Manslaughter

In a plea agreement announced today, Pacific Gas & Electric will plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter for its role in causing the Camp Fire in 2018. The utility was indicted previously in Butte County, but the indictment was sealed while the plea negotiations were ongoing.

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A Pennsylvania ambulance driver pled guilty this week to homicide charges related to a vehicle accident that resulted in the deaths of two people, including his passenger-patient. On Monday, Jeffrey R. Gable, of the Trust Ambulance pled guilty to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault by vehicle, and three summary traffic violations.

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A wildland fire that claimed the lives of at least 91 people in the Greek village of Mati on July 23, has already sparked a lawsuit by the relatives of two of the victims. The victims, 70-year-old Vassilis Katsargyris and 73-year-old Maria Pagomenou were trying to evacuate their home in the neighborhood of Neos Voutzas when they were trapped by the fire.

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Two men involved in operating the Ghost Ship venue in Oakland have pled no-contest to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter. The fire in the converted warehouse on December 2, 2016 killed 36 people.

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One volunteer firefighter was killed and a second charged following a collision at the scene of an accident both were responding to in Daviess County. Members of the Montgomery Volunteer Fire Department and Cannelburg Volunteer Fire Department were responding to the incident when...

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An Alabama rescue squad captain has been charged criminally with negligent homicide over the death of a squad member last April during a water rescue. Michael Ervin Bettis has been indicted on one count of negligent homicide. The charge arises out of the death of Vicky Houston Ryan. Both Bettis and Ryan were members of the Etowah County Rescue Squad.

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A South African firefighter has been accused of shooting and killing his station commander. Platoon Commander Lesedi Mphatswe of the Johannesburg Emergency Services Management, was shot and killed at the home of a firefighter as he was delivering a disciplinary summons. Commander Mphatswe was a 20 year veteran.

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An Illinois fire department has filed suit against the driver and the owners of a tractor-trailer that slammed into a fire truck on I39 in 2013 killing one firefighter and injuring six. The Hudson Fire Department filed suit against the driver, Mansur Shakirov, as well as the semi's owners seeking compensation for $158,610. The accident occurred on March 5, 2013 while crews were at the scene of a prior multi-vehicle accident and claimed the life of FF Chris Brown.

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Following the release of an internal investigation into the death of a Philadelphia firefighter in December, the firefighter’s family is speaking out demanding that criminal charges be filed against those in the department who were responsible. FF Joyce Craig was killed on December 9, 2014 at a basement fire where she was separated from her crew. She activated the emergency button on her radio but was not located for another 17 minutes.

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We started this week with too many fire law stories to cover them all and that is exactly how we will end it!

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Legal Considerations for Fire & Emergency Services 730 Pages/Softcover/August 2014 ISBN: 978-1-59370-347-9 Price: $89.00 The third edition of J. Curtis Varone’s Legal Considerations for Fire & Emergency Services is an essential textbook for any course on fire service law as ...

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A fatal apparatus accident last June in California has led to a civil claim being filed against the fire department. It has also led some to ask once again what is wrong with our justice system. The answer is: read ...

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A German architect has pled no contest to charges of involuntary manslaughter for his role in a fire that claimed the life of an LA city firefighter in 2011. Gerhard Becker is expected to serve about six months in jail ...

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Happy New Year everyone!!! Here are my top ten stories for 2013. The list is not all YCMTSU, and it certainly is not about major legal precedents… but it does represent the highlight of things that have been going on ...

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