Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
An FDNY firefighter injured at the scene of a gas explosion that destroyed two buildings in Harlem last March has filed suit against the city, Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison) and a landlord of one of the buildings.
Dale Scott filed suit claiming he was injured responding to the explosion. The news reports on the suit remain sketchy. We are hoping to obtain a copy of the complaint and will post it as soon as possible.
The March 12, 2014 explosion killed 8 people and has already prompted at least 8 victims to file claims and/or lawsuits including a $40 million claim against the city by a woman whose daughter was killed. Carmen Quinones claims the city did not do enough to maintain the aging gas mains in the area. She claims neighbors had been complaining about a smell of gas in the area but nothing was done. More on Quinones’ $40 million claim.
The suit once again raises the controversial question discussed here 2 weeks ago on whether firefighters injured at emergency scenes should be allowed to recover from those responsible. Here is the link to our discussion relative to the Fireman’s Rule.
