Mother sues apartment complex after death of her son
A mother is suing her apartment complex after her 11-year-old son died in a fire. She says her son, a third-grader who dreamed of becoming a firefighter, died in a fire at her home.
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Florida. – A mother is suing her apartment complex after her 11-year-old son died in a fire. She says her son, a third-grader who dreamed of becoming a firefighter, died in a fire at her home.
The family's lawyers argue that this is a case of wrongful death and negligence. They claim that the apartment complex did not have working fire alarms and therefore should be held responsible for the tragedy.
The memory of the raging fire and the panicked phone call still haunts Romona Andrews.
“Every time I'm at work, it's on my mind. Just my middle daughter screaming, 'Ramon is gone!'” Andrews said.
The pain of losing her eleven-year-old son Ramon is still present.
“Everything reminds me of him,” she added.
Andrews and her legal team believe that Ramon would still be alive if the fire alarm in their apartment had worked.
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“Because of the complex's failure to warn and do what it should have done, this tragic loss of life occurred,” said attorney Ryan Fletcher.
The lawsuit is against the owner of Goldelm at Charter Pointe Apartments in Altamonte Springs. Attorneys argue that the smoke detectors in the apartment were not working and that there was no evidence of a malfunction before the fire broke out in April.
Under Florida law and Andrews's apartment lease, the property owner was responsible for maintaining the fire alarms.
Mother files lawsuit after son dies in apartment fire | FULL
Ramona Andrews, whose son died in an apartment fire in April 2024, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the apartment complex because it allegedly did not have working smoke detectors. Ramon Andrew was a third-grader at Lake Orienta Elementary School. She and her attorneys held a press conference on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, to discuss the lawsuit.
“At no point was there any indication that the battery was weak or needed servicing,” said attorney Greg Francis.
The lawyers also point to police bodycam footage as evidence and point out that no audible fire alarms could be heard in the background.
FOX 35 has asked the city of Altamonte Springs and the state fire inspector for their reports on the case.
Meanwhile, the Andrews family remembers Ramon as a sweet boy who dreamed of becoming a firefighter. His older sister Leah, who tried to save him during the fire, says there will always be a void in their family.
“It's just like an empty space. When we eat dinner, it's just like an empty space,” Leah said.
FOX 35 reached out to the apartment complex for comment, but a representative said no comment would be made at this time.
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