Captain’s Parents Sue for Daughter’s Death

The parents of the Colerain Township Fire Department captain killed in the line of duty on April 4, 2008, have filed suit against a host defendants. Captain Robin Broxterman was killed along with FF Brian Schira when they became trapped in a house fire on Squirrelsnest Lane. The basement fire was later ruled accidental. The suit alleges that a number of factors and defendants contributed to Captain Broxterman’s death, including:

• The homeowners – due to an illegal marijuana growing operation in the basement;
• An unnamed manufacturer and installer of a part that connected the home's furnace to a natural gas line that failed, further fueling the fire;
• An unnamed manufacturer and/or distributor of the fan that started the fire;
• Motorola – Broxterman, the suit alleges, repeatedly made radio "mayday" calls for help but wasn't heard or understood because of the faulty equipment;
• Morning Pride/Honeywell – because her PPE allegedly failed to protect her;
• An unknown manufacturer of the “beeper” device [we assume this refers to the PASS Device] worn on her SCBA, that failed.

The suit does not name the fire department or any of its members as defendants.

Additional story.