Explosions

Inland Empire man injured in transformer explosion

A man was critically injured when an electrical transformer blew up and severed a power line in Mira Loma on Thursday afternoon, fire officials reported

A helicopter flew the burn victim to an area hospital after the explosion, which was reported near Ridge-view Avenue and 58th Street at 4:27 p.m., a Cal Fire/Riverside County fire news release stated.

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies closed roads for a two block radius around the blast site while Southern California Edison workers make repairs.

Beyond Workers’ Comp

Many injured  workers assume they are only able to receive workers’ compensation benefits for injuries on the job site.  A careful analysis of the accident by an attorney experienced in job site injury claims may reveal other sources of financial compensation.  If an employee of another subcontractor was responsible for the faulty equipment that injured you, we may pursue an injury claim against his or her employer, for example.  A general contractor who failed to maintain a safe workplace may also be liable.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have a long history of winning impressive results for construction injury victims and the family members of those who died a wrongful death due to construction accidents.

Demand accountability from those responsible for the dangerous conditions of the construction site accidents.  Many times the insurance companies will play “hardball” if you try to settle the case yourself or you have employed a lawyer who does not have the litigation experience to handle such a complex case.  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have twenty years of litigation experience and know how to handle the insurance companies to your advantage.  We are prepared to front all costs required for the necessary investigation and expert witnesses needed to prepare your case for trial.

The laws regarding construction accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law. It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced construction accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

Fires and explosions are sudden and devastating, destroying homes and buildings, and causing physical injuries and death.  Burn injuries are painful and disfiguring, and require long recovery periods.  Smoke inhalation, and inhalation of toxic fumes and gases from flammable fabrics and furniture stuffed with polyurethane foam, cause added injury and increase the likelihood of death.

Determining the cause of a fire or explosion requires extensive experience and thorough investigation involving engineering, electrical, and gas line experts as well as fire scene experts.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has the experience and the resources to effectively prepare and litigate cases on behalf of plaintiffs and family members injured or killed in fires and explosions.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler regularly represent plaintiffs in cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in fires and explosions caused or exacerbated by unsafe premises, unsafe construction sites, and unsafe products.

Faulty electrical wiring and furnaces, gas leaks, malfunctioning or absent smoke detectors, inaccessible or inadequate escape routes, the presence of flammable fabrics and furniture, and the presence of dried vegetation that can fuel wild and urban interface fires are all examples of sources of liability for property owners or product manufacturers.

Determining the cause of a fire or explosion requires extensive experience and thorough investigation involving engineering, electrical, and gas line experts as well as fire scene experts.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has the experience and the resources to effectively prepare and litigate cases on behalf of plaintiffs and family members injured or killed in fires and explosions.

With over 25 years of experience, Gary A Kessler has earned the respect of our colleagues and the courts in California and nationwide for our personal injury work.  We have achieved a winning record on behalf of our clients, and we are proud of our successful cases that lead to safety improvements through strengthened laws and product recall.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one in a fire, we encourage you to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today for a free consultation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fireworks accident victim dies

A 20-year-old San Diego man severely burned in a fireworks accident in Lake Elsinore on Friday evening, Aug. 1, has died, the Riverside County coroner confirmed.

William Calabrese died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton at 8:10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 2., said a deputy coroner who would not give her name. The cause of death was official under investigation, but Calabrese had suffered burns over 90 percent of his body in the accident, which burned two other people, including a Cal/Fire Riverside County fire inspector.

Cal Fire spokeswoman Jody Hagemann confirmed that fireworks were involved in the incident. She said Saturday, Sept. 1, by phone that the agency had no new information about the cause of the accident.

The three were preparing a fireworks show for the Lake Elsinore Storm minor league baseball game. There was an explosion that burned a truck that may have been carrying the fireworks and injured the three.

Just before 5 p.m. Friday, the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department received a report of a vehicle on fire in the 500 block of South Diamond Drive near or at the home stadium of the Lake Elsinore Storm baseball team, said Melody Hendrickson, a spokeswoman for the Fire Department, in a news release.

One person was flown by helicopter to the hospital, Hendrickson said. The other two, including the fire inspector, suffered minor burns and were taken by ambulance.

An employee of the Lake Elsinore Storm baseball team who did not give his name referred all calls to the fire department.

