A jury in St. Louis has awarded a dead firefighter’s family $12-Million in its lawsuit against a company that made the breathing equipment he was wearing while fighting a fire. The jury says Survivair is completely at fault for the death of Derek Martin in 2002.
The family says the death resulted from a faulty regulator valve. The company had claimed Martin died because of faulty department procedures.
Survivair reached a secret out-of-court settlement with the family of a second firefighter killed ind the incident. That lawsuit blamed Survivair for making a defective personal distress alarm.
The St. Louis Fire Department still uses Survivair equipment.