Gas Accidents Are No Laughing Matter
Brian O Sutter
Accident Lawyers
In April of 2016, in the Pennsylvania township of Salem, a 30 inch natural gas transmission exploded. Because this was gas, the explosion immediately resulted in a conflagration of the gas that was in the pipeline and that fire spread, eventually sending fireballs flying through the area.One home that was, unfortunately, near the explosion, was burned to the ground, a newlywed living in the house barely escaped with his life, and at the cost of severe burns. It was a sobering reminder to everyone that natural gas, while extremely useful in a number of different ways, is still a volatile substance. And when it’s not handled correctly, or its power is not respected, it can result in massive damage that may injure people or even take lives.
Of course, the usefulness of natural gas means that it is often piped into many places, including homes for cooking or commercial buildings for heating. Under these circumstances, everything is fine, and there is little to no worry of harm. Once people start getting careless, however, this is when the safety of everyone in a building—or a general area—is put at risk.
How Accidents Happen
A gas accident with injuries usually occurs in one of two ways. Gas is somehow allowed to leak into the air, and, if people are unaware of it, they can actually lose consciousness and become severely injured from inhaling it. This particular scenario is far less likely these days—though it still does occasionally happen—because gas is now “laced” with additional chemicals that give it a distinctive “rotten egg” smell to alert people to is presence. Without this additional signal, normal natural gas actually has no odor, and can be introduced into an area without people realizing it.
The more common and far more damaging natural gas accident involves release and ignition. Natural gas is extremely flammable, which is why it is so useful for cooking/heating purposes. But when too much of it is introduced into a location, and then a spark, or other source of flame is introduced, that gas will literally explode in an instant. This creates a tremendous amