A faulty electrical system is believed to be the cause of a fatal mobile home fire that claimed the lives of three children of an Ohio family represented by Tim Van Eman of Lamkin, Van Eman, Trimble & Dougherty, LLC. The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the mobile home park’s owner, alleging that as a landlord, he was required under Ohio law to provide the mobile home in a safe condition to his tenants. The family alleged that the mobile home that was rented to them had multiple electrical defects, which ultimately led to a fire in the early morning hours of March 21, 2009.

The parents and a 2-month-old infant escaped out a small window on one end of the mobile home, but due to the ferocity of the fire, neither they, nor neighbors, nor firefighters were able to get to the part of the trailer where their other three children were sleeping. A wrongful death settlement was reached with the mobile home park owner the week before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The family remains devastated by their loss, but believes settlement of the case will help to bring closure to this tragic situation.