Smoke Inhalation Claims

Smoke inhalation is the number one cause of death related to fatal fires. An estimated 50%-80% of fire deaths are the result of smoke inhalation injuries rather than serious burns. This is significant as it is estimated that in the United States, each year over 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured by fire and smoke inhalation.

Smoke inhalation from an accidental fire can cause difficulty breathing, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other toxic effects that can result in serious injuries or even death. Smoke inhalation occurs when a person breathes in smoke or the products of combustion during a fire. The fire not only uses the surrounding oxygen in the air taking the oxygen that humans need to breathe, but through burning or combustion (the rapid breakdown of a substance by heat) creates smoke which is a mixture of heated particles and gases that are created by burning.

It is impossible to predict the exact composition of smoke produced by a residential fire or industrial fire as every accident fire is different. The products being burned, the temperature of the fire, and the amount of oxygen available to the fire all make a difference in the type of smoke produced. This is especially true when furniture, appliances, and other items made up of plastic or other chemicals is burned. The resulting smoke can be filled with irritants or toxins and result in serious respiratory problems or even death.

Smoke inhalation can damage the body by simple asphyxiation (lack of oxygen), chemical irritation, chemical asphyxiation, or a combination of these. Combustion can use up the oxygen near the fire and lead to death when there is no oxygen for a person to breathe. Smoke itself can also contain products that do not cause direct harm to a person, but they take up the space that is needed for oxygen. Carbon dioxide acts in this way.

Combustion can also result in the formation of chemicals that cause direct injury when they contact the skin and mucous membranes. These substances disrupt the normal lining of the respiratory tract. This disruption can potentially cause swelling, airway collapse, and respiratory distress. Examples of chemical irritants found in smoke include sulfur dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine.

A fire also can produce compounds that do damage by interfering with the body's oxygen use at a cellular level. Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrogen sulfide are all examples of chemicals produced in fires that interfere with the use of oxygen by the cell during the production of energy. If either the delivery of oxygen or the use of oxygen is inhibited, cells will die.

Feel free to go to the following web page on Texas Smoke Inhalation Claims for more information.

The Insurance Industry Reaps Huge Profits at the Expense of Claimants

The Insurance Industry including Allstate, State Farm, Farmers, USAA, and Progressive have made billions of dollars over the past several years. These record profits have occurred despite many Americans suffering huge losses from major hurricanes and other disasters. A main reason for this profitability in the insurance industry is the aggressive procedures Allstate and many insurance companies have installed to deny and delay paying claims. This tactic of denying and delaying payment of claims has helped the insurance industry to obtain over $44 billion in profits in 2005 and what looks to be almost $60 billion in profits in 2006. It also has taken money from Texas families and businesses that have suffered the loss of a loved one, serious injuries, loss of home & possessions, or covered business losses.

Despite huge profits the insurance industry continues to find ways to not pay legitimate claims. CNN recently did a news story on All State and Farmers Insurance strategy of Denying, Delaying, and Defending all small claims regardless of the validity of the claim. In Defending all insurance claims, they spend millions of dollars defending small claims in a hope that most injured claimants or damaged claimants will give up or accept a settlement of pennies on the dollar. As most injured people do not want to fight a large insurance company or have the resources to survive when they can't work or have lost their home or business, many people with legitimate insurance claims accept low settlements.

For information on Texas insurance claims, go to Texas Insurance Claim Lawyer Jason Coomer's Website.

Eminent Domain, Expropiation, Condemnation, and Public Takings

Eminent domain is the inherent power of the state to seize a citizen's private property without the owner's consent. The property can be taken either for government use or by delegation to third parties who will devote it to public use. The most common public uses of property taken by eminent domain are public utilities, highways, and railroads.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court has largely given the "public use" requirement an expansive interpretation and has allowed takings of private property for conveyance to other private parties for "economic redevelopment."

What is Just Compensation?

The protection of the Fifth Amendment does not prevent a government entity from taking private property, but forces the government to pay "just compensation" for the property it takes. This issue is commonly disputed in the Texas courts as many governments want to pay as little as possible to take private land and most private landowners want to obtain as much as they can for their land. Most courts have held the fair market value of the condemned property to be the constitutionally required "just compensation." Its determination is a judicial question, and it is usually determined in a trial by jury, on the basis of the parties' appraisal testimony. In working with private landowners to prove up the value of their land, it is important for their eminent domain lawyer to work with them in obtaining a good expert for a land appraisement.

For more information go to the Eminent Domain and Public Takings Page.

Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act Claims

Federal Copyright law protects architects that have had their work and designs stolen by builders and businesses. Through the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act (AWCPA), an architect whose work was stolen by a builder can seek damages for infringing structures. In some copyright claims under the AWCPA, architects have claimed that their designs have been stolen and hundreds of homes or other structures have been built using their designs. In pursuing the a copyright infringement claim, the business that stole the design can be made to pay for each infringement.

