According to the Philadelphia Daily News, another family has suffered due to defective smoke detectors. Desiree Wylie of Coatesville, PA lost her 11-year-old son and her 2 grandsons due to a house fire. She claims to have had 7 smoke detectors scattered throughout her home, but none were sounding as she woke up and tried to reach the children. The boys' death was due to severe smoke inhalation.
As previously stated, these ionization smoke detectors can mean the difference between life and death. There are 2 types of smoke detectors available to the consumer: photoelectric and ionization. Photoelectric are designed to detect slow, smoldering fires, while ionization smoke detectors are less sensitive to detecting these types of common household fires. These types of alarms are more alert to fast, flash fires, which are not as common, but just as deadly. It has been stated that it is best to own both, photoelectric and ionization smoke detectors, in order to avoid such tragedies.
Kidde Inc., one of the nations largest manufacturer and distributor of smoke detectors, has been accused of misleading consumers about the importance of having both ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors. Messa & Associates is still in the discovery process of the family of 7 who perished in a house fire due to these disturbing consequences. Messa has handled several other cases involving smoke detector defects, including a $3.7 million dollar recovery for the death of a 9-year-old boy in a house fire, and a $1 million dollar recovery for faulty smoke detectors.
Messa & Associates is one of the few law firms through out the country with experience and expertise in these defective smoke detector claims. If you or someone you know has been effected by a similar accident and would like more information regarding these or other matters, please contact our office immediately at 866.403.4LAW or 215.568.3500.
