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Families of fallen firefighters filing wrongful death lawsuit

Families of fallen firefighters filing wrongful death lawsuit
VERY LOCATION WHERE THEIR LOVED ONES DIED TO ANNOUNCE THEIR INTENT TO FILE A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT. THE DEFENDANTS INCLUDE MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT THE CITY OF BALTIMORE AND THE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT. 11 NEWS REPORTER KIM DACEY JOINS US NOW LIVE. KIM, THE FAMILIES SAY THIS IS ABOUT ENACTING CHANGE. KIM: YES, THE FAMILIES WANT TO SEE CONCRETE CHANGES IN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND THEY FEEL THE ONLY WAY THE CITY WILL SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICE IS THROUGH A LAWSUIT. >> NOBODY SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AND ITS MISERABLE AND WE LIVE IT EVERY DAY AND I WILL LIVE THIS EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. KIM: HEARTBROKEN AND STILL GRIEVING NEARLY A YEAR LATER, THE FAMILIES OF FIREFIGHTERS KELSEY SADLER, PAUL BUTRIM AND KENNY LACAYO MET AT THE LOT WHERE THEIR LOVED ONES DIED AND JOHN MCMASTER WAS CRITICALLY INJURED. FLANKED BY THEIR MEMORIALS LAWYERS ANNOUNCED THEIR INTENT TO FILE A WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUIT AGAINST THE MAYOR, THE CITY, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AMONG OTHERS. >> KENNY LACAYO, PAUL BUTRIM, KELSEY SADLER JOHN MCMASTER WALKED INTO A DEATH TRAP IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN’T EVER HAVE OCCURRED, SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE AND COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. KIM: THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE KILLED WHEN THE VACANT ROWHOUSE AT 205 STRICKER STREET COLLAPSED WHILE THEY WERE FIGHTING A FIRE INSIDE ON JANUARY 24. THE LAWSUIT ALLEGES NEGLIGENCE FOR THE FAILURE TO DEMOLISH OR SECURE THE ROWHOUSE IN THE WAKE OF PREVIOUS FIRES. >> THIS WASN’T THE FIRST TIME THERE WAS A FIRE AT THIS VACANT PROPERTY. IT WASN’T THE FIRST TIME FIREFIGHTERS HAD BEEN INJURED IN THIS PROPERTY. EVERYONE EN ROUTE TO THE SCENE HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME WHAT THEY WERE WALKING INTO. KIM: THIS NEW LAWSUIT SEEKS AT LEAST $10 MILLION IN DAMAGES BUT THE FAMILIES SAY THIS ISN’T ABOUT MONEY. >> WE WANT TO EFFECT CHANGE WE WANT OUR FIREFIGHTERS TO BE SAFE AND AGAIN THIS HOUSE SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN STANDING THERE’S PUBLIC RECORD SHOWING IT SHOULD’VE BEEN DEMOLISHED YEARS AGO. >> THESE BUILDINGS ARE GOING TO KEEP FALLING DOWN THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP CATCHING ON FIRE AND NOBODY’S GOING TO KNOW AND THEY’RE GOING TO GO IN AND ITS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND THE CITY’S NOT GOING TO CARE AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. KIM: THEY SEE THIS AS A PREVENTABLE TRAGEDY THROUGH THIS LAWSUIT THEY HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS TO ANOTHER FAMILY. >> SOMETHING’S GOT TO CHANGE AND IT’S GOT TO START NOW SO THIS DOESN’T KEEP HAPPENING. KIM: WE REACHED OUT TO THE MAYOR FOR COMMENT BUT DID NOT GET A RESPONSE
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Families of fallen firefighters filing wrongful death lawsuit
The families of the three fallen firefighters stood at the very location where their loved ones were killed in the line of duty to announce their intent to file a wrongful death lawsuit.The defendants in the lawsuit include Mayor Brandon Scott, the city of Baltimore and the city fire department, among others.The families want to see concrete changes in policies and procedures, and they feel the only way the city will sit up and take notice is through a lawsuit."Nobody should have to go through this and its miserable and we live it every day and i will live this every day for the rest of my life," Brandon Sadler, husband of Kelsey Sadler, said. Heartbroken and still grieving nearly a year later, the families of firefighters Sadler, Paul Butrim and Kenny Lacayo met at the lot where their loved ones died, and John McMaster was critically injured. Flanked by their memorials, lawyers announced their intent to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the mayor, the city, and the fire department among others. "Kenny Lacayo, Paul Butrim, Kelsey Sadler (and) John McMaster walked into a death trap in January of this year. This is something that shouldn't ever have occurred, something that should have and could have been prevented," attorney Kevin Stern said.The firefighters were killed when the vacant rowhouse at 205 Stricker Street collapsed while they were fighting a fire inside on Jan. 24. The lawsuit alleges negligence for the failure to demolish or secure the rowhouse in the wake of previous fires. "This wasn't the first time there was a fire at this vacant property it wasn't the first time firefighters had be injured in this property everyone en route to the scene had no idea at the time what they were walking into," Stern said. The new lawsuit seeks at least $10 million in damages, but the families said this isn't about money. "We want to effect change we want our firefighters to be safe and again this house should never have been standing there's public record showing it should've been demolished years ago," Lacey Marino, Kelsey Sadler's sister, said. "These buildings are going to keep falling down they're (going to) keep catching on fire and nobody's (going to) know, and they're (going to) go in and it's going to happen again and again and again and the city's not going to care again and again and again," Brandon Sadler, said. They see this as a preventable tragedy and through this lawsuit they hope it never happens to another family. "Something's (got to) change and its (got to) start now so this doesn't keep happening," Brandon Sadler said.WBAL-TV reached out to the mayor for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

