The family of Melody Fitzgerald Rivera has filed a wrongful death lawsuit after she was a victim of a fire in her apartment complex. The 52-year-old Riveria was a resident of Colonial Park Apartments with a fire started in her apartment complex.
According to local reports, firefighters responded an apartment fire around 1:30 a.m. the morning of April 7, 2010 and found the fire had spread through the apartment into a second story unit.
The personal injury lawsuit declares the fire spread while Rivera was sleeping and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. Rivera suffered serious burns- third degree burns- to over 65% of her body. The burn victim was admitted to the university's burn unit where her first skin grafting surgery took place. Rivera would eventually endure three additional surgeries through April 19, 2010. Eventually Rivera's wound became septic and she died on April 21, 2010.
Sources indicate the apartment fire started from an electrical outlet in the mechanical closet that held the apartments heating and cooling unit. And the configuration of the closet required the power cord to run over the top of the unit electricity plug to run across the HVAC unit to reach the power outlet. The personal injury lawsuit alleges the source of the ignition was caused from the power cord lying on top of the HVAC therefore causing the cord's insulation to be comprimised.
The wrongful death lawsuit is seeking $25 million in damages and names as defendants the management company, H.M. Management Company of Fayetteville, Tennessee, and the Colonial Park Apartments run by Texas City Limited Partnership.
Every year electrical fires affect apartment complexes across the United States. Sometimes these instances are just plain accidents; however, other times they are the result of negligent management. If you know someone who has been wrongfully injured or killed due to an apartment fire, the personal injury attorneys at Farris, Riley and Pitt understand the life altering impact a serious injury or death can have on a family and want to help you. If your loved one injured you may have legal rights to damages. For more information on the types of Alabama injury cases we handle, contact us toll free at 1-888-580-5176 or 205-324-1212.
For over 15 years, the Birmingham Personal Injury Lawyers have been helping injured victims and want to help you. Call us today for your free case evaluation.