Fire and Explosions  Wrongful Death Liability

Fires and explosions are sudden and devastating, destroying homes and buildings, and causing physical injuries and death.  Burn injuries are painful and disfiguring, and require long recovery periods.  Smoke inhalation, and inhalation of toxic fumes and gases from flammable fabrics and furniture stuffed with polyurethane foam, cause added injury and increase the likelihood of death.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler regularly represent plaintiffs in cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in fires and explosions caused or exacerbated by unsafe premises, unsafe construction sites, and unsafe products.

Determining the cause of a fire or explosion requires extensive experience and thorough investigation involving engineering, electrical, and gas line experts as well as fire scene experts.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has the experience and the resources to effectively prepare and litigate cases on behalf of plaintiffs and family members injured or killed in fires and explosions.

With over 20 years of experience, Gary A Kessler has earned the respect of our colleagues and the courts in California and nationwide for our personal injury work.  We have achieved a winning record on behalf of our clients, and we are proud of our successful cases that lead to safety improvements through strengthened laws and product recall.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one in a fire, we encourage you to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today for a free consultation.

The laws regarding dangerous fire and explosion cases are complex and include many facets of the law.  It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced dangerous fire and explosion lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

The California dangerous fire and explosion attorney Gary A Kessler and the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler are compassionate and fully understand that you are attempting to cope with extreme grief and sorrow associated with the loss of a loved one in a tragic fire and explosion accident.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler carefully selects its wrongful death/fire and explosion liability cases so that we may give you (the client) the substantial personal attention neccessary to obtain a successful result for your dangerous fire and explosion liability/accidental death case as well as maximize your recovery.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler is prepared to front all costs required for a thorough investigation and expert witnesses to prepare for trial of your case.  As in all wrongful death and serious personal injury cases, we advance all legal costs to prepare and present our client’s claim, and receive for our services only a percentage of what we recover for our attorney fees on their behalf.  Upon settlement our costs shall be reimbursed to us from the gross recovery.  If there is no recovery, no atoorneys fees or costs are owed to our firm.

Cal-OSHA investigating Arvin tank explosion that kills one, critically injures another

ARVIN — The explosion of a decommissioned crude oil tank in a vacant field just north of a stretch of businesses killed one man, critically injured another and left questions unanswered about what safety procedures the men used as they worked on the tank.

The men were using a torch to dismantle pipes on top of the tank when vapors inside ignited, blowing the 16,800-gallon container some 30 feet in the air and a distance of 79 feet, firefighters reported.

Arvin resident Cesar Martinez, 24, was carried some 50 feet into the air and more than 100 feet away, Kern County Fire Department Capt. Derek Tisinger said. Martinez died just after 9 a.m.

The other worker, identified by their employer Sky-Brand Services as 33-year-old Eric Robles, was thrown into a nearby chain-link fence.

The workers believed the tank was empty, Tisinger said.

The incident happened in the 300 block of Campus Drive, in a field a couple of hundred feet behind a Dollar Tree.

There was no resulting fire and no other people were injured, officials said. No evacuations were required.

Iram Rocha was in the area talking to an Arvin police officer when it happened. He said he saw a big piece of the tank fly and a man’s body fly through the air.

“You could feel it all over,” Rocha, speaking through a Spanish translator, said of the blast.

The person he saw had suffered obvious head trauma, Rocha said. Rocha was so shaken by what he observed that he walked to a patch of grass behind a nearby Burger King just to be alone and get his emotions under control.

Cal-OSHA investigators determined the two men were assigned to demolish the tank and that Martinez was removing pipe that was to be recycled as scrap metal, agency spokesman Peter Melton said.

“He was using a cutting torch on an enclosed pipe, and apparently gas might have escaped and it ignited,” Melton said. It was unclear who owned the tank and when it was decommissioned, he added.

Sky-Brand partner Dale Hill said Martinez and Robles were removing steel pipeline from the exterior of the tank. He said the company has done similar work on numerous oil tanks and hasn’t had problems.

“We do everything we can to make sure every precaution is being taken,” Hill said

In the oil industry, however, the common practice is to keep all flames at least 50 feet away from an oil tank, said Bakersfield oilman Chad Hathaway.

“Fire and gas, they don’t make a good combination,” he said.

