When a fire occurs at your home, your workplace, or even your favorite corner restaurant you can expect for the fire extinguishers on the premises to function properly. These tools are meant to put out fires and mitigate the threat that they can cause. However, when a fire extinguisher has a fatal defect that keeps it from firing an adequate amount of flame retardant, the victims of the fire could be left facing some truly grueling burn injuries, some of which can even be life-threatening. Recently, the Consumer Product Safety Commission or CPSC, has made a report of a recall issued to all Kiddie Fire Extinguishers with plastic handles. This crucial flaw in the fire extinguisher can result in a failure to discharge which can pose a significant hazard to users who expect these products to work. Fortunately, if you have suffered injury as a result of these defective products, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation. However, many victims of the defective Kiddie Fire Extinguisher, are often left in the dark in regards to the value of their case. Our attorneys at Normandie Law Firm can help. Our well-versed product recall attorneys can not only determine the value of your kiddie fire extinguisher defect case but can help you fight for your right to adequate monetary compensation. If you have any questions after reading this article, please feel free to reach out to our law offices in Los Angeles, California, for a free consultation by one of our legal advisors.
The Kiddie Fire Extinguisher Recall
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently reported a product recall made for Kiddie Fire Extinguishers with plastic handles. This includes 134 different models of Kiddie fire extinguishers manufactured between January 1st, 1973 and August 15th, 2017. This also includes models that were recalled previously, made between March 2009 and February 2015. The extinguishers came in red, white, and silver variants, and are rated either ABC- or BC-. The model number for the fire extinguisher is printed on the fire extinguisher label. For extinguishers made in 2007 and onward, the date of manufacture is printed in a 10-digit date code and is printed on the side of the cylinder, near the bottom. Digits five through nine represent the day and year of manufacture in the format: DDDYY. For models manufactured from January 2nd, 2012, through August 15, 2007, the code reads as 00212 through 22717. For any models manufactured before 2007, a date code is not printed on the fire extinguisher.
These fire extinguishers can cause significant hazard to users, as the extinguishers can become clogged, and can require excessive force to discharge. This can lead to a catastrophic activation failure during a fire emergency. Also included in the list of defects is the nozzle which can detach with enough force to pose a hazard of impact. Those who have been made a victim of these fatal product defects don’t have to own a Kiddie fire extinguisher to file a claim. If you or a loved one attempted to use a Kiddie fire extinguisher to put out a fire at a business or property but failed to do so as a result of this defect, they may be eligible to file a claim for significant monetary compensation. Under product liability law, product manufacturers are expected to keep defective products out of the hands of consumers. If at any point a consumer is injured by a product as a result of an overlooked defect, that injured individual has every right to pursue legal action in the form of a personal injury lawsuit. This is especially true of Kiddie fire extinguishers which can pose a significant burn injury risk to those who have experienced a failure in the fire retardant deployment system. Victims of the Kiddie Fire extinguisher have every right to sue the manufacturing company for the damages that these products may have caused. Those who have been injured by this defect have the option of either filing a class action lawsuit or a more standard personal injury lawsuit. Class action lawsuits involve more than one party filing a lawsuit against a company for similar injuries caused by the same product or action. While class action lawsuits offer an easier route for victims as the legal fees are often lessened, there are lesser odds that you will receive all the compensation you require for your damages. This is because the compensation awarded is often spread out amongst all of the parties involved, resulting in a lessened individual amount. For this reason, it is in your best interest to seek representation from a class action lawsuit attorney our lawsuit attorney to help guide you not only determine the value of your case but guide you through the process of bringing your case to court.
Determining the Value of Your Case
As mentioned prior many of those who have suffered injuries from product recalls of this nature are often curious regarding the value of their case. Clients who come into our law firm tend to ask questions like: ‘what is the average settlement amount for a Kiddie fire extinguisher product recall case?’ or ‘how much can I receive for a settlement payout for my Kiddie fire extinguisher case?’ Determining values for any case depends on a variety of factors. Due to this large variance, it is difficult to determine an accurate average settlement amount for all Kiddie fire extinguisher cases. While our attorneys could come up with a potential average, there is no guarantee that this average would apply to your case. So it is in your best interest to seek assistance from a lawsuit lawyer or class action lawsuit lawyer to help you determine how much your case is worth. If you sit down with one of our lawyers, they will more than likely start by calculating the damages that you suffered. These damages are usually divided into three categories: monetary damages, nonmonetary damages, and punitive damages. Each one of these categories can vary greatly in value between each case, and it is always recommended that you have legal assistance in determining how these categories relate to your case.