The families of the three fallen firefighters stood at the very location where their loved ones were killed in the line of duty to announce their intent to file a wrongful death lawsuit.

The defendants in the lawsuit include Mayor Brandon Scott, the city of Baltimore and the city fire department, among others.

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The families want to see concrete changes in policies and procedures, and they feel the only way the city will sit up and take notice is through a lawsuit.

"Nobody should have to go through this and its miserable and we live it every day and i will live this every day for the rest of my life," Brandon Sadler, husband of Kelsey Sadler, said.

Heartbroken and still grieving nearly a year later, the families of firefighters Sadler, Paul Butrim and Kenny Lacayo met at the lot where their loved ones died, and John McMaster was critically injured. Flanked by their memorials, lawyers announced their intent to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the mayor, the city, and the fire department among others.

"Kenny Lacayo, Paul Butrim, Kelsey Sadler (and) John McMaster walked into a death trap in January of this year. This is something that shouldn't ever have occurred, something that should have and could have been prevented," attorney Kevin Stern said.

The firefighters were killed when the vacant rowhouse at 205 Stricker Street collapsed while they were fighting a fire inside on Jan. 24. The lawsuit alleges negligence for the failure to demolish or secure the rowhouse in the wake of previous fires.

"This wasn't the first time there was a fire at this vacant property it wasn't the first time firefighters had be injured in this property everyone en route to the scene had no idea at the time what they were walking into," Stern said.

The new lawsuit seeks at least $10 million in damages, but the families said this isn't about money.

"We want to effect change we want our firefighters to be safe and again this house should never have been standing there's public record showing it should've been demolished years ago," Lacey Marino, Kelsey Sadler's sister, said.

"These buildings are going to keep falling down they're (going to) keep catching on fire and nobody's (going to) know, and they're (going to) go in and it's going to happen again and again and again and the city's not going to care again and again and again," Brandon Sadler, said.

They see this as a preventable tragedy and through this lawsuit they hope it never happens to another family.

"Something's (got to) change and its (got to) start now so this doesn't keep happening," Brandon Sadler said.

WBAL-TV reached out to the mayor for comment, but has yet to receive a response.