Woman Dead After Fire at Condemned Gainesville Apartment Building. (11Alive.com)
Could the death from this apartment fire have been prevented and are justice and compensation available to victim’s family?
Local News
An early morning fire engulfed a Gainesville, Georgia apartment building Monday morning, March 25, 2019. According to AccessWDUN.com, “[a]n elderly woman was killed in a fire at Candler Square Apartments early Monday morning.” The news story reports, “Gainesville Fire crews responded to the scene around 4:30 a.m. and found heavy smoke and fire showing from the building, which was condemned due to being unfit for human occupancy.” 11Alive.com is reporting, “Once the fire was put out, crews found a woman during a secondary search…there were a lot of items throughout the house that hindered fire operations and access.”
The fire is still under investigation according to the media outlets.
Our Legal Take
As the fire department continues its investigation, premises liability attorneys with The Murray Law Firm question whether a lack of fire safety measures at the complex may have contributed to this incident.
- How was the victim able to reside in a condemned property?
- Was the condemned properly secured to prevent entry prior to the fire?
- What fire safety measures, such as working smoke detectors, fire sprinklers and emergency exits, were in place and working at the time of the fire?
As details of this fire continue to emerge, The Murray Law Firm suggests that it is possible that the apartment complex failed to undertake proper safety measures to protect those residents and guests legally on the premises. Under certain State law, the owner and management company of an apartment complex have a duty to protect residents and to keep the premises safe. If the owner or manager fails in this duty, they may be held civilly liable for any injuries or wrongful deaths that occur as a consequence. Should the Gainesville apartment complex be found at fault, the victim’s family may elect to hold the owner and management company civilly liable for their loss. Financial recovery for such a claim could be substantial.
As insurance companies and unscrupulous property owners are often more concerned with limiting their financial exposure in these incidents, it is crucial that the victim’s family retain an experienced premises liability firm as soon as possible to ensure all evidence, such as a faulty fire alarm or a poor evacuation plan, is preserved and the victims’ best interests are protected. The Murray Law Firm has extensive experience in premises liability and apartment negligence cases, such as this, and we offer our legal expertise, if needed.
If anyone has information to share, or if anyone is seeking information regarding this incident, please contact us at 888.842.1616.
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The Murray Law Firm has obtained over $100 million dollars for its Clients, and recently secured a $29.25 million dollar verdict for a victim of an unsafe property.
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