For more information about an Architecture Copyright Infringement claim feel free to go to copyright lawyer, Jason Coomer, Law Office's Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act Claim Page.

Engineering, Architectural, and Design Malpractice Claims

Engineering, building, and architectural malpractice can lead to devastating accidents including a building collapse, bridge collapse, plant explosion, or dam burst. These accidents can cause catastrophic damages, severe injuries and even mass deaths. In living next to large dams and industrial plants or driving on bridges and using large building, we need to have them design and built correctly. Cheap building products, defective building practices, negligent designs, or short cuts taken in the design or building process are all examples of engineering, building, and architectural malpractice that can lead to a serious accident and extremely dangerous situations.

For more information on malpractice claims go to the following malpractice claim or design malpractice claim pages.

SSRI Birth Defect Claims

Avoidable birth defects are one of the most devastating problems that can occur to a family and a new baby. Parents who should be celebrating the birth of a new child, are often caught off guard when their child is born with severe disabilities and often do not realize that someone may be responsible for the birth injury or defect including drug manufacturers that hid information about medications that can cause birth defects. The family is typically busy taking care of the child with the serious health problems and often does not know that the birth defect was preventable. When they discover the probable cause of the preventable birth defect they are often filled with anger and rage. To find out that their child will have permanent health problems or that they lost their baby because a drug company may have hid research and did not provide an adequate warning of a product's safety can be extremely difficult.

Some medications that have been linked to birth defects include Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressants (SSRIs). Women that have taken SSRIs after the 20th week of pregnancy have been found to have babies with a 6-fold increased risk of developing persistent pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening lung disorder. Infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension have abnormal blood flow through the heart and lungs and do not get enough oxygen to their bodies and may become very sick or die. For more information on potential Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressant Birth Defect Claims, please go to the following SSRI Birth Defect Claim Information Page.

Texas Inheritance Law

Traditional lines of inheritance are breaking down and many assets are being lost to the next generation. Many people with stocks, bonds, oil interests, jewelry, and real estate do not always keep a good inventory of their assets and unfortunately they often die or become incapacitated without telling their loved ones what bank accounts they have, where they keep certain assets, or what real estate, stocks, or other valuable assets they own.

Unlike in many movies and on television, there is often not a team of lawyers and investigators brought in to scour the globe looking for long lost heirs. It happens, but someone needs to get the ball rolling. Unless one of the heirs or a family member or family friend steps up and files a suit with a probate court, property can go unclaimed and become lost. Sometimes the government steps in to reclaim the assets, other times scavengers come in and take it.

An inheritance lawyer can help protect a person with assets from scavengers that come in and try to take estate assets. An inheritance lawyer can also help family members that live far away from a deceased or incapacitated loved one reclaim assets or clear title to property.

As a Texas inheritance lawyer, Jason Coomer helps families clear title to property and reclaim assets and their rightful inheritance. For more information on Texas inheritance law or Texas inheritance lawyer, Jason Coomer, go to the following website:

http://www.texaslawyers.com/coomer/texasinheritance.htm

Texas Will Contest Claims

There are several reasons that a Will may be contested including 1) the Will was written under the influence from another person, 2) the Decedent was not of sound mind when the Will was written, 3) the Will is a forged or fraudulent document, 4) the Will is not up to date and leaves out children or does not take into account a divorce or remarriage, 5) the Will was not witnessed or signed correctly, and 6) the Will was improperly done and does not comply with Texas law.

Click here for information on Will Contests from a Texas Will Contest Lawyer

Asbestos Secondary Exposure Claims

Many families along the Houston Ship Channel were supported by workers that were exposed to high levels of asbestos fibers. Many of these workers unknowingly brought asbestos fibers and asbestos dust home exposing their wives and families to toxic dust fibers that were inhaled. This secondary exposure has led to many secondary exposure claims. These secondary exposure claims are becoming more common in Texas especially along the Houston Ship Channel area as more and more wives and widows of asbestos workers are now coming down with mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases. If you are the spouse or family member of an asbestos worker and are experiencing severe symptoms including shortness of breath, coughing up blood, night sweats, swelling of the face, weight gain or loss, persistent chronic cough, you may want to be screened for asbestos diseases.

Please follow this link for more information on Secondary Asbestos Exposure Claims

Asbestos Product Dumping

In addition to domestic exposure, some companies have taken asbestos products that cannot be sold in the United States and have sold the product in other countries. This product dumping of dangerous asbestos insulation, asbestos block, and other asbestos products can cause serious problems including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other health problems. Texas companies that dump dangerous products in other countries and cause significant harm can sometimes be brought into the Texas courts to answer for their wrongful dumping and be made to pay money compensation for their wrongful acts.

For more information on Asbestos Product Dumping and Asbestos Products, go to the following web page.