Fire in care home causes death

Digby Brown Solicitors acted for the family of an elderly woman who was fatally injured in a nursing home fire and passed away several months later.

What happened on the day of the fire at the care home?

The details about what happened on the day of the fire was unknown to the family and how she was injured on the day.

The family instructed Digby Brown to find out the cause of the fire and how it impacted on her death.

Establishing cause of fire

The case was complex both in relation to establishing the cause of the fire and whether the fire caused her death. A Court action was directed against the insurers of the nursing home and their electrical contractors.

Official documentation and reports from the day of the fire

Our specialist personal injury solicitors undertook detailed scrutiny of documentation from the police, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, the Health and Safety Executive and the nursing home to try and piece together what caused the fire that day.

Statements from staff

Detailed statements from staff members were taken in order to get accounts from what happened on the day of the fire and our solicitors also utilised complex forensic evidence to establish cause of the fire.

Establishing cause of death

There was some dispute as to cause of death and Digby Brown’s personal injury solicitors obtained medical evidence to determine the true cause as to how the fire impacted on her death.

Finding: care home fire accelerated death by 3 years

Our solicitors obtained a report from a Consultant who concluded that, despite surviving the fire for several months, her death was accelerated by approximately 3 years due to smoke inhalation and psychological trauma.

This case was not about financial remuneration it was about establishing the cause of the fire.