Premises and Injury
A gas explosion is the end of a chain of preventable failures
Gas is odorized so people can smell a leak. When a building explodes, something in that safety chain did not work as designed.
About gas explosions and burn injuries claims
Gas incidents follow a documented sequence. A distribution or service line is struck during excavation because locating and marking was inadequate or the required notification was never made. Aging or improperly fused pipe leaks underground and migrates into a structure. A flexible connector, regulator or appliance shutoff fails. An installation or conversion is performed without a permit or a pressure test. A propane tank, hose or fitting leaks. Odorant fade or an inadequately odorized supply removes the one warning a person would otherwise have had.
Responsibility is usually shared and it is provable from records. A utility owes a heightened duty in the transmission and distribution of gas, covering leak surveys, pressure records, corrosion control, mapping accuracy and response to reported odor calls. An excavator and a locating service are governed by California excavation notification requirements. Contractors, landlords, property managers and appliance manufacturers can each be responsible for the equipment and the installation. Where a heavy gate, meter enclosure or other structure was involved in the failure, the premises analysis runs alongside.
Response records frequently decide these cases. Utilities log odor calls, dispatch times and field findings, and a prior report at the same address that was closed without repair is powerful evidence. Excavation tickets, locate marks and photographs establish who was told what before digging. Because scenes are cleared and pipe is replaced quickly, preserving the physical evidence and demanding those records early is critical.
Common injuries
Injuries we see most often in these cases. Every claim is different, and this list is not exhaustive.
- Severe full thickness burns requiring grafting and long-term reconstruction
- Inhalation injury to the airway and lungs
- Blast trauma including hearing loss, fractures and internal injury
- Traumatic brain injury from blast wave and structural collapse
- Permanent disfigurement, scarring and post-traumatic stress
- Wrongful death in residential and workplace explosions
Who can be held liable
Responsibility often extends well beyond the most obvious company. We look at every party in the chain.
- The gas utility responsible for the line, survey and leak response
- An excavation contractor or utility locating service
- A plumbing, HVAC or general contractor that installed or converted equipment
- A landlord, property manager or building owner
- The manufacturer of a defective connector, regulator, valve or appliance
Evidence that matters
What we work to preserve and obtain early, because this proof tends to disappear with time.
- Preservation of the pipe, connector, regulator, valve and appliance
- Utility leak survey, pressure, corrosion and odor call response records
- Prior odor complaints and service history for the address
- Excavation notification tickets, locate marks and pre-dig photographs
- Fire department origin and cause report and independent engineering analysis
Do not wait on the deadline
California generally allows two years to bring a personal injury or product liability claim under Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, and two years from the date of death in a wrongful death case. Shorter deadlines apply when a government entity is involved, and deadlines can be extended for injured children. Exceptions are fact-specific. Talk to us before you assume anything about your own timeline.
Answers
Gas Explosions and Burn Injuries: common questions
Injured by gas explosions? Let us review it at no cost.
A conversation costs you nothing and there is no obligation. No fee unless we recover compensation for you. In some matters a client may still be responsible for case costs and expenses, and we will explain exactly how that works before you decide to hire us.