First responders should have equal legal rights when hurt by negligence.
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Attorneys from Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel will present oral arguments before the Washington State Supreme Court Tuesday that challenge an outdated law that strips first responders of their legal rights when they are injured by negligence in the line of duty. The challenge comes on behalf of firefighter Daniel Lyon who was severely injured while fighting the 2015 Twisp wildfire ignited by powerlines. Lyon is represented by EPIC Attorneys Steve Bulzomi and James McCormick.
Lyon and his legal team will meet at the Temple of Justice at 1 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 21; 415 12th Ave. S.W., Olympia. Oral arguments are scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm and aired by TVW. An AMICUS brief was filed on behalf of the Washington State Association for Justice Foundation to support the case.
TVW link to view oral arguments live:
https://www.tvw.org/watch/?eventID=2020011165
Lyon barely survived the 2015 Twisp wildfire, sustaining severe burns over more than 70 percent of his body. Three of his fellow firefighters – Richard Wheeler, Andrew Zajac and Tom Zbyszewski — perished in the fire. Attorneys for Lyon argue that a local utility caused the fire after failing to responsibly manage vegetation near their powerlines. They note that the state’s current professional rescuer doctrine unfairly gives negligent wrongdoers blanket special protections for their negligence – regardless of circumstances — when first responders are severely injured or killed in the line of duty.