At Blackman Legal Group, our personal injury attorneys help seriously injured California residents and tourists get financial compensation for the catastrophic injuries they have suffered. We bring over 32 years of specialized experience in personal injury litigation to clients throughout San Francisco, Oakland and the Bay Area. Because we have worked with victiims of traumatic injuries for decades, we have an extensive network of experts and professionals to help us build your case. Our lawyers have extensive experience successfully litigating claims involving serious personal injuries, from head and neck injuries to paralysis, broken bones, and loss of limb. Because of our consistent and detail-oriented approach to personal injury claims, we have obtained many verdicts or settlements in excess of million for our clients. Contact the Blackman Legal Group to schedule a free case evaluation. We understand the emotional challenges you face and will aggressively fight for your rights.

California Personal Injury Law Firm

Archive for the ‘explosion’ Category

San Francisco Burn Injury Lawyers | San Bruno Fire – Gas Main Explosion Kills 4

Friday, September 10th, 2010

The San Mateo County coroner confirmed that four people have died so far after a gas main exploded shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday night and erupted into a massive fire that consumed an entire neighborhood in San Bruno, California.

Many different injury and damage estimates were reported by news outlets Thursday night and early Friday morning, but as officials walked through the devastated area, the actual numbers were not quite as bad as most estimates.

The San Bruno Fire Chief had told ABC News earlier that six people died in the fire, but the coroner told the San Jose Mercury News that the actual number of known deaths as of Friday morning is four. However, firefighters and other emergency responders were searching homes Friday morning and fear the death toll could rise, according to a later ABC report.

At least 52 patients were transported to the hospital with burn injuries, including three who suffered critical burns, according to the official Friday morning press conference reported on Examiner.com.

ABC flew over the area with a helicopter to get this raw video of the scene in the morning light:

Earlier property damage reports stated that dozens of homes had burned to the ground. Firefighters later said 53 homes were destroyed and 120 were damaged. On Friday morning, however, California Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado stated that the latest official walk-through had determined a count of 38 homes destroyed and seven significantly damaged, according to the Mercury News.

The fire covered 15 acres of the Crestmoor Canyon area, officials said. The most seriously damaged areas were the 1600 and 1700 blocks of Claremont Drive and the 900 block of Glenview Drive. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has confirmed that one of their high-pressure gas lines did explode, but the actual cause of the fire is still being determined. Many residents said they had smelled gas fumes for several days to a week and had called to report it to PG&E, but to their knowledge the utility company did not take any action.

San Bruno is close to the San Francisco International Airport.

Read more:

San Francisco Injury Lawyers | San Bruno Fire Info – Where to Get (and Give) Help

See photos:

California Injury Lawyers | San Bruno Fire Photos

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing injury victims since 1976, and have special expertise in cases involving burn injury.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Tags: Blackman Legal Group, burn injuries, gas explosion, personal injury attorney, severe burn inury
Posted in burn injury cases, explosion, fire fatality, fire injury, gas explosion | No Comments »

Los Angeles Injury Lawyers | Tampered Gas Line Causes Fatal Explosion

Friday, July 30th, 2010

One man died and another was critically injured Friday in a South Los Angeles industrial workplace explosion which apparently was caused by illegal tampering with a gas line.

Southern California Gas Company had shut off the gas Thursday because the metal-painting company that occupied the building, JL Spray, had not paid its bills, according to the Associated Press. To get their gas — and their business — going, someone had rerouted a pipe around the meter and a regulator that keeps gas at safe levels, the gas company said.

When the gas built up, the building exploded. The blast was so forceful it shattered windows in cars and on a nearby warehouse. Pieces of the melted asphalt roof spewed into the street as shards of exploded tile sprayed the street and nearby businesses. As the building erupted and burst into flames, a man who worked there was hurled out into the street. He suffered severe burn injuries. Paramedics thought he was dead because he had no pulse, but he was later revived and was in critical condition Friday afternoon.

Another man tried to get his truck away from the building, but a high-voltage power pole that had been damaged by the explosion fell on his vehicle and electrocuted him. He died at the scene.

The victims’ names had not been released as of Friday evening.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing injury victims since 1976, and have special expertise in cases involving burn injury and wrongful death.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Tags: Blackman Legal Group, fatal accident, gas explosion, severe burn injury, workplace fatality, wrongful death
Posted in burn injury cases, electrocution, explosion, fatal injuries, premises liability, workplace fatality, wrongful death | No Comments »

Stockton Accident Lawyers | Boat Explodes During Test Drive

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Five passengers suffered serious burn injuries Sunday afternoon in a boating accident at Bullfrog Landing on Lower Jones Tract near between Byron and Stockton, California, in the Sacramento River Delta.

Clifford Barbera of Byron was about to take the boat out for a “test drive” to see if he wanted to buy it. He was at the marina filling the boat with gas at around 2:21 p.m. when the 24-foot Four Winds cabin cruiser exploded, resort manager Carl Wenske told the Stockton Record.

“They just boarded the boat, and it went kaboom,” Wenske said. “It was a pretty good explosion. Lot of black smoke, people screaming and jumping out of the boat.”

Everyone aboard the boat immediately jumped into the water to save themselves. Resort staff and bystanders quickly helped them onto another boat and applied ice to their burns. Meanwhile, other people put out the blaze with fire extinguishers and a water cannon.

One of the injured passengers sustained burns on 30 percent of her body, according to the Record. Four of the victims were rushed to St. Joseph’s Medical Center and San Joaquin General Hospital. A fifth refused medical treatment.

Investigators who viewed the surveillance tape (see video above) believe it was a fuel vapor fire, according to a Fox 40 News report. The owner of the boat said it had not been in the water for four years. Investigators say that could have made it vulnerable to malfunctions, but they will need several days to determine whether a malfunction caused the explosion.

The boat was towed to a nearby boatyard, where it was hauled out of the water to prevent toxic spill into the Delta.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing injury victims since 1976, and have special expertise in cases involving boating accidents.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Tags: Blackman Legal Group, boating accident, burn injuries, explosion, personal injury attorney
Posted in boating accident, burn injury cases, explosion | No Comments »

Simi Valley Injury Lawyers | Fuel Research Company Explosion Kills 1, Injures

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Two employees escaped unharmed but a third employee was killed Thursday when an explosion blew up an alternative fuel research company building in Simi Valley, California. The blast was the second explosion in the past 18 months at Realm Industries, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.

There was a loud boom and then pieces of the building flew into the air, witnesses said. A truck driver making a delivery nearby said the roof blew off and the back doors blew out of the building. His truck shook from the impact, he said.

Emergency workers found the victim’s body inside the rubble. He was in his mid- to late-20s and had just gotten married, according to the Daily News report.

Authorities evacuated everyone within a half-mile radius of the building while they investigated the explosion and tried to determine what caused it. The last explosion at Realm Industries was in December 2008, when a pressurized tank blew up, burning a worker.

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have been representing injury victims since 1976, and have special expertise in cases involving workplace injuries.  The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Tags: Blackman Legal Group, explosion, fatal accident
Posted in explosion, workplace fatality | No Comments »

Verdicts & Settlements

$6,479,000 Settlement
For a 60-year-old man with spine injury caused by an elevator accident.

$3,100,000 Settlement
Spinal cord injury caused by driver who had only a $30,000 policy.

$2,500,000 Settlement
Spinal cord injury caused by speeding driver with only a $50,000 policy.

See More Results

Simi Valley Injury Lawyers | Fuel Research Company Explosion Kills 1, Injures