Sky-Brand specializes in site cleanup and demolition work, removing scrap metal and selling it, Hill said.

He said he hadn’t yet been able to talk to the Martinez family, and they were being looked after by family and friends. He said the accident has left him and others devastated and the business is looking to see what the final investigation turns up.

Martinez had been employed by Sky-Brand for two years, Robles for six months, Hill said.

The tank’s operator of record was Davis-based Sun Mountain Oil and Gas, according to the California Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources. The division also reported that the accident took place in the H.S. Jewett lease in the Mountain View oil field.

Sun Mountain Oil and Gas could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Arvin Police Chief Tommy Tunson walked around the blast area, surveying the scene. Arvin police provided traffic control and made sure residents didn’t cross the yellow emergency tape roping off the area.

Tunson described the incident as very tragic and he expressed his condolences to the family of Martinez and Robles. He said firefighters responded immediately and did an excellent job.

Police will not be involved in the investigation as it’s an industrial accident, he said.

“If the wrong thing is done I guess anything can happen,” Tunson said regarding the power of the explosion.

The explosion was not close enough to impact Arvin High School operations, but some kids who walk home on Campus Drive were rerouted, said John Teves, spokesman for the Kern High School District.

Fourteen county firefighters responded to scene, where they were assisted by the county’s Environmental Health Services Department, Hall Ambulance, Arvin Police, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and a chaplain from Kern Medical Center, Tisinger said.

Cal-OSHA’s Melton said the agency’s investigation could take up to six months, during which time it hopes to find out exactly what the two men were doing, what safety precautions were taken, what regulations apply to demolishing such equipment and whether the right tools were being used.

Beyond Workers’ Comp

Many injured construction workers assume they are only able to receive workers’ compensation benefits for injuries on the job site.  A careful analysis of the accident by an attorney experienced in construction injury claims may reveal other sources of financial compensation.  If an employee of another subcontractor was responsible for the falling debris that injured you, we may pursue an injury claim against his or her employer, for example.  A general contractor who failed to maintain a safe workplace may also be liable.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have a long history of winning impressive results for construction injury victims and the family members of those who died a wrongful death due to construction accidents.

Demand accountability from those responsible for the dangerous conditions of the construction site accidents.  Many times the insurance companies will play “hardball” if you try to settle the case yourself or you have employed a lawyer who does not have the litigation experience to handle such a complex case.  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have twenty years of litigation experience and know how to handle the insurance companies to your advantage.  We are prepared to front all costs required for the necessary investigation and expert witnesses needed to prepare your case for trial.

The laws regarding construction accident cases are complex and include many facets of the law. It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced construction accident lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.

Fires and explosions are sudden and devastating, destroying homes and buildings, and causing physical injuries and death.  Burn injuries are painful and disfiguring, and require long recovery periods.  Smoke inhalation, and inhalation of toxic fumes and gases from flammable fabrics and furniture stuffed with polyurethane foam, cause added injury and increase the likelihood of death.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler regularly represent plaintiffs in cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in fires and explosions caused or exacerbated by unsafe premises, unsafe construction sites, and unsafe products.

Faulty electrical wiring and furnaces, gas leaks, malfunctioning or absent smoke detectors, inaccessible or inadequate escape routes, the pressence of flammable fabrics and furniture, and the presence of dried vegetation that can fuel wild and urban interface fires are all examples of sources of liability for property owners or product manufacturers.

Determining the cause of a fire or explosion requires extensive experience and thorough investigation involving engineering, electrical, and gas line experts as well as fire scene experts.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has the experience and the resources to effectively prepare and litigate cases on behalf of plaintiffs and family members injured or killed in fires and explosions.

With over 20 years of experience, Gary A Kessler has earned the respect of our colleagues and the courts in California and nationwide for our personal injury work.  We have achieved a winning record on behalf of our clients, and we are proud of our successful cases that lead to safety improvements through strengthened laws and product recall.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one in a fire, we encourage you to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today for a free consultation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 men, 1 toddler injured in Folsom explosion

FOLSOM, CA – A car explosion injured two men and a toddler Tuesday around 9:20 p.m. in a Folsom neighborhood.

The two men were working to remove the gas tank of a car on the 100 block of Briarcliff Drive when a fireball damaged the car, fence and tree, Folsom Police Department Sgt. Jason Browning said.

