Woman Injured In Brighton Park, Chicago Apartment Fire
Unsafe Premises - September 7, 2023
60-Year-Old Woman Critically Injured In Brighton Park, Chicago Fire At Apartment Along South Saint Louis Avenue
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (September 7, 2023) – A 60-year-old woman was critically injured in a Brighton Park apartment fire along South Saint Louis Avenue.
Cook County officials are saying that the incident took place Thursday evening. Firefighters and paramedics were called to the apartment in order to help any victims.
Chicago Fire Department officials were able to rescue a 60-year-old woman transported to Stroger Hospital with serious injuries. Four other people refused treatment at the scene.
A full investigation into the Brighton Park apartment fire remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Chicago Apartment Fires
Residential fires are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association, “More than one-quarter (26%) of reported fires in 2015-2019 occurred in homes. Even worse, three-quarters (75%) of civilian fire deaths and almost three-quarters (72%) of all reported injuries were caused by home fires.” There are a number of common causes of apartment fires.
- Cooking accidents near stove tops are one of the leading causes of residential fires. In particular, fires are more likely to start when a stove top is left unattended.
- Faulty wiring and damaged electrical appliances can spark electrical fires.
- Heating equipment can also lead to a fire. In particular, many fires occur when blankets come into contact with space heaters.
- Unattended candles can easily lead to an apartment fire.
Depending on the facts of any case, the owner of an apartment could face civil liability for any apartment fire. Pursuant to Illinois Civil Code (740 ILCS 130/1), property owners must maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. When a property owner has actual or constructive notice of a dangerous condition with their property, they must take action. There are a number of ways that an apartment owner could have contributed to someone being injured in a fire.
- An apartment owner may have failed to install sprinklers or smoke detectors.
- An apartment may have allowed fire exits to become blocked.
- An apartment owner may have failed to comply with building codes such as not having proper fire exits.
- An apartment owner may have made illegal modifications like converting basements into unauthorized units.
It can be hard to know where to begin after any apartment fire. However, it is important for accident victims to know that they do have rights. Any person that is injured in an apartment fire may be able to seek some measure of justice through a bodily injury claim. Many apartment fires are preventable and involve some amount of negligence.
Liability For Chicago Apartment Fires
We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to the woman injured in this Brighton Park apartment fire. It is our sincere hope that she is able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators.
Have you or someone that you care about been harmed in a Brighton Park apartment fire? Our team of premises liability attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.
