burn injury

[Shengjie Sun]

I have a roommate who wanted to cook some chips but the oil was on fire. He asked me for help and I tried to put off the fire for it is threatening the whole house and our safety, but the fire burnt my hand. it turns out to be partial to full thickness burn which is decided by a local doctor.It has been for 5 months and I'm still sufferring from the pain and the scarring affects my hand function a lot. I want to sue him for loss of wages and damages for mental distress. Can succeed?

[lya]

US law, only. and...no; I don't think you can sue anyone. Perhaps homeowner's insurance may assist.

[ecmst12]

When he asked for help, there are only 2 ways you should have tried to help him - with a fire extinguisher, or a phone calling 911. Getting your hand that close to the fire was your bad decision, not his.

[Ozark_Sophist]

Originally Posted by ecmst12

When he asked for help, there are only 2 ways you should have tried to help him - with a fire extinguisher, or a phone calling 911. Getting your hand that close to the fire was your bad decision, not his.

A fire extinguisher would have been inappropriate for an oil fire (even a chemical one in inexperienced hands would have splashed burning oil about the kitchen).

Public service video on how to properly put out an oil pan fire:
[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wux85VAnChg]YouTube - Kitchen Oil Fire[/url]

Do not move the pan.
Turn off the heat.
Soak a dish towel in water and wring out the water.
Careful lay the wet towel over the top of the pan. (the video shows how).
Don't remove the towel until the pan cools.

In a pinch, I've used a cookie sheet over a pan to snuff a fire. They claim baking soda works, but I wouldn't throw anything into a pool of burning oil.

And OP, you are responsible for your own injuries.

[ecmst12]

More to the point, if he didn't know how to safely put out this type of fire, he should have called 911 and BOTH OF THEM should have left the building. Whatever stuff they might have lost (which insurance covers anyway) would have been preferable to the injury.