January is Carbon Monoxide Awareness Month – A Reminder from Auto Injury Attorney William Mattar

January is Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Awareness Month in the state of New York. The law offices of William Mattar would like you and your family to be aware of this lethal gas and its harmful effects.

Amanda’s Law: The Hansen Family from West Seneca, NY worked very hard to get Amanda’s Law passed in 2010, as their daughter tragically passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning while on a sleepover at a friend’s home the year before. This law requires that carbon monoxide alarms be installed in all new and existing one and two-family homes, multi-family homes, and rentals having any fuel-burning appliance, system, or attached garage. Alarms must be replaced every 5 years and installed on each level of the home and outside of sleeping areas.

If you need a carbon monoxide detector, they can be found at most home improvement stores and stores with a home and hardware section. Some basic models are only about $10, which is a very small investment to help keep your family stay safe.

Helping Our Neighbors: The Firm in Action:

Rochester Injury Attorney William Mattar has been spreading awareness on the dangers of carbon monoxide for several years. Because of that awareness, a William Mattar staff member was able to spring into action to help a local family. She learned that a single mother in the area was having trouble with recent furnace repairs, and everyone in the home was not feeling well. Suspecting a carbon monoxide leak, she made some phone calls to see if a reputable and licensed furnace repair company could examine the situation.

The results stunned everyone. Not only was the furnace in dire need of being replaced, but it was leaking carbon monoxide. Had the furnace had been replaced right away it would have released toxic levels of carbon monoxide into the air. It was determined that if help was not called in to fix the situation, the family wouldn’t have made it through the weekend. This is just one example of countless lives saved through the awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide. And if the family had a working carbon monoxide detector, it could have alerted them before the children started feeling ill.

In the past we have supported programs to help distribute thousands of dollars worth of carbon monoxide detectors. We have worked to give a voice to this cause by raising awareness and encouraging everyone to test the health of their current detectors or replace them.