Understanding Liabilities Associated with Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide is the name of an odorless and colorless gas that is created when you use coal, charcoal, wood, fuel oil, or natural gas to burn as fuel. It is also a big reason why some people need to hire a portland oregon personal injury attorney to pursue an injury case against a local business. Carbon monoxide has been commonly referred to as a silent killer because most people do not realize they are being poisoned by this gas until it is way too late.

Injuries caused by this source almost always have a party that is easy to blame. The house of a party, a manufacturer, a business, a builder, or a landlord are all the types of individuals who have been sued at one time or another for carbon monoxide poisoning. There are a few things you need to know to make sure you never find yourself in a situation where you are pursuing a personal injury lawsuit because someone you love was seriously injured or killed by this silent killer.

There are roughly 1,000 people who are killed by this toxic gas every year. There are also thousands of individuals who are fortunate enough to make it to the hospital with serious injuries. When you inhale this gas, it will enter your bloodstream and then prevent oxygen from flowing around your body. Unfortunately, the symptoms associated with carbon monoxide poisoning make it easy to think you have food poisoning or the flu.

Both landlords and business owners are responsible, legally, to take a reasonable number of actions to prevent this kind of injury. Some of these steps require routine safety inspections, complying with building codes, complying with safety codes when installing and using tools or equipment, and installing detectors of this toxic gas.

If you are injured by carbon monoxide poisoning there are three different lawsuits that commonly take place. Some file a personal injury under negligence. The belief is that the business owner or landlord knew about the gas and did nothing about it. Failure to warn liability means that the owner knew and did nothing to evacuate the potential victims. The third is liability for a defected product. The third one happens when people believe the manufacturer of the product emitting the gas is to blame.