RUPTURED GAS LINE EXPLOSION
Our attorneys have represent people injured in a gas explosion. One case we settled recently involved a camper in Northern Minnesota. In that case, the gas line to the furnace heater was unplugged by the former owner before selling the camper. After our client purchased the camper, he turned on the gas to start the furnace. When he lit the pilot, the camper exploded. Luckily, he wasn’t killed. However, he suffered a severe burn from the explosion. Our lawyer was able to settle this gas explosion case and get fair compensation for this client.
In February 2010, there were two house explosions in MN caused by a ruptured gas line. The explosions caused significant property damage, but no one was injured. However, had there been anyone in either house, they would have been killed in the explosion or severely burned.
In the first case, a home in St. Paul burned to the ground after the gas explosion. A sewer contractor accidentally ruptured a gas line that ran through a sewer line. Northern States Power unintentionally had bored the gas line through the sewer line in what is known as a cross bore. After the rupture, natural gas flowed into a nearby home and ignited. The contractor suffered first-degree burns but warned the homeowner, who was not injured.
BUSINESS RESPONSIBLE FOR GAS EXPLOSION
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Pipeline Safety Office required NSP to inspect thousands of Minnesota sewer lines for similar cross bores — in which a gas line is unknowingly bored through a sewer line — in St. Paul and South St. Paul. The company has since inspected and cleared 53,471 addresses and plans to inspect 20,000 more.
NSP’s initial fine of $1 million was later reduced to $20,000. The Public Safety Department determined the company had ‘procedures for analyzing accidents and failures so the company could minimize recurrence of cross bores,’ according to the agency.
In the second gas explosion, the agency initially fined Center Point Energy $1 million for a delayed response to a house explosion in Edina. A telephone-line contractor hit a gas line next to an unmarked, unused line. The rupture sent gas underground into a nearby home, which was ignited.
Again, luckily no one was injured in the blast. Fortunately, the homeowners were working, and their children were in school. The gas company didn’t shut a nearby emergency valve because it would have cut off service to 266,000 customers. Instead they took more time to manually squeeze off the line closer to the rupture. Since the accident, the company installed 78 new valves and created new engineering standards for installation of new valves.
MN GAS EXPLOSION LAWYERS
If you or a family member has been injured in a gas explosion because of a ruptured gas line, defective product, or any other cause, call our office. You can discuss your potential case with a MN gas explosion lawyer. Our lawyers have experience with MN gas explosion cases and burn injuries, and we understand the issues involved. We can also assist with the investigation and understanding of the cause. A gas explosion attorney will answer your questions and make sure your rights are protected.