Detroit Personal Injury Lawyer - Wrongful Death

Child Drownings and Swimming Pool Accidents

Larry Buckfire — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:43:03 GMT

Summer is now here and swimming pools are a favorite choice to escape the hot and steamy weather. While this provides for great fun and exercise, the safety aspect of swimming is a great concern. According the the Center for Disease Control, the number of drowning deaths for children is on the rise. The majority of the deaths are at residential properties and involve infants, usually under the age of two years old.

Many of the drownings occur in inexpensive inflatable pools and others result from children falling though pool covers into the water. Like all child injury prevention, it is essential to have intense and constant supervision by parents and guardians. Children should never be left out of sight, even for a quick run into the house to answer a telephone. Fences, alarms, and other safety devices are also essential for drowning prevention.

Other than swimming pool drownings, these deaths can occur anywhere there is an accumulated water source. This includes lakes, bathtubs, and even toilets. An article called "Protecting Your Child From Drowning Hazards" has some great tips for the prevention of drowning. All parents and anyone else charged with supervising children should read this article.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Michigan Excessive Force Settlement

Larry Buckfire — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:53:22 GMT

A federal lawsuit filed by the family of an Ypsilanti Township man recently settled for $4 million. The suit was filed against the Washtenaw County Sherrif's Department for the arrest of a 45 year old man who died of asphyxiation and respiratory restriction after a traffic stop. The claims were made under the MIchigan Wrongful Death Act.

Without the efforts of the man's children and relatives, justice would never have been done in this case. The use of excessive force and other forms of police abuse are in violation of every American's constitutional rights and civil claims are the best way to prevent future similar incidents.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Detroit Lawyer Dies in Apartment Fire

Larry Buckfire — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:01:32 GMT

A Detroit lawyer died in a Detroit apartment fire yesterday. The 47 year old attorney was found by firefighters at the Forest Arms Apartment complex while trying to put out the huge blaze that swept through the building. Two other residents were injured and about 100 others were left homeless. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire, which took three hours to contain. Several Wayne State University students lived in the building.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Day Care Fire Kills Child

Larry Buckfire — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 16:05:29 GMT

A terrible tragedy yesterday at a Chicago child day care center took the life of a 22 month old toddler. The child was dropped off by his mother at day care by his mother while she went to work. A few hours later, a fire broke out and the toddler did not survive. Apparently, five other children escaped serious injury. He apparently died of smoke inhalation.

The family is mourning the death and the fire marshall is still investigating. Depending on the cause of the fire, the family may have a wrongful death case against the day care operator and owner of the facility for the loss of the child. Day care injuries are on the rise as more families have both parents working in this tough economy.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Detroit Man Found Frozen to Death

Larry Buckfire — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:16:03 GMT

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Zug Island Gas Explosion Kills Michigan Worker

Larry Buckfire — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:53:19 GMT

"Great Lakes officials believe the blast destroyed as much as 400 feet of pipe. Flames late Saturday afternoon could be seen shooting from pipes at the island, as the excess gas burned off."

A gas explosion at the U.S. Steel Great Lakes Work Plant in Zug Island, Michigan yesterday killed one worker and injured four others. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the explosion, but the five men were apparently contractor workers making repairs at the plant.

The explosion survivors can file a Michigan Workman's Compensation claim for their injuries and may be able to file suit against the U.S. Steel plant seeking money damages for their injuries. The family of the worker killed in the blast can also file a Worker's Compensation claim and may be able to file a Michigan Wrongful Death case seeking additional money damages for the loss of their family member.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Detroit House Fire Kills Girl, No Smoke Detectors in Home

Larry Buckfire — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:04:56 GMT

"Everything happened so fast," she said. "The whole house went up."

A tragic house fire in Detroit, Michigan took the life of a 13 year old girl the other. The girl attended a special school for autism and had trouble communicating. Apparently, the furnace in the home was in disrepair and not working. Because the family could not afford to have it fixed, they used two furnaces to heat the home. Something on the stove caught on fire and sparked a fire throughout the home. The home did not have working smoke detectors.

Unfortunately, this type of incident seems to happen every Winter in Michigan. Although firefighters did not say whether smoke detectors would have saved the girl, it is clear that they are a necessity in all homes. More important is that there are smoke detectors with good batteries to insure that they are operating properly.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

EMU Settles Dorm Death Case

Larry Buckfire — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 07:41:35 GMT

The family of the Eastern MIchigan University student who was killed in her dormitory has agreed to settle their wrongful death lawsuit for $2.5 million. This tragegy was first reported about one year ago when her body was discovered in her dorm room. Police later arrested a fellow student and charged him rape and murder.

Initially, the university informed the parents that their daughter had died from natural causes. She had a heart arrhythmia and the family concluded that the stress from final exams contributed to a natural death. Further investigation though determined that it was a homicide. Apparently, the school was sued due to security defects in the dormitory building which permitted the assailant to enter into the dorm.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Wrongful Death.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Michigan Fireworks Injuries

Larry Buckfire — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:07:52 GMT

The July 4th holiday is a great day for picnics, family fun, and for fireworks shows. The city sponsored fireworks area always great fun but festivities also often include private fireworks. Many fireworks are sold legally through retail outlets and others are purchased either illegally or in neighboring states. These private displays are entertaining, but also very dangerous.

A tragic example is the Michigan fireworks death of a 27 year old Melvindale Michigan mother of three who was killed when she struck by an illegal firework on Independence Day. A grassroots picnic with a $1,000 fireworks show ended in horror -- a grand finale of 25 blastoffs and lights illuminating the motionless body of Danialle Barse, 27, of Taylor. She had bent over to see why the first firework didn't launch. Moments later, it did. The explosive meant to propel 200 to 300 feet into the air struck her head, and a crowd of 30 -- including her three sons and fiance -- could do nothing as the rest of the show cascaded above.

Sellers of the illegal fireworks can be subject to lawsuits for injuries caused by the sale of the fireworks. Parents of unsupervised children can also be sued for injuries caused by these fireworks. My firm had previously obtained a significant settlement for a child who suffered a permanent eye injury after being struck by a bottle rocket lit by an unspervised child.

For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire

Deadly Saginaw House Fire Kills Six

Larry Buckfire — Fri, 25 May 2007 08:46:36 GMT

A terrible story in today's paper about a deadly Saginaw Michigan house fire . The kitchen fire engulfed a house early Thursday, killing five children and their stepfather, who ran back into the flames to try to save them, authorities said. The fire started when the step-father had been cooking. There were no smoke detectors in the home, which is a violation of local ordinances. The failure to have working smoke detectors, especially in rental properties, can give rise to negligence lawsuits and other claims for injuries resulting from fires.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Larry Buckfire