Levin & Perconti Files Lawsuit For Victims of Aurora Fire
Just after 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 15, Aurora firefighters responded to an apartment fire that left nine families homeless and killed six individuals. The fire broke out at 760 Claim Street, and though ten people were rescued from the three-story apartment building, the damage left behind is devastating.
This past Wednesday, our Illinois personal injury attorneys filed suit on behalf of the victims of the Aurora Claim Street Fire alleging that the owners and operators of the apartment building maintained a defective structure that didn’t have enough smoke detectors or other precautionary implements to prevent fires, or reduce the damage caused once a fire started.
The complaint was filed on behalf of the families of the six people killed in the fire — Cristina Dominguez and her 8-month-old son; Micaela Perez, her husband Francisco Marcos Sr., and their sons, kindergartner Francisco Marcos Jr., and fourth-grader Jose Marcos — as well as two other children who sustained injuries from the fire.
The Aurora personal injury lawsuit holds Wisconsin-based building owners Jose and Lucilla Ayala and maintenance employees Ruben Renteria and Rodolfo Corral responsible for the damage caused by the blaze. The lawsuit alleges that Ayalas, Renteria and Corral are liable based on the fact that they knowingly ran a defective and improperly designed building, failed to instruct residents on what to do in a fire emergency, as well as a number of other deficiencies listed in the claim, such as “failing to install, maintain and inspect smoke detectors; failing to provide occupants with “adequate and appropriate instructions on the use of the required smoke detectors; failing to provide emergency instructions to occupants of each unit; and for allowing a negligent and careless design to the buildings’ top two floors.”
In general, owners and operators of a building have a responsibility to maintain safe premises, and if they fail to do so, can be held liable for injuries that occur on the property. Premises Liability Law is the body of law that holds a person responsible for injuries that occur on his or her property. In this case, the victims of the fire have the right to file suit against the Aurora apartment building owners and operators because by failing to maintain a safe facility, the owners and operators are responsible for the damage caused by the resulting fire.
Our Chicago personal injury attorneys will continue the investigation as they persist in fighting for the rights of the victims of this devastating tragedy.
