Apartment Fire Lawsuit Filed Over Wrongful Death of Tenant

|

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Texas assisted living apartment complex by the family of a woman who died due to complications from burns received in a fire. 

The complaint was filed by the family of Melody Fitzgerald Rivera in Galveston County Probate Court on February 14, against H M Management Co., and Texas City Limited Partnership, doing business as Colonial Park Apartments.

Rivera, 52, was a resident at the Texas City apartment complex when a fire broke out on April 7, 2010, causing third-degree burns to 65% of her body.

Sports-Betting-Addiction-Lawsuits
Sports-Betting-Addiction-Lawsuits

According to the apartment fire lawsuit, the incident was sparked by an electrical problem in a mechanical closet housing air conditioning and heating equipment. The power cord was draped across the top of the equipment so it could reach an electrical outlet, the lawsuit alleges.

The fire spread quickly at 1:30 A.M., while Rivera was sleeping. She was rescued by firefighters, but not before suffering severe injuries. After being treated at the University of Texas Medical Branch, she underwent four skin grafts. Her wounds eventually became septic, which proved to be fatal and she died on April 21, 2010, of acute respiratory failure.

The lawsuit was filed by Rivera’s children, Clifford Ray Trapani and Gail Trapani Andersen. They are seeking $25 million in damages.


0 Comments


This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Share Your Comments

This field is hidden when viewing the form
I authorize the above comments be posted on this page
Post Comment
Weekly Digest Opt-In

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

MORE TOP STORIES

A motion is calling for all federal Roblox lawsuits involving incidents of child sexual exploitation to be consolidated in the Northern District of California for coordinated pretrial proceedings.
An Ozempic lawsuit claims a Wisconsin woman suffered small bowel obstruction and gastroparesis after using the popular diabetes and weight loss drug.