How Houston’s Weather - Power Outages Increase CO Risk | Legal Options for Texas Victims

In Houston, Texas, extreme weather events such as hurricanes, freezes, and severe storms often lead to prolonged power outages. While the inconvenience of being without power annoys residents, the solutions they turn to can cause a hidden danger: carbon monoxide exposure.

Using generators, gas stoves, or grills to warm spaces or cook food can produce this silent, invisible killer, leading to a tragic spike in carbon monoxide exposure incidents during an extreme weather event. Speaking with an attorney in the immediate aftermath of an exposure is the essential first step in understanding your legal options and determining whether negligence was involved. If so, you may be owed compensation. Contact the Texas experts at Carabin Shaw to learn more and schedule your free case review. today.

Improper generator placement is one of the leading causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in Houston during power outages. People commonly place generators:

• Inside garages
• Near doors and windows
• On patios with limited airflow
• Too close to vents or HVAC intakes

According to the CDC, properly installing a generator is critical to ensuring your safety while using it. Even when used outdoors, fumes can quickly enter a home, causing dangerous and even fatal exposure.

Tragically, not all incidents are a result of accidental misuse. Legal liability may arise under certain conditions, necessitating the involvement of a carbon monoxide exposure attorney. These scenarios include:

• Rental properties with missing or malfunctioning CO detectors
• Employers who fail to warn workers about the risks of using fuel equipment indoors
• Property owners are ignoring necessary appliance maintenance
• Backup power equipment that’s defective or unnecessarily involved

A lawyer can help you identify any responsible parties who may be at fault in your specific exposure incident and make sure they are held legally accountable for their actions.

In the wake of a CO exposure event during a power outage, victims and their families can pursue a Texas carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuit to receive damages, including:

• Emergency medical treatment and ICU care
• Long-term neurological and cardiac damage
• Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity
• Pain, suffering, and emotional trauma suffered as a result of your injuries

Consulting an experienced attorney who can determine the full extent of the damages you qualify for is essential in the wake of any exposure event. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause life-changing effects that have a significant impact on victims’ ability to live a normal and happy life after an exposure event.

In some tragic cases, victims aren’t around to advocate for themselves after suffering from an untimely death due to CO exposure. Families who have lost a loved one should immediately contact a lawyer to understand how they can obtain restitution after their loss. Parents, spouses, and children of the deceased are all entitled to compensation for:

• Economic damages, such as medical bills, loss of financial support, and funeral expenses
• Non-economic damages, like loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and psychological distress, caused as a result of your loss
• Punitive damages intended to punish particularly reckless or dangerous behavior

Carbon monoxide might be a silent killer, but the pain it causes is very visible. An experienced attorney can help you fight for justice on behalf of your loved one.

The Houston attorneys at Carabin Shaw have proven experience fighting for the rights of victims of carbon monoxide exposure in the wake of a disaster. Read our law firm’s client reviews to understand how we’ve helped past clients like you get the justice they deserve. Our experienced staff of English and Spanish-speaking legal professionals is here to help you every step of the way.

We help you understand your legal options with a detailed free case review before you decide to retain our services. Once we begin working together, we offer our services on a contingency-fee basis so you won’t pay a dime until we win.

If you or a loved one has suffered from carbon monoxide exposure during a power outage, the time to fight back is now. Call our toll-free number 1-800-862-1260 today. Our phone lines are constantly monitored, and someone is always ready to take your call.

For more information:

• CDC
• Cleveland Clinic