Examples of Burn Injury Cases

Explosion Victims Awarded $5.6 Million

A jury has awarded two Orange County men $5.6 million for injuries they suffered in a 1996 gas explosion in Blooming Grove.

On Aug. 21, 1996, Joe Trevorah and his friend Jimmy Abenante volunteered to help Trevorah's neighbor install a hot water heater. A propane gas explosion was sparked while they were installing the heater. Trevorah and Abenante were both burned over more than 50 percent of their bodies.

They were airlifted to Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, where they were hospitalized for months with second- and third-degree burns. Last month, an Orange County jury awarded Abenante, of Middletown, and Trevorah, of Blooming Grove, a combined $5.6 million. The jury found the gas company, Coleman Gas Service, a Washingtonville division of Connecticut-based Star Gas Corp., negligent in the maintenance of the liquid propane gas system.

“I feel vindicated in many areas,” Trevorah said yesterday. “The money is nice and it will help me but it will never make up for the physical and emotional pain. It's been a long six years.”

While Trevorah lay in a three-week coma, his wife, who was 40 at the time, died. Doctors said it was a heart attack from the stress.“When I woke up, I couldn't see, I couldn't talk,” Trevorah said. “I had burnt corneas and lungs. No one would tell me about my wife." Trevorah and Abenante are still friends. They speak on a regular basis. “He's doing all right,” Trevorah said. “He's beat down worse than I am.”

Since the explosion, the men have endured a combined 100 medical procedures, including skin grafts. They still face more surgery.

Both men have had a tough time working steady jobs because of the burns on their hands. Trevorah couldn't work as a gas mechanic at Con Edison and Abenante could not work carpentry and masonry jobs. Their attorney, James Denlea, said the verdict is an important hurdle for the men.“ The jury sent the message to the gas company that it cannot act in the way it did,” Denlea said.

One attorney for the gas company declined to comment. The other was unavailable yesterday. The past six years have been especially difficult for Trevorah, who underwent many financial and emotional problems. Still, he continues to have faith.

“When I woke up [from the coma], I told the doctor, ‘Thanks for saving my life,’ ” Trevorah said. “Now I want to live my life.”

Contacting a Skilled New York Burn Injury Attorney

The sponsors of this portal, the law firm of Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, are dedicated to helping NY burn injury victims hold those responsible for their suffering financially liable. They have many years' experience representing victims and their families in a variety of burn injury situations, including those arising from residential fires, workplace explosions, automobile accidents, electrocution and flammable clothing. If you would like to discuss your or your loved one's burn injury case to determine if compensation might be available, contact the offices of Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz at (914) 517-5000.