Explosion and Fire Accidents

Published on: January 21, 2015

One man died and seven people suffered personal injury in a five alarm fire in Brooklyn, NYC

A man who couldn’t reach the fire escape died after he jumped from a fourth floor window and seven other people were injured, including one critically after a fire broke out at the Flatbush Hardware store in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

The man who died is Bassam Awad. He lived on the top floor of the building and owned a deli nearby. He tried to get to the fire escape but the flames were too intense so he decided to jump out of a window. He was married and had two children, ages 18 and 23. Another person is in critical condition and two others suffered serious burn injuries. Two civilians and two police officers were treated at the scene for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

Read more in the NY Daily News

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Published on: January 6, 2015

Unattended cooking caused the New Year’s Eve fire that killed 3 members of a Haitian-American family in Queens, NY

By GGCRBHS&M

kitchen%20fire%20prevention.jpg Home cooking is the number one cause of fire accidents and fire injuries in New York. 33 % of these fires are caused by unattended cooking. The most recent one happened in Queens, NYC, last week when a family left a traditional Haitian holiday soup unattended on the stove. The fire spread from the stove to the dining area and then to the living room and down the hall to the bedrooms. 3 people were killed and several firefighters suffered personal injuries as they were trying to save the victims.

Unattended cooking often happens when the cook becomes distracted and leaves the kitchen for various reasons such as answering the phone or the bell, looking at TVor taking care of the kids.

To avoid fire accidents, remember to stay in the kitchen all the time when you are cooking. Also avoid wearing loose sleeves that can catch fire and keep the area around the stove free of paper towels or anything than can catch fire. Keep children away from the stove and turn pot handles on the wall side. Avoid very high temperatures and in case of a pan fire do not use water but baking soda or shut off the heat and use a mitt and a lid to cover the fire.

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Published on: December 1, 2014

A boy and his dad who were injured in the Harlem gas explosion say thank you to the rescuers, doctors, neighbors and strangers who helped them

By GGCRBHS&M

16 year old Oscar Hernandez suffered severe personal injury and his mother and sister died in the Harlem gas explosion that destroyed a building on E. 116th street in Harlem, NYC on March 12th this year. The young man spent 11 days in a coma and when he came out of the coma, he needed several surgeries that kept him in the hospital until June 27th. Oscar, his dad and his little sister are the only members of the family who survived the gas explosion. On Thanksgiving all three are happy to be alive and thank all the people who helped them.

One man died and 14 other people suffered serious personal injury in a huge fire that destroyed apartments on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, NYC, early this morning

By GGCRBHS&M

Flatbush%20fire.jpg
Picture by NY Scanner

A young man is dead and 14 other people are injured including several of them in critical condition after a massive fire destroyed apartments in a three-story building on Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn, NYC early this morning. The fire broke out above the stores and destroyed all the apartments. Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the accident.

Read more in the NY Daily News and see video below

Published on: November 17, 2014

Two people injured after an explosion caused a manhole to fly and strike a taxi

By GGCRBHS&M

An NYC taxi driver and his passenger suffered personal injury after an explosion caused a manhole to fly in the air and strike the taxi on Lexington near 44th street in Manhattan early Monday morning.

The impact damaged the doors and the windshield of the taxi.

A good Samaritan pulled the two victims out of the taxi through a window and through the sunroof. The driver suffered back injury and the passenger a minor hand injury.

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Published on: November 9, 2014

The parents are suing the City of New York for $27 million on behalf of their 16 year old son who was severely burned during a botched chemistry experiment at Beacon High School

By GGCRBHS&M

Jeff%20Bloom.png Our partner, New York Personal Injury Attorney Jeff Bloom is representing the parents of the teenager who sustained second and third degrees burns from an explosion and resulting fire caused by a Rainbow Experiment conducted in a chemistry lab by his teacher Anna Poole (for more info see our previous blogs in January and June)

A suit was filed yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court. The suit alleges among other claims that the accident was the result of “gross negligence” as well as “abject dereliction and reckless disregard” for the safety of students and staff by the City Department of Education.

Jeff further commented in The New York Post “He’s horrifically scarred, wearing all sorts of protective clothing and a brace on his neck.” It was a parent’s worst nightmare, adding that the “courageous” 11th grader is back in class at the prestigious Beacon.

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Published on: November 5, 2014

An EMS crew prevented a major Carbon Monoxide accident in the Bronx, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

4 people suffering minor personal injuries were hospitalized and 10 other residents as well as a crew of firefighters responding to a sick person were evacuated from a Bronx Building in which Carbon Monoxide was building up.

The firefighters were responding to a call for a cardiac arrest which turned out to be an asthma attack induced by the CO leak. Because carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless firefighters didn’t suspect that CO built up in the building when they arrived.

Thankfully the EMS crew arrived just after them and their CO meters started to ring. Everybody was evacuated from the building and a few residents suffering minor injuries were hospitalized.

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Published on: October 22, 2014

A young man suffered severe burn injuries after he inadvertently created an explosion and set himself on fire in a Brooklyn basement

By GGCRBHS&M

A young man from Brooklyn using acetone and coconut oil while drying tobacco leaves to prepare for the opening of a Hookah bar set himself on fire after the fumes from the chemicals ignited with the pilot light of the enclosed basement’s water heater and caused an explosion. The 22 year old man caught fire and ran out in the street. A video shows the man running with his shirt and pants burning. He was rushed by paramedics to a Medical Center and was later transferred to Cornell Hospital’s burn unit for further treatment.

Read more and see video in the NY Daily News

Published on: October 7, 2014

Two young boys died and a good Samaritan trying to save them was severely injured in a Queens fire

By GGCRBHS&M

A 6 year old boy and his 11 year old brothers died yesterday after they got trapped in a fire that erupted in a house in Queens, NYC. A man who tried to save them suffered severe injury after he was forced to jump out of a second floor window to escape the flames. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Man dies in Brooklyn fire accident

By GGCRBHS&M

A 61 year old man died early this morning after a fire engulfed his apartment on Herkimer St. in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, NY. The fireman tried to ressucitate the man after they pulled him out of the fire but he died at the hospital. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the fire marshals.