Fire & Gas Explosions in Indiana

Explosions can occur for various reasons and in several places. Whether it takes place at home or in the workplace, explosions happen when you least expect it.

The following are the most common types of explosions our firm handles:

• Home explosions – Safe Gas Indiana claims 63 million homes throughout the country rely on natural gas for power, approximately 52 percent of U.S. households. From homes in residential neighborhoods to multi-level apartment complexes in the city, residential gas explosions and fires are all too common. These blasts occur due to defective gas components and improper maintenance by gas companies.
• Workplace explosions – Explosions occur on construction sites and industrial plants since these workplaces are surrounded by toxic chemicals, electrical wiring, mechanical sparks, and combustion engines. When heat and chemicals accidentally combine, a massive explosion happens which potentially affects multiple people.
• Vehicle explosions – Car accidents are dangerous in more ways than one; however, many people do not expect a fire to erupt following a collision. But when vehicle fires happen, they can also lead to explosions. These fires cause serious burns to victims—in addition to the injuries suffered from impact.
• Apartment Complex Fires - The close proximity and shared walls of an apartment complex make it dangerously fast for fires to spread from one unit to another. Determining liability in an apartment complex fire is complicated, as there can be many liable parties. In many cases, the fault for a disastrous blaze can be traced back to the apartment management company, the tenant who rented the apartment where a fire began, or both.

Since fires and explosions are often disastrous, determining the source of the accident requires a thorough investigation from lawyers, law enforcement, and other professional experts.

Explosions can cause widespread damage, often resulting in a wide range of injuries to anyone in the nearby vicinity. Depending on where the incident took place, the scope of the explosion, and the proximity to people, these types of incidents can cause several different types of debilitating, fatal injuries. The explosion itself can burn nearby victims, or it could blow debris into their path, causing penetration injuries, lacerations, eye injuries, and more. Additionally, the noise from the blast can cause loss of hearing and inner ear injuries, while the smoke or gas released could cause severe lung and vision damage.

Common injuries related to explosion accidents include:

• Blast lung
• Burns
• Compartment Syndrome
• Contusions
• Crush injuries
• Eye injuries
• Fractures
• Hearing loss
• Hemorrhage
• Hypotension
• Lacerations
• Lung injuries
• Penetration injuries
• Tinnitus
• Traumatic brain injuries

Determining who is liable for your injuries is absolutely crucial if you wish to take legal action. You may have your own suspicions, but in order to prove liability, you must be able to show that the party responsible for your injuries was negligent or erroneous. Depending on where your accident occurred, whether it took place at work, home, or elsewhere, several different parties could be liable for your injuries.

Those liable for fire and gas explosions may include:

• Building owners
• Construction company
• Contractor or subcontractor
• Gas company
• Landlord
• Machine or parts manufacturer
• Oil rig owner
• Product manufacturer
• Property owner

If you were injured in an explosion accident, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and other losses associated with the accident. If the explosion damaged your personal property (such as your home, your vehicle, or other belongings), you may also be entitled to compensation for the assets you lost. In the event that you suffered lasting or permanent damage, you might also be eligible to receive compensation for future loss of wages, future medical costs, disfigurement, loss of quality of life, and emotional distress.

In the event that you lost a loved one in an explosion accident, our firm can help you seek damages for burial and funeral expenses, as well as loss of companionship, and loss of wages and support through a wrongful death lawsuit.

Explosion accidents are often widespread and catastrophic, which is why you must act fast to protect yourself and others. Wherever the explosion took place, your first priority should be to seek medical attention. If possible, call 911 or ask someone else to call for you. If you aren’t seriously injured, see if anyone else needs assistance, and remove yourselves from the dangerous area immediately.

If the explosion took place in your home, get your family out immediately and call for help. In a workplace explosion, there should be a protocol in place to respond to such a situation, in which case, you should follow the procedure set before you. Sound the alarm to alert the rest of your coworkers of the situation, and evacuate as soon as possible. Explosions can set off additional flare-ups and render the affected building or structure unstable, which can result in a deadly collapse. For this reason, you must leave the building immediately and allow professionals to neutralize the situation.