Carbon monoxide poisoning wrongful death lawsuit results in settlement

A wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a 2006 incident in which a man and his daughter died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Maryland hotel has been settled.  The terms of the settlement were not made public in court.

An investigation by the local fire marshall determined that the source of the carbon monoxide was a leaking pipe to a hot water heater loacted below the family's hotel room.  The fire marshall also determined that the type of hot water heater in use at the hotel was not suitable for the use to which it was put.

The lawsuit filed by the family named as defendants the hotel, the water heater manufacturer, and the seller and installer of the heater.

Cases like this demonstrate that in any carbon monoxide poisoning accident, there are potentially several parties who may be responsible for deaths and injuries caused by the carbon monoxide poisoning.  In this case the hotel was responsible for purchasing and installing an improper type of hot water heater and then failing to properly maintain it.  The manufacturer bears some responsibility for failing to provide the users with proper guidance as to the proper use of the product.  Finally, the installer and seller also bear some responsibility for installing a product which was not suitable for the use to which it was put and failing to properly assemble the hot water heater.  The fault of each of these entities contributed to the death of these people from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Victims of carbon monoxide poisoning and their families are not liekly to recognize how far beyond the obvious the fault for a carbon monoxide poisoning accident falls.  When they fail to do this, they risk npot getting the full compensation to which they may be entitled.  This is an important reason for carbon monxide poisoning victims to hire an experienced Chicago personal injury lawyer.