The devastating explosion occurred on March 19 at the home of Jessica Bailey Lopez in Lake Dallas, a community in Denton County.
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A woman critically injured in a Dallas area home explosion this month has sued Atmos Energy, alleging that the company’s negligence led to the blast.
The devastating explosion occurred on March 19 at the home of Jessica Bailey Lopez in Lake Dallas, a community in Denton County.
The lawsuit was filed a few days later in Dallas County on behalf of Ms. Lopez alleging that an “uncontrolled release of natural gas” from Atmos’s distribution system ignited inside the home. Witnesses likened the resulting explosion to “a bomb going off” that sent debris flying across the neighborhood.
“Jessica was buried alive, trapped under the rubble and debris that was once her home until good Samaritans, heroes living in the neighborhood ran to Jessica’s screams begging for help,” the March 24 lawsuit states.
According to media reports, fire crews responded at about 7:05 p.m. on March 19 to find the single-family home fully engulfed in flames. The structure exploded moments afterwards.
Neighbors pulled Lopez from the wreckage, and she was airlifted to a hospital, according to reporting by WFAA TV in Dallas. Ms. Lopez suffered severe burns, broken bones, and other traumatic injuries, according to the lawsuit.
The filing claims the home did not have natural gas appliances and that Ms. Lopez was not an Atmos customer. Her attorneys argue the incident resulted from failures by the gas utility to properly maintain, inspect and monitor its infrastructure, according to WFAA. The lawsuit accuses the company of negligence and gross negligence, citing alleged lapses in training, supervision and safety procedures related to its gas distribution system.
Ms. Lopez seeks damages exceeding $1 million, including compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, physical impairment, and disfigurement, as well as potential exemplary damages, the lawsuit states.
Officials say the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. “Our highest priority remains the safety of our employees, our system, and our communities. We are reviewing the matter and will withhold comment,” Atmos said in a statement.
OTHER GAS LEAKS THIS MONTH
The explosion comes just days after two reported gas leaks in the same area, according to WFAA. Atmos Energy attributed that leaks a construction crew and not associated with the company striking a pipeline, according to WFAA. In their aftermath, some residents were temporarily evacuated.
Meanwhile, some residents in two communities near Houston also were called upon to shelter in place in separate incidents after gas lines maintained by CenterPoint Energy were struck by construction crews, according to reports.
According to KTRK TV, a gas leak in Cypress, just northwest of Houston, prompted a neighborhood to briefly shelter in place on March 20. Then on March 24, some residents in the community of Tomball, about 20 miles away, were also called upon to briefly shelter in place after a major gas leak there, according to Fox 26 News.