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Foam Companies Offer $30 Million Settlement in Nightclub Fire Deaths
May 15, 2008

A number of foam companies that were blamed in the Providence nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003 have agreed to pay a total of $30 million to settle lawsuits that were brought by survivors of the fire. This brings the total amount of settlement amount offered to survivors and family members of the accident up to $100 million, including settlements offered by Home Depot, and some fireworks companies.

The fire at the Station nightclub at West Warwick was devastating in its scope, only the fourth deadliest nightclub fire accident in the US. The band Great White was playing as part of the act. As the act progressed, their manager, Daniel Biechele, set off pyrotechnics, cylindrical devices that produce sparks. The nightclub was covered in foam padding, the sort you see on egg crates. When the first sparks hit the padding and set on fire at about 11:10 pm, most people who noticed the sparks thought it was part of the act.

When the sparks began to set the padding on fire on the wall near the drummer, people still assumed that it was part of the act. When people realized that there were in the midst of an out of control fire, panic broke out. Within a couple of minutes, people were crammed in the hallways leading to the front door. The nightclub had 4 emergency exits, but in their panic, most patrons ended up choking the hallways near the entrance. There was a stampede, and people began to stack up on top of each other. And all the while the club was filling up with smoke.

Those who survived estimate that the time it took from the start of the sparks to the point where the thick black smoke had engulfed the club was around 2 minutes. The casualties were horrific, but not surprising. There was simply not enough time to plan a measured response. When it came time to take a head count after the fire accident, the number was 100 deaths and 200 people injured.

There was negligence on the part of everybody who was held responsible for the accident that night. The Station nightclub itself was not equipped with sprinkler systems. Investigations after the fire revealed that fatalities would have been avoided if there had been sprinkler systems. The Station nightclub was an old building and many people believed that the age of the building exempted it from sprinkler system requirements. In fact, this exemption had expired when the nightclub had been converted into one from a restaurant. West Warwick inspectors never even noticed the missing sprinkler systems in a nightclub.

The foam companies sold foam without any fire retardant chemicals that would have prevented the large number of deaths. The foam, as it burned, produced toxic gases that added to the deaths and injuries, the victims' lawsuit stated. Further, the foam companies did not educate the users of the dangers of its products and its non-suitability for nightclubs and other enclosed spaces.

The announcement of this new $30 million settlement will go a long way in compensating survivors for their suffering on that tragic night.

If you have lost a family member or have been injured in a fire, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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