The Legal Herald
Hollywood Heights Apartments Fire, Jackson, TN Leaves One Person Dead. (WBBJtv.com)
Could the death from this apartment fire have been prevented and are justice and compensation available to the victim’s family? Read Our Legal Take below to find out what legal options are available.
Local News
A fire engulfed a Jackson, Tennessee apartment building Wednesday morning, November 13, 2019, leaving one person dead.
As reported by WBBJtv.com, “[p]olice say the fire started around 5:30 a.m. in an apartment at Hollywood Heights, 1160 Hollywood Drive.”
According to WBBJtv.com, the Jackson Fire Marshal stated “[a]fter the fire was extinguished, we discovered we had a deceased victim in the living room of the apartment.”
The Jackson Fire Marshal also stated “[w]e found brackets where smoke detectors were mounted, but we could not find any smoke detectors in the apartment of origin,” according to the report.
The fire department will work with the Jackson Police Department and medical examiner’s office to investigate the circumstances regarding the fire’s origin, per the media report.
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.
- 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?
- When was the last fire inspection performed on the property?
- Were any safety measures added after any previous safety inspections?
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 apartment complex be found at fault, the family of the victim who perished may elect to hold the owner and management company civilly liable for their loss. Financial recovery for such a claim could be substantial.
It is crucial that the family of the victim who perished 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 their 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 fire.
We represent our Clients on a contingency agreement, which generally means that no fees or payments are owed until and unless we recover. Anyone seeking further information or legal representation is encouraged to contact us via e-mail (click here) or by telephone at CALL NOW: 888.842.1616. Consultations are free and confidential.
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