The family of a six-year-old boy from Hemet, who was seriously injured after he fell into a fire pit, has filed a claim against the City of Huntington Beach. The accident occurred on April 17, when the boy had visited the Huntington City Beach. The boy had been flying a kite when he fell backwards into a deteriorating fire pit. The pit was located near Tower 1 and had a smoldering fire.

The boy suffered second and third degree burn injuries on his chest and arm. He had to spend weeks in surgical intensive care. According to his parents, his treatment is still ongoing, and he is required to see doctors every two weeks.

His parents allege that his injuries would never have occurred if the fire pit had been properly maintained. When officers arrived at the scene, they found that one side of the pit had collapsed down to sand level.

There are 167 fire pits in Huntington Beach. According to city officials, all of these pits are checked and cleaned every night. However, they claim it is not possible to check all the fire pits during the day, because of a shortage of staff.

This is the third fire pit-related lawsuit filed against Huntington Beach in the past few years. Two children, including a toddler suffered serious burn injuries in a similar accident in August 2009. The trial in that case is set for September.

Most fire pit accidents occur on government-owned property. Authorities need to make sure that fire pits are properly maintained, clean fire pits regularly, and install proper warning signs. Also, authorities must eliminate fall hazards from around fire pits. California fire pit injury lawyers often find that it is failure to take precautionary steps that cause fire pit injuries.