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Flooding, heavy rain, and plumbing complications can all contribute to severe water damage inside a home.
As much as water is beneficial for daily life, it can quickly become a significant threat to the health and safety of occupants inside a building. In many cases, untreated water damage can become a severe health concern.
Whenever your building sustains any water damage, you’ll need to act quickly and take action. Otherwise, you risk further complications down the road.
Unfortunately, water damage is often out of your control. In many cases, building owners are responsible for accidents and catastrophes. Whenever you suffer an injury or health complications due to negligence, you can pursue a claim in court to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Types of Water Damage
Water damage can occur for any number of reasons. Although environmental factors are often to blame, most water damage in California results from poor maintenance or broken infrastructure within a home, such as:
- Sudden discharge from pipes and hoses
- Sewer malfunctions
- Overflow from home appliances
- Slow leaks from water heaters or cracked pipes
- Poor maintenance of plumbing infrastructure
In many cases, water damage results from negligence on behalf of property owners. Whenever you experience a water disaster, and it’s not your fault, you can file a claim and hold the responsible parties accountable.
Consequences of Untreated Water Damage
Failure to treat water damage can cause a myriad of health problems. As such, you or your landlord must address the problem quickly.
Some of the most dangerous risks of untreated water damage include the following:
Toxic Mold and Fungi
Toxic molds, such as black mold, thrive in damp conditions. In many cases, mold growth can begin immediately and spread throughout your home.
Mold spores feed on domestic surfaces and cause them to rot. These surfaces can include:
- Walls
- Floor tiles
- Ceilings
- Drywall components
- Carpets and rugs
- Structural elements
Molds contain neurotoxins linked to severe respiratory complications, cognitive symptoms, skin allergies, and other health concerns. Because of California’s warm and temperate climate, indoor water damage makes for an ideal breeding ground for black mold infestations.
Because mold eats away at wood and other materials, your home’s structural integrity can also be at risk. In many cases, mold infestations can severely compromise support beams, ceiling tiles, and walls. These weakened elements have the potential to cause injury to occupants when they fail.
If your home suffers water damage, you’ll need to clean up mold-infested debris, ventilate the area, remove excess moisture, and replace damaged elements.
Contaminated Water Supplies
Water damage from contaminated plumbing and sewage systems can pose a significant health risk.
Dirty water can find its way into your drinking supplies and consumables. Although anyone is at risk, young children are especially susceptible to bacterial and viral infections caused by exposure to unclean water.
Depending on the contamination levels, tainted water may cause:
- Cholera
- Typhoid fever
- E.coli infection
- Immune deficiencies
- Dysentery
Even seemingly minor water damage can become a vector for infections and diseases. For safety, you should take the necessary precautions to clean up the damage sooner rather than later.
Electrical Injuries
Electrical components make up a large portion of a home’s infrastructure. As a result, whenever water causes damage to walls, ceilings, and floors, wiring and cables can become compromised,
Water-damaged wiring is a significant safety risk and, when left untreated, can cause injuries from sparks and electric shock. Other times, water damage can cause oxidation in wires, which can short-circuit and start fires, damage fuses, and destroy transformers.
Water Damage Injury Attorneys
Thompson Injury Law helps clients with environmental law claims in San Diego, CA. If you’ve suffered an injury from water damage in your home, contact us for a free consultation.
