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I'd love to know to how this turns out...and hopefully it's not with the Town's insurance carrier's weenie lawyers settling.
Family sues town for $10 million for student's death in house fire
The family of Jennifer L. Kane alleges that the Fire Department did not respond in a timely manner and was negligent in locating the nearest hydrant.
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, October 25, 2003
BY ADAM C. HOLLAND
Journal Staff Writer
NARRAGANSETT -- The family of a University of Rhode Island student who died in a house fire 15 months ago near Scarborough State Beach filed a $10-million wrongful-death claim this week against the Town of Narragansett, alleging negligence on the town and its Fire Department.
Jennifer L. Kane, a 21-year-old from Brielle, N.J., died July 17, 2002, in an early morning fire at a house she had been renting at 22 Rhode Island Ave. Her roommate, a fellow URI student, escaped through her bedroom window.
The Oct. 22 claim -- which was received Thursday at the town clerk's office -- alleges that firefighters were slow in responding to Rhode Island Avenue and subsequent rescue efforts.
When the first engine arrived, the crew did not stop near the burning house on Rhode Island Avenue, driving instead to a hydrant 900 feet away on Baltimore Avenue. The crew was unaware there was another one about 150 feet away because of an error in its map book, the claim alleges.
Fire officials later said the first hydrant was still the best choice because of its higher flow rate and relative location to the house. The second hydrant is connected to a narrower water line at the end of Rhode Island Avenue -- a dead-end street.
According to the claim, the second engine arrived a short time later and parked near the house. Police officers and a bystander then helped to take the hoses off the truck. "For some indefensible reason, the truck either had no water supply, or was not functioning properly and could not deliver water," the claim reads.
"The Narragansett Fire Department made no useful effort to rescue Jennifer Kane. The department and its employees were negligent and grossly so."
Claims of negligence include poor response time; outdated engines and equipment; inadequate fire-rescue training; failure to know the locations of all available hydrants, and failure to use proper techniques in responding to this residential house fire.
About the department:
Like many RI departments in that area, Narragansett does have real low staffing levels -- 8 people on duty with 3 Engines, Truck, and 3 ambulances...so a couple bandaid runs and you don't have much left. Sounds like on this fire they probably had 2 2man Engines. But notice, the claim (at least according to the paper) didn't include inadequate staffing.
Family sues town for $10 million for student's death in house fire
The family of Jennifer L. Kane alleges that the Fire Department did not respond in a timely manner and was negligent in locating the nearest hydrant.
01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, October 25, 2003
BY ADAM C. HOLLAND
Journal Staff Writer
NARRAGANSETT -- The family of a University of Rhode Island student who died in a house fire 15 months ago near Scarborough State Beach filed a $10-million wrongful-death claim this week against the Town of Narragansett, alleging negligence on the town and its Fire Department.
Jennifer L. Kane, a 21-year-old from Brielle, N.J., died July 17, 2002, in an early morning fire at a house she had been renting at 22 Rhode Island Ave. Her roommate, a fellow URI student, escaped through her bedroom window.
The Oct. 22 claim -- which was received Thursday at the town clerk's office -- alleges that firefighters were slow in responding to Rhode Island Avenue and subsequent rescue efforts.
When the first engine arrived, the crew did not stop near the burning house on Rhode Island Avenue, driving instead to a hydrant 900 feet away on Baltimore Avenue. The crew was unaware there was another one about 150 feet away because of an error in its map book, the claim alleges.
Fire officials later said the first hydrant was still the best choice because of its higher flow rate and relative location to the house. The second hydrant is connected to a narrower water line at the end of Rhode Island Avenue -- a dead-end street.
According to the claim, the second engine arrived a short time later and parked near the house. Police officers and a bystander then helped to take the hoses off the truck. "For some indefensible reason, the truck either had no water supply, or was not functioning properly and could not deliver water," the claim reads.
"The Narragansett Fire Department made no useful effort to rescue Jennifer Kane. The department and its employees were negligent and grossly so."
Claims of negligence include poor response time; outdated engines and equipment; inadequate fire-rescue training; failure to know the locations of all available hydrants, and failure to use proper techniques in responding to this residential house fire.
About the department:
Like many RI departments in that area, Narragansett does have real low staffing levels -- 8 people on duty with 3 Engines, Truck, and 3 ambulances...so a couple bandaid runs and you don't have much left. Sounds like on this fire they probably had 2 2man Engines. But notice, the claim (at least according to the paper) didn't include inadequate staffing.
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