What role do Maui fire lawyers play
With embers still smoldering after wildfires devastated the town of Lahaina, Maui fire lawyers are sending experts to the island to look at utility power lines as possible sources of ignition. Attorneys with Watts Guerra, Singleton Schreiber and Frantz Law Group say they have been collecting evidence, interviewing eyewitnesses and reviewing reports that indicate that damaged power infrastructure owned by Hawaiian Electric Industries created the spark for flames to spread across West Maui.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of residents who lost their homes, claims that the defendants knew that overhead power lines posed a fire hazard during drought, high winds and other adverse weather conditions. The suit says the company knowingly left the lines energized and failed to remove combustible vegetation around the lines.
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MECO officials allegedly knew the combustible growth of vegetation under its power lines was a fire risk, but instead of removing it, the utility cut corners by removing only some of the overgrown trees. In addition, the lawsuit claims that MECO ignored its own public service department’s request to de-energize the lines before severe weather conditions were expected.
What role do Maui fire lawyers play in investigating the cause of a fire?
A lawsuit filed by the County of Maui alleges that MECO was responsible for the blaze that killed 115 people, destroyed 1,700 structures and burned more than 2,200 acres earlier this month. The County of Maui argues that the fire was caused by MECO’s failure to shut off the power despite a warning from the National Weather Service that high winds were imminent and could lead to a fire.
The County’s lawsuit has been joined by at least three other suits that accuse MECO of negligence in its treatment of its customers and of failing to maintain and upgrade its power infrastructure to meet the company’s own public service obligations. One of the suits, filed by Morgan & Morgan, is seeking class action status. It argues that MECO sparked the Lahaina fire by leaving its power lines energized in severe wind conditions and cited several documents submitted to the state in which the utility acknowledged that it needed to update its equipment and mitigate overgrowth of combustible vegetation under its lines.
Website design By BotEap.comMaui fire lawsuitThousands of families are struggling to recover from the devastating wildfires that decimated the heart of the tourism and residential communities of Lahaina and Wailea. Many of these victims are being solicited by large out-of-state firms that are trying to profit from the disaster by signing up victims and charging them hefty fees for representation. Many of these firms have no history or roots in Hawaii and do not understand local values, government systems and insolvency issues that may come up during the course of the litigation.
A Maui fire lawyer says that if you want the best possible outcome for your case, you should work with a firm that has a reputation for taking on large cases, working efficiently and being able to secure maximum compensation. If you would like to discuss your case with a Maui fire attorney, contact us for a free consultation.