The following is age=adjusted death rate from fire and flames by state for 2007-2011:
- The state with highest death rate (2.9 per 100,000 population) was Missippi (435 deaths).
- Alaska had the next highest death rate (2.1), even though the number of deaths (68) was lower than other states because of the small population in that state.
- The state with the lowest death rate (0.3) was Hawaii, which had only 21 deaths.
- Interestingly, Massachusetts, which has a high poplation, only had 173 fire deaths and a 0.5 death rate.
- The states with the highest number of deaths were Texas (1186, equating into a 1.o death rate), followed closely by California (1023).
- Even with the high number of deaths, California, because of the size of its population, was one of six states with the lowest death rates: Hawaii (0.3), Massachusetts (0.5), Arizona (0.6), California (0.6), Colorado (0.6), and Utah (0.6).
When is a Fire Death a “Wrongful Death”?
A family has a wrongful death claim after a loved one dies in a fire if a person or business is legally responsible for the fire, according to Fred Pritzker, a national wrongful death lawyer.
“The first step is for our law firm to conduct an independent fire investigation,” said Fred. “We gather evidence, analyze it and act on it as quickly as possible to help the family.”
In one of our cases, a twenty-six year-old mother and her six year-old son were killed in an apartment fire. The daughter was severely injured as a result of smoke inhalation. The smoke cut off her oxygen supply, causing cerebral anoxia (brain damage due to oxygen deprivation). Fred obtained a multimillion dollar settlement for the family, most of which was earmarked to care for the young girl.
Death Rates by State: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/fire_flames.pdf.