Browning said a 6-year-old suffered minor burns, one man had major burns and the other man suffered minor injuries.

All three were transferred to UC Davis Medical Center.

Fires and explosions are sudden and devastating, destroying homes and buildings, and causing physical injuries and death.  Burn injuries are painful and disfiguring, and require long recovery periods.  Smoke inhalation, and inhalation of toxic fumes and gases from flammable fabrics and furniture stuffed with polyurethane foam, cause added injury and increase the likelihood of death.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler regularly represent plaintiffs in cases of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in fires and explosions caused or exacerbated by unsafe premises, unsafe construction sites, and unsafe products.

Faulty electrical wiring and furnaces, gas leaks, malfunctioning or absent smoke detectors, inaccessible or inadequate escape routes, the pressence of flammable fabrics and furniture, and the presence of dried vegetation that can fuel wild and urban interface fires are all examples of sources of liability for property owners or product manufacturers.

Determining the cause of a fire or explosion requires extensive experience and thorough investigation involving engineering, electrical, and gas line experts as well as fire scene experts.  The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has the experience and the resources to effectively prepare and litigate cases on behalf of plaintiffs and family members injured or killed in fires and explosions.

With over 20 years of experience, Gary A Kessler has earned the respect of our colleagues and the courts in California and nationwide for our personal injury work.  We have achieved a winning record on behalf of our clients, and we are proud of our successful cases that lead to safety improvements through strengthened laws and product recall.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury or lost a loved one in a fire, we encourage you to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today for a free consultation.

 

Electrical explosion near UCLA leaves bus driver with minor injuries, damages building

Explosion

Photo: Los Angeles City Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials investigate at the site of an electrical explosion that damaged a Metro bus. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

An underground electrical transformer vault exploded Tuesday in Westwood near the UCLA campus, propelling a manhole cover into a city bus and sending the driver to the hospital, Los Angeles city fire officials said.

The explosion, which occurred near the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Weyburn Avenue at about 9:25 a.m., sent the metal plate flying into the back of the bus, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The driver of the bus was taken to the hospital and treated for a “stress reaction” to the incident, said MTA spokesman Marc Littman.

The explosion startled residents and workers in the densely packed district.

Elaine Schmidt, a UCLA spokeswoman who works in the same building as the Bank of America branch on the block where the blast took place, said it “felt like a large truck had landed on top of the building.”

“We heard this big boom,” Schmidt said, noting she looked out a window and saw a “a big plume of fire and brown smoke coming from the street.”

Schmidt said she could see the damaged bus and parts from the vehicle strewn about. She said she also saw the bus driver, who ran from his vehicle and put up traffic cones around the area to stop traffic.

“He looked pretty shook up,” Schmidt said. “It was remarkable because he was probably deafened by the explosion.”

Windows at the Bank of America branch on Westwood Boulevard were blown out, Schmidt said, adding that the explosion caused many workers in the building to quickly file from their offices, some of them concerned a terrorist attack had taken place.

UCLA officials said the explosion caused a short power interruption, and that emergency generators started running as backup.

Other than the bus driver, there were no immediate reports of injuries.]

Joyce Croker, a manager at the UCLA Extension offices a few blocks from the underground Department of Water and Power vault, said the explosion sounded like a “really loud crack that we actually thought was a lightning strike.”

Windows shook, lights temporarily went off in her office, and it appeared the power also was cut off in nearby businesses for a brief time, Croker said.

She added that several streets in Westwood have been blocked by police.

The DWP will conduct an investigation into what caused the explosion.

Cause of the Westwood Explosion

Compensation for injured victims: The  cause of the explosion is currently under investigation. While this explosion remains under investigation, family members of anyone who has suffered serious injury or wrongful death would be well-advised to contact a California personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Explosions have very complex legal issues. Although they are rare events, the results can be absolutely catastrophic, as we have seen in this most recent event. Many people suffered catastrophic burn injuries as a result of the fire caused by the  explosion. If you or a family member was involved in this  explosion, contact an experienced  explosion personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Gary A. Kessler is providing free telephone consultations to families of victims injured in this type of  explosion. To learn more about your legal rights to compensation for injuries, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and damages, call us at (877) 465-8711 or fill out our consultation request form.

 


 


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