Monetary damages will more than likely make up the bulk your case, as they are made up of values that have a discernable monetary value. These are damages that often can be calculated without direct assistance from an attorney, however, it is still recommended that you have a legal expert review the calculated damages as they play such a significant role in the value of your Kiddie fire extinguisher personal injury case. Listed below are the factors that make up monetary damages:
- Medical Expenses: These are the costs that a victim must endure for the hospitalization of the initial injury and any further treatment needed in the future because of this injury. These expenses often make up a significant portion of a settlement value.
- Loss of Wages: These compensatory damages meant to reimburse the victim for any wages lost from the injuries. This amount can be determined through a thorough examination of the victim’s salary history and often includes sick and vacation time.
- Loss of Potential Future Wages: Sometimes injuries can be so severe that the victim may lose the ability to perform at the same level they had before their injuries. To determine this amount, a complicated formula is used that involves the examination of the victim’s projected earnings and the impact that the damages may have had on the victim’s ability to find and perform future work.
Nonmonetary damages are usually tricky to calculate as they are made up of factors that don’t normally have a discernable monetary value. Nonmonetary damages are things that truly vary between each case, and will almost always require assistance from an attorney to accurately calculate. Listed below are the factors that make up nonmonetary damages in a case:
- Pain and suffering: This damage is compensated to a victim based on the pain and suffering they endured from their injuries. This amount is often calculated by the use of a pain multiplier that has the victim identify their level of pain on a scale of one to ten.
- Emotional Distress: This form of compensation is offered to victims that have experienced any emotional trauma suffered due to the injuries. The compensable amount of emotional distress often varies from state to state.
- Loss of Consortium: Loss of consortium is often added to the value of your case when the injuries are so severe that the victim’s loved ones are deprived of a normal loving relationship and companionship
Punitive damages are added to the value of a case as to punish the defendant for their actions, and to deter them from engaging in similar conduct in the future. These damages are often the hardest to argue for as they require that you can prove the intent of the defendant. In some instances, attorneys will settle a case before even putting up a fight for punitive damages. However, our lawsuit and class action lawsuit attorneys are committed to taking on the challenge of making an argument for all of the damages you require; punitive damages included.
How Normandie Law Firm Can Help
If you or a loved one have suffered burn injury, or smoke inhalation injuries as a result of the defective Kiddie fire extinguishers, you may be eligible to file a claim for significant monetary compensation. However, in pursuing compensation, it is best to seek the assistance of a skilled attorney, as large manufacturing and retail companies more than likely have the resources to employ their team of expert lawyers to dispute your claims. At Normandie Law Firm our skilled attorneys can guide you through the process of building your case, filing your claim, and collecting compensation for your damages. Those who file a claim with our law firm can find some if not all of the following damages compensable to them:
- All of you medical and hospitalization costs
- All of your future medical care and treatment
- A loss of income and loss of future earnings due to long-term recovery or permanent disability due to the accident
- Compensable economic damages include loss of property or damaged property.
- Compensable non-economic damages include emotional distress, trauma, PTSD resulting from the accident, pain and suffering and anxiety.
Victims of this defective product or other defective products similar to this one can contact our law offices to learn more about how to receive compensation for their injuries. While our law firm is based in Los Angeles, our attorneys also practice in Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Orange County, Riverside, Fresno, and throughout the state of California.
Make sure that you do not throw away or return the product after the injury occurs. It will be used as an important piece of evidence later on in your claim. You must make sure to:
(1) DO NOT return the item to the manufacturer ot receive a refund; that will destroy all evidence you have to pursue the case.
(2) DO NOT tamper with the product or try to fix it.
(3) Seek immediate medical attention with a doctor so that there is no gap in medical treatment.
(4) Hold on to any receipts or documentation of purchase.
Free Second Opinions
Other attorneys will sign you up for their firm but will disappear once your name is on the paper as they are busy signing up more cases. In these instances, their business is based more on volume and will attempt to sign up as many cases as possible. In turn, they will spend less time on cases resulting in severely reduced settlements. Our firm will not treat you like a number. We will be in communication with you throughout our lawsuit and will treat you like family. So if you already have an attorney don’t worry, we’ll give you a second review of your case 100% free of charge.
Zero Fee Guarantee-No Upfront Fees Ever
If you contact our law offices today, we can walk you through the complicated process of filing your claim completely free of charge. As a show this commitment to you and your case we offer our clients the benefits of a zero fee guarantee policy. Under our zero fee policy, all clients don’t pay for our services until their case is won. If you feel in need of a second opinion, second opinion case reviews are also free under this policy. Please, feel free to give us a call, and we can guide you down the path of receiving proper compensation for your damages.
