FAQ About Explosion Injury Cases

Ross Feller Casey, among the nation’s top catastrophic injury law firms, is actively investigating litigation involving the tragic natural gas home explosion in Pottstown, Pa., that claimed the lives of at least five people and injured several others. The home on Hale Street in Pottstown, about 40 miles from Philadelphia, was leveled by the massive natural gas blast on May 26, 2022, and investigators are working to determine the exact cause.

If you or a family member has been hurt by this recent tragedy, please call or contact Ross Feller Casey today.

Ross Feller Casey is among the leaders nationally in such product liability lawsuits involving gas explosions.

Matt Casey, a founding partner of the firm, is currently litigating a major wrongful death lawsuit against Honeywell International, Inc. in connection with a natural gas explosion that leveled a Lancaster, Pa. home, killing Richard Bouder, a 54-year-old husband and father. The case involves a leak from a defective “tapping tee” that connected the house to the natural gas main at the street. A jury in Philadelphia will hear the case in January.

Gas and propane explosions typically result in devastating injuries that can be lifelong when they don’t end in death. Burns to the body are extremely painful, many times causing permanent disfigurement. These types of explosions frequently occur due to the negligence of a company or individual. Gas pipelines, tanks, and valves are meant to be leakproof, so when there is a leak that causes an explosion, there is a good chance that negligence is to blame.

What Are The Common Causes of Gas Explosions?

When gas piping systems, tanks, valves, and gas appliances are improperly designed, installed, or maintained, leaks can occur, leading to explosions. Frequently, it’s due to negligence at the time of installation or later during maintenance or repair. Some of the common causes of gas leaks leading to natural gas explosions include: 

• Improper installation of gas water heaters, furnaces, dryers, or other appliances
• Leaking gas oven valves or flex pipes
• Improper or insufficient venting of propane tanks
• Failure of property owners or maintenance personnel to properly inspect and maintain gas appliances
• Design and manufacturing flaws in gas line components

With gas leaks, there are often early warning signs that can prevent explosions. Still, the responsible parties fail to identify them or take timely action to repair them, triggering an explosion. Numerous types of explosions cause injury or death, including natural gas explosions, chemical explosions, and explosions caused by dust. Some blasts have the power to level buildings, while others release extreme amounts of heat and fire that can damage homes or buildings blocks away. 

What Types Of Injuries Do Natural Gas Explosions Cause?

Explosions can cause a wide range of injuries, including blunt force trauma, crush injuries, lacerations, and of course, burns. When an explosion occurs, a blast wave creates pressure that can injure every organ in your body, including your eardrums, brain, and lungs. Lacerations, or cuts and gashes, can require stitches, surgeries, and even amputations. Crush injuries occur when debris falls on an individual. These injuries may lead to a loss of limbs and death. Burns are the most common form of explosion injury, and they can lead to lifelong disabilities, disfigurements, and death.

How Soon Should I Hire An Attorney For My Natural Gas Explosion Case?

If you or a family member has been hurt in an explosion, you need to consult an attorney as soon as possible. Not only is there a timeframe in which you have to file a wrongful death claim, but over time, evidence can be lost or destroyed during the clean-up from the blast. Evidence has to be preserved after the explosion to prove your case. 

The attorney you hire will begin investigating and collecting evidence right away, interviewing witnesses, navigating insurance claims, and reviewing medical records. You may not be in great shape to seek help immediately after sustaining injuries from the explosion, but it’s important to get started as soon as you can. 

Who Is Liable For Injuries In An Explosion Lawsuit?

An experienced legal team will identify all the responsible parties they can find. For example, if you were injured by an apartment explosion, the building owner, landlord, public utilities, maintenance workers, and equipment or appliance manufacturers could all be held liable depending on the details of the explosion. 

Why Hire Ross Feller Casey For Natural Gas Explosion Cases?

Sometimes it’s a maintenance worker who mistakenly cuts a gas line that causes an explosion. Other times, explosions occur because an employee doesn’t follow safety policies and procedures. In still other cases, pipelines are improperly installed, capped, or maintained, resulting in an explosion. Whatever the cause, an explosion is often a result of negligence. When it is, you need an experienced attorney to represent you in an explosion lawsuit. 

At Ross Feller Casey, we’ve helped clients who have suffered devastating injuries and death resulting from explosions. For example, our attorneys recovered $36.4 million in a workplace injury lawsuit for the family of a man killed in an oil refinery explosion. And we are currently litigating a wrongful death lawsuit for the family of a utility worker who died in a Lancaster, Pennsylvania home gas explosion. 

If you or a loved one suffered injuries from a gas explosion, you might be entitled to a financial recovery. We want to protect your rights and ensure that you get justice and the compensation you deserve. Contact our office today for a free case review. All explosion cases are handled on a contingency basis. You won’t pay anything until we win a settlement or verdict in your case.