Jason Rubin, attorney with Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro, Moses & Halperin, LLP, obtained a $1.175 million settlement in a products liability/premises liability case arising out of burn injuries sustained by our client. The plaintiff was a laborer for a general contractor performing renovation work in a basement of a private home. Another worker had applied a flammable solvent to the floor in order to remove tile adhesive. The vapors from the solvent ignited and caused an explosion and fire, causing plaintiff to suffer second and third degree burns and inhalation injuries.
Jason brought suit against the owner and tenant of the home, as well as the manufacturer of the water heater that was present in the basement at the time of the fire. Jason alleged that the pilot light of the water heater was the source of ignition and that the heater was defective in that the pilot light was at ground level, which allowed vapors which are denser than air to be drawn into the pilot and be ignited.