Carbon monoxide is highly hazardous and often referred to as the silent killer. It sends thousands of people to the emergency room yearly. If you suffer harm from toxic fumes caused by home- or business-owner negligence, you may be eligible for a settlement to cover your damages and losses.
If you or your loved ones suffered harm because of your landlord’s negligence, call to schedule a meeting with a skilled Pittsburgh carbon monoxide exposure lawyer at Bordas & Bordas this week to discuss your toxic exposure case.
Facts About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
When you inhale carbon monoxide, the gas replaces your blood’s oxygen levels and impairs your ability to circulate oxygen and deliver it to vital organs, such as your brain. Even low-level exposure can lead to poisoning, causing life-threatening injuries or death.
The poisoning most often happens at night while you are sleeping. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas, making it highly hazardous when leaks occur.
Common Sources
While there are many sources of carbon monoxide, and everyone is at risk of poisoning, some of the more common sources include:
- Dryers
- Wood stoves
- Water heaters
- Power generators
- Boilers and furnaces
- Cars and other vehicles
- Lawn equipment and power tools
- Fireplaces, both gas and wood-burning
Some potential symptoms of poisoning include dizziness, weakness, headaches, and confusion. If you believe you may have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning, you must seek medical treatment immediately. Our Pittsburgh carbon monoxide exposure attorneys could answer specific questions about your case during your free initial consultation.
The Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act
Exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning can have catastrophic consequences on your life, including life-threatening injuries and permanent disabilities or death. The Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act provides that property owners, including residential and business owners, must ensure that most dwellings have working carbon monoxide alarms that meet certain criteria. The Act includes properties with fossil fuel-operated heaters, fireplaces, and attached garages, which must have centrally positioned and operating alarms, or the owner may face penalties.
Determining Liability in Carbon Monoxide Cases
Building owners and landlords for residences and businesses have a legal obligation to protect their tenants from avoidable harm. As providing carbon monoxide detectors is a requirement, an owner’s failure to follow the law would be cause for a civil lawsuit, allowing you to recover a payment for damages from them or their insurance company. Nonfunctioning alarms would also mean the owner is liable for tenant damages.
The total amount of damages you are eligible to collect depends on the case specifics, such as the severity of injuries and the actions of the at-fault party that led to the injuries. Our carbon monoxide exposure lawyers in Pittsburgh could investigate your case and gather the evidence needed to establish fault.
Schedule a Meeting With a Qualified Carbon Monoxide Exposure Attorney in Pittsburgh
Carbon monoxide presents extreme risks because it’s almost impossible to detect without a working alarm in the home or office to alert you of potential leaks. The lack of smell, taste, or color makes carbon monoxide extremely hazardous. Property owners have a legal responsibility and obligation to protect their tenants, including installing detectors throughout the dwelling.
When property owners are negligent and others suffer harm, the civil court will hold them legally and financially accountable. Schedule a free consultation with a Pittsburgh carbon monoxide exposure lawyer to begin an investigation immediately.