Philadelphia Vehicle Fire Attorneys
Vehicle fires can be the most dangerous and disastrous fires with devastating lifetime consequences of catastrophic injury or wrongful death because automobiles are full of combustible liquids and flammable materials. It only takes a few seconds for flames to completely engulf a car if the gas tank ignites. There are about 280,000 vehicle fires every year causing an average of 300 untimely deaths and 1500 serious injuries. While most vehicle fires occur during or immediately following a motor vehicle collision, 75% of all vehicle fires are actually caused by a mechanical or electrical failure or malfunction. Police reports indicate that smoke inhalation and severe burns end more lives than impact injuries when a car crash results in a vehicle fire. Even if a vehicle occupant is shielded from flames, other vapors, fumes, and gases may cause serious injury or death when inhaled.
Vehicles are equipped with numerous electronic devices and features with wires running through the whole vehicle. Short circuits, pinched wires, cracked insulation, and faulty wiring can easily ignite a fire. Ford issued a massive recall of 3.6 million vehicles after 1,500 car fires were linked to a faulty cruise control switch. Some of these auto fires started when the car was parked, and when the engine was off. Other causes of vehicle fires include broken fuel lines, fluid leaks near the engine, leaky hoses, ruptured gas tanks, faulty oil lines, faulty exhaust systems, defective airbag detonators, and defective or leaking batteries. Fuel tank placement may also exacerbate vehicle fires when a car is impacted in the side or rear. If a vehicle is impacted near the fuel tank, the tank could break or spill, ignite, and fire could spread rapidly throughout the whole vehicle, and any nearby vehicles or debris.
Car accidents that result in vehicle fires significantly increase the risk of catastrophic injury and death, especially when a vehicle occupant becomes trapped inside the vehicle. The speed in which the fire spreads and ignites other fuels also determines the severity of resulting injuries and burns. Because fuel-fed car fires cause such devastating injuries and extensive damage, the Department of Transportation developed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations to address the severity of auto fires. Safety Standard 301 addresses fuel system integrity and sets minimum standards that vehicle fuel systems must meet in crash tests in an attempt to reduce deaths and injuries that are caused by fires that rapidly spread from fuel spillage after a crash.
While more stringent safety standards and regulations have helped reduce the number of vehicle fires, it has not eliminated them, and thousands of people are severely burned and injured in car accidents that would not have otherwise caused impact injuries. Many other design flaws, manufacturing defects, and cost-cutting measures have caused or contributed to fuel-fed vehicle fires. It is widely known by auto manufacturers that plastic melts rapidly from the heat of a fire, but many vehicles’ fuel tanks are still made of plastic, as opposed to more expensive metals. Some car manufacturers don’t provide fire shields and barriers around fuel tanks in cars that could prevent vehicle fires, even though vehicles could easily be equipped with these safety features.
The experienced Philadelphia auto product liability attorneys of Reiff & Bily believe that safety should never be an option. We believe that if safety technology and devices exist, manufacturers must use it to make sure the vehicles they sell are as safe as they can be for consumers. If you or someone you love has been catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed in a vehicle fire, we will put together a team of experts to investigate the cause of the fire, and determine if a defect or faulty design contributed to the fire. We have always advocated for consumer protection, and we are not afraid to go up against the world’s largest car manufacturers if their negligence contributed to preventable injuries and wrongful deaths. For over three decades, our vehicle defect lawyers have fought for innocent victims and have been awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for medical costs, rehabilitation costs, pain, suffering, and lost wages on behalf of catastrophically injured or wrongfully killed victims and their families.
