Texas Apartment and House Fire Legal Process

Our family was recently severely injured when our home caught on fire, what are our legal rights in Texas?

Our firm represents victims of home fires on a regular basis.  There are a multitude of steps that must be taken as soon as possible to preserve your legal rights, and potentially obtain compensation for the damages you have suffered.  Primarily, a family must concentrate on the business of tending to everyone’s physical and emotional well being.  After the initial shock has subsided, and emergency medical treatment obtained, it is important to involve legal professionals as soon as possible to understand your rights.

First, the cause of the fire must be understood.  It is imperative to involve a fire inspector with litigation experience as soon as humanly possible to investigate the scene of a house or apartment fire, as evidence will begin to spoil rapidly.  Documentation of all damaged property must be obtained.  Do not be fooled, any insurance company that becomes involved after a fire event will not have your best interests at heart.  While the local city and county officials may be conducting their own investigation, many times this style of investigation does do the best job of protecting the interests of the home owner and the legal claims they may bring in our court system.  Two heads are always better than one in this situation.   

Once the cause of the fire is understood, a family must understand who may be liable.  If a faulty appliance or product malfunctioned, the evidence must be preserved immediately.  If the installation of electrical systems or construction of the home is an issue, these must be quickly documented.  If there were code violations that led to injuries, these must be documented before the fire scene is destroyed.  

Many times, owners or maintenance companies of rental homes or apartments are negligent in failing to properly install smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or by not having the required number of exits to a home.  In order to understand if theses types of violations are at issue, a diligent search of the local city and county ordinances adopting various versions of building and fire codes must be made by a qualified professional. 

Our Texas Fire Injury Law Firm is experienced in the handling of claims involving fire and fire loss.  If you have questions regarding a fire event that you or a loved one was involved in, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your options.