Recently, a worker was awarded $18,681,323 in a lawsuit filed against an apartment complex that hired him to perform floor refinishing on their apartments’ floors. In 2003, the then-37-year-old plaintiff was lacquering one of the apartment’s floors when a gas-powered stove caused fumes from the lacquer to catch fire. In an attempt to escape, the worker fell on the newly lacquered floor, and he was engulfed by the fire.

The worker needed more than 20 surgeries to repair the second- and third-degree burn injuries that covered more than 50 percent of his body. He developed scarring and deformities from his injuries and continues to experience pain related to his burns. Also, testimonies from psychiatrists and experts showed that the plaintiff developed post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident. Lawyers for the worker argued that the complex and its managers knew that the plaintiff would be lacquering floors on the day of the fire, and should have thought to shut off gas.

To speak with an attorney about injuries you or a loved one has suffered in a fire on another person’s property, contact the Pennsylvania premises fire lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. at 610-667-7511 today.