clock, and all of our consultations are completely confidential.
If you select us to represent you, you will receive a zero fee guarantee on your claim. This promises that you will not pay any out of pocket expenses throughout the entire litigation process. We will cover all the fees associated with the case, and if we win, our payment will be taken from the settlement we earn for you. The responsible party will essentially cover your legal bills. If we lose, you will not owe us a penny, and we will eat the costs of the case ourselves. We do this because we feel that your financial stability is ability, and no one should have to sacrifice his own money to take legal action and preserve his rights.
To get started on filing a claim, contact our law firm to speak with a Lancaster/Palmdale lawyer with experience in carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuits.
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