Personal Injury Law

Two NYC Residents Acquitted of 2 Firefighter's Deaths

By Paul Napoli

Caridad Coste and Rafael Castillo were accused with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide due to the incident when 2 firefighters had to jump to their death because of dividers in the building. Coste and Castillo placed dividers in their apartment complex to section off rooms, however the set up was illegal. When the building caught on fire, the fire department was called and 6 firefighters entered the building. Due to the dividers four firefighters were forced to jump out of the 4-story building, both Lt. Curtis Meyran and firefighter John Bellew did not survive. Coste and Castillo were acquitted because the water was freezing so that the hoses would not function properly as well as the firefighters not having ropes. These were the details that would acquit Coste and Castillo because they had no control of those variables. Both Coste and Castillo are sorry that the situation happened and regard Meyran and Bellew to be heroes, however they state the fact that it was not their fault that they had to jump to their death. Improper fire hazards are often the cause of unfortunate events that cause grave damages, injuries, and fatalities. If you or a loved one has been victimized by an incident regarding construction, contact super lawyers at Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP as soon as possible. They will be able to assess your case and determine the proper steps needed to gain justice.

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on February 16, 2009 (boomark / email).