Five injured firefighters, a severely injured maintenance worker, and the family of a firefighter who was killed by an explosion at a newly constructed headquarters for LEAP Inc., a nonprofit organization for people with cognitive disabilities, filed suit recently against C.N. Brown oil company and Techno Metal Post. Prior to the explosion, the maintenance worker smelled gas and warned other employees to evacuate. The building tragically exploded just after firefighters arrived and began to investigate the source of the leak.
According to fire investigators, the explosion was caused by an underground propane line that had been severed by one of four impact protection posts (bollards) that were drilled into the ground near the LEAP building by Techno Metal Post. After that line was severed, more than 400 gallons of propone leaked into the ground and into the building.
Techno Metal Post company was cited for failing to follow Dig Safe regulations before drilling the bollards into the ground. C.N. Brown, the company responsible for filling and checking the propane tank, was also fined and the license of one of its technicians was suspended because the company simply refilled the 400-gallon propane tank and failed to perform a standard leak test, after it was reported that the tank for the newly constructed building was empty. The lawsuit filed by the victims alleges that these failures, and others, by Techno Metal Post and C.N. Brown proximately caused the explosion.
The attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner have been fighting for the rights of people injured in explosions that were caused by the negligence of others for decades. If you or someone you know has been injured in an explosion, contact the experienced attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner at (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.