The family members of a Bronx father of six filed a lawsuit earlier this month in Bronx Supreme Court against the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) after the man was scalded to death in his apartment’s shower last October. The lawsuit, which was filed on Aug. 2, seeks unspecified damages for the 40-year-old man’s death.
His widow stated, “I cry every day. I think about every moment that we had because we were always together.”
The family lived in an apartment on Hunts Point Avenue that was under the jurisdiction of NYCHA. That agency was responsible for maintaining the boilers on the premises. However, the day that the man was scalded, it’s estimated that the temperature of the water streaming out of the shower was 190 degrees.
According to the lawsuit, the man passed out while in the shower and was unable to escape the scalding water. It was so hot that by the time his wife discovered his body four hours later, his skin was purple and sloughing off.
The safe temperature for water for bathing is around 120 degrees. According to the Burn Foundation, most individuals take showers and baths in water that’s 110 degrees.
Water that’s 156 degrees will give bathers third-degree burns after only a second, the Foundation notes.
The widow’s lawsuit alleges that NYCHA did not maintain the building’s boilers or install temperature relief valves or an “anti-scalding device” in their apartment. This negligence led to the man being “exposed to scalding hot water temperatures which caused his death,” according to the suit.
If you or a loved one suffers a similar injury in one of New York City’s public housing units, you may be able to recover financial compensation for your injuries,