Flammable Clothing and Bedding

When it comes to our clothing or bedding, there are various factors that most people tend to consider, such as style, cut, color, fit, pattern, quality, comfort and so on. The thing we don’t think about very often, if ever, is whether we are wearing or sleeping on a hazardous material. Clothing and bedding can be dangerously flammable and contribute to death or serious injuries. If you or a loved one was injured and clothing or bedding was wholly or partially responsible, contact Massachusetts’ leading personal injury firm Altman & Altman LLP today.

Clothing and bedding that is properly made should not be unreasonably flammable, but the disturbing fact is that you could be wearing or sleeping on unsafe, flammable material right now. Despite there being laws in place to protect consumers, the fact of the matter is that commonly purchased clothing and bedding will always have a degree of flammability, simply due to the materials that are widely utilized to make them.

How Common is This Problem?

It’s more common than you might think. In 1953, the Flammable Fabrics Act (FFA) was passed in response to a 1940s rise in burn injuries from flammable children’s clothing. In 1972, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a federal agency, was created to administer the FFA. To this day, the CPSC still grapples with the dangers of flammable clothing and bedding. In 2002, the CPSC reported that flammable bedding caused 1,170 injuries, 380 deaths, and $269.2 million in property loss.

Bedding and clothing made from all different kinds of material can go up in flames, but untreated, natural fibers such as cotton, silk and linen will burn quickest and hottest due to their chemical makeup. Wool will burn but requires much hotter temperatures to ignite. Synthetic materials, like polyester, can resist flame but that does not mean they won’t ignite and burn given certain conditions.

The following are safety tips that can help to prevent flammable clothing and bedding accidents:

• Don’t light candles or matches in or near your bed.
• Don’t smoke in bed.
• Keep your bed away from fireplaces, space heaters, and stoves.
• Make sure smoke detectors are working properly.
• Remember that flame-retardant fabrics can still go up in flames; they just take longer to burn.
• Learn about and teach your children about fire safety.

Why You Need a Lawyer if Injured by a Fire

Injuries from burns can be some of the most debilitating and serious, as they can cause permanent physical scarring, lifetime mobility problems, permanent nerve damage and they can easily cause injuries that lead to death. If your bedding or clothing for any reason exposed you to an inordinately high risk of catching on fire, you may be entitled to receive compensation from the product’s manufacturer, who may have failed to adequately protect their customers or warn them of the product’s flammability.

A good lawyer will make sure that there is an investigation into the causes of the accident to determine who is responsible. A lawyer from Altman & Altman LLP will explore all possible avenues of liability, which can make the difference between dealing with the aftermath of your injury on your own and possibly receiving some financial assistance through a settlement or successful court action.

Altman & Altman LLP offers top-notch legal representation to those injured as a result of product defects and malfunctions. If our team of highly-qualified lawyers isn’t capable of handling your case, then no one is. We have developed the highest level of expertise in our more than 50 years of practice. With experience, natural talent and hard work, we are some of the best personal injury lawyers that Massachusetts has to offer.

Call a personal injury attorney from Altman & Altman LLP at 617-492-3000 or 800-481-6199 toll free, or contact us via our convenient online chat for a free consultation. We are available 24/7 to answer all of your questions and get to know you and your case.