Fort Collins Gas Explosion Lawyers

who is liable for my injuries?

A critical component of every personal injury case is determining who is at fault for your injuries. This will determine not only who the focus of any claim will be, but also how your gas explosion lawyer develops their strategy on your behalf. For the majority of cases, the focus will be to establish the negligence of another party.

Negligence involves four key components, which are duty, breach, causation, and damages. First, you must be able to show that the party from whom you are seeking damages had a duty to act in a certain way. Next, you must be able to prove that they breached this duty; after showing duty and breach, the next step will be to show that the breach is actually what caused your damages.

Finally, you must be able to prove that you did, in fact, suffer actual damages. Some of the parties who could be liable in a gas explosion that occurred in the Fort Collins area include:

Gas or Propane Companies

The companies who provide natural gas through pipelines have a responsibility to do so in a safe way. For example, when the gas is first turned on at a property, the gas supplier needs to carefully scrutinize the condition of the property owner’s own pipes and connections and exercise extreme caution when connecting them. In addition, if a company had exclusive use of a given length of pipe, then it would be their responsibility to check it routinely and ensure that it is working properly. A failure to do so could mean that they are liable for any injuries that result from this failure.

City, County, or State

Depending on where and how a gas explosion occurs, it is possible that the city, county, or state could share in the liability. This could be possible if the city fails to ensure that a given company fails to abide by regulations. For example, if the City of Fort Collins were aware that a given company had lots of outstanding fines for prior safety violations but continued to allow the company to operate as normal, then it is possible that they would be liable if another lapse in safe operation by the company led to another explosion.

Landlord or Homeowner

Another party who could be held liable in the event of a gas explosion is a property owner. If a property owner has notice that something like a stove or other piece of home equipment was not working properly or was otherwise dangerous and failed to take any action or give you any warning, they could be liable if this failure leads to an injury-causing explosion.

gas explosion injuries

Many accident victims are left wondering how to deal with gas explosion trauma. Injuries can be very severe and can require many costly medical procedures or hours of intensive therapy to totally resolve. A few of the more commonly suffered injuries for gas explosion victims include:

Burns

Natural gas explosions can result in the generation of extraordinary amounts of heat. Naturally, this can lead to severe burning for victims who happen to be nearby. The severity of a burn largely depends on the size of the explosion and how close the victim happens to be to it. Burn injuries can potentially be relatively minor, requiring only at-home treatment like bandaging. However, severe burns can necessitate skin grafts, plastic surgery, and extensive therapy in order to put the victim back in the place that they were in before the accident.

Physical Disfigurement

There is a lot that modern medical technology and technique can do in restoring gas explosion victims back to their pre-accident state. There are limits, though, to what can be done. Many victims of severe burns will bear some sort of permanent disfigurement for the rest of their lives. A gas explosion lawyer near you may be able to argue persuasively for compensation on your behalf for this disfigurement.

Smoke Inhalation

Many gas explosion injuries come not from the actual explosion itself but from the smoke that comes afterward. Inhaling large amounts of smoke is extremely dangerous and can result in a large variety of complications for victims. Some of these complications include chest pain or headaches on the less severe end, all the way up to carbon monoxide poisoning and even hypoxia on the more severe end of the spectrum.

how to file a gas explosion claim

Victims of Fort Collins gas explosions are often left with little more than piles of medical bills and a feeling that they have been treated unfairly. In order to protect your legal rights and any compensation that you might be entitled to, it is important that you hire the right Colorado gas explosion lawyer who can navigate you and your family through the process. This process will not look exactly the same on a case-by-case case basis, but the steps generally include:

1. Contact a Gas Explosion Lawyer Near You

Upon an initial consultation, an experienced lawyer will be able to give you a better idea of what your case could be worth and whether it is even worth pursuing. This is a critical first step in the world of personal injury law. From there, they can handle all of the legal communications and strategizing, freeing you up to work on getting back to 100% good health.

2. Research and Investigation

After you have hired your attorney, they will get to work on doing the necessary background work to gain a full and complete understanding of your situation. This can include looking at the photo or video evidence that is available, determining who might share in the liability for your injuries, and researching the Colorado laws and statutes that will govern the case.

3. Negotiate a Settlement

Because taking a case all the way to trial is very expensive and time-consuming, most cases will end in a settlement agreement that is agreeable to both parties. Getting to a settlement that maximizes your compensation will require a Fort Collins attorney who is experienced enough to know what your case could be worth, and one who is persuasive enough to argue effectively for that number.

Call zinda law group at (800) 863-5312 for a 100% free consultation

At Zinda Law Group, our attorneys have the necessary experience to help gas explosion victims get compensation for their injuries. We also believe that an injury victim should never be forced to worry about their ability to afford legal representation, which is why you won’t pay us anything until we win your case for you—that’s our No Win, No Fee guarantee.

Meetings with attorneys are available by appointment only.