Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
At least 12 people were found dead in an Indian restaurant at s Georgian ski resort Saturday, according to Georgia officials.
The bodies of 11 foreigners and one Georgian national were found on the second floor of a restaurant at the Gudauri ski resort, a retreat located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range. It is believed that all 12, who have not been named as of Tuesday morning, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to reporting from the BBC.
Police say all 12 were restaurant employees. The suspected source of the carbon monoxide is a power generator that had been placed in an indoor, closed space near the bedrooms after a power outage.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be next to impossible for people to detect on their own before it is too late. The gas binds to hemoglobin in the blood, severely limiting a person’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body, causing symptoms such as mild nausea, headaches and difficulty breathing. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that an average of 450 people die annually in the United States from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. In 2022, over 1,200 people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the CDC. This was the highest fatality rate involving the gas seen in the United States since 1999.
Breathing in the gas causes more than 2,000 hospitalizations and over 20,000 emergency department visits every year. The majority of these incidents happen in January and December when most people tend to increase the use of heating systems such as gas furnaces and wood stoves and may turn to alternative heating methods like portable gas heaters and fireplaces.
The CDC has concluded that something as simple as installing a carbon monoxide detector could prevent nearly half of carbon monoxide deaths in the U.S.
Leesfield & Partners
Leesfield & Partners has been a leading carbon monoxide injury law firm for decades. In nearly 50 years of personal injury practice, the firm has developed cutting-edge trial techniques, and its attorneys doggedly pursue the best possible outcome for injured clients and their grieving families. In that time, the firm was a part of historic carbon monoxide legislation passed in Florida with its Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, playing a key role in the bill.
This law outlines protections and requirements for carbon monoxide detectors as a way to safeguard against injury and death related to exposure to the gas in homes and public lodging places such as hotels. The law states that any new build or addition built after July 1, 2008, must have at least one carbon monoxide detector installed within 10 feet of every sleeping room. These detectors can be hard-wired or battery-powered alarms or a hard-wired or battery-powered combination of carbon monoxide and smoke alarms.
Previous Cases
Leesfield & Partners has represented numerous carbon monoxide poisoning victims over the years. In that time, the firm was
A family on vacation in Key West from Iowa was exposed to carbon monoxide gas leaking into their room from a faulty boiler room roof vent damaged during Hurricane Wilma. At least two others were also injured from carbon monoxide exposure at the same hotel. It was discovered that the hotel failed to have a licensed technician come out to the property to inspect and repair the damage, leaving their guests vulnerable to exposure.
The firm secured a $1.4 million settlement for the family injured in that case.
Another case handled by Leesfield & Partners resulted in $11,750,000 on behalf of a woman injured from carbon monoxide poisoning at a resort.
A couple vacationing in a foreign country was represented by Leesfield & Partners after they were exposed to the potentially lethal gas at their vacation accommodation. This case was resolved with an eight-figure settlement.
A college student visiting a university and staying in off-campus housing that was owned by the school was exposed to carbon monoxide gas as she slept. She was found unresponsive in her bed and was rushed to the hospital where it was determined she was suffering from exposure to carbon monoxide.
The cause of the leak in that case was a faulty exhaust pipe got a gas furnace that allowed the carbon monoxide to build up inside the home, undetected.
A confidential settlement was reached for the client in that case.
In addition to carbon monoxide litigation, the firm has also represented hundreds of victims injured in Florida fires.
One case handled by the firm involved a fire that broke out inside a family’s condo after a faulty TV set caught fire. While trying to save his 13-year-old daughter from the flames, a father suffered burns to over 30% of his body.
The defective TV set’s manufacturer was named as a defendant in the lawsuit in addition to the distributor of an insufficient smoke alarm in the condo.
A $2.95 million award was secured for the family in that case.
