Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Ryan E. Alekman, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Many of us can remember our parents telling us not to jump on the bed when we were kids. It turns out that they were not just being spoilsports; a vigorous bed jumping session in Massachusetts recently started a house fire that burned down two homes and damaged a neighboring apartment building. The blaze did not seriously injure anyone, but the homes destroyed were three-family residences and the apartment building had to be evacuated as well, so it left thirty-three people homeless just in time for the state’s first snowfall.
Brockton Fire Lieutenant Edward Williams explained how they believe the fire was started; the bed the children were jumping on was against a wall, and between the wall and the mattress was a cell phone charger that was plugged into a wall outlet. The vigorous jumping on the bed repeatedly jammed the heavy mattress into the charger, damaging the cord and causing a spark that set the bed, and the rest of the house, on fire.
It it likely that neither the children nor their parents had any idea that a bout of youthful exuberance would end in such a terrible fire. But parents everywhere can learn from this story and make sure that, even if they cannot keep their kids from disobeying house rules, they can keep electrical devices out of harm’s way. Find out more about how jumping on the bed can cause a fire at Children Jumping On Bed Sparked Brockton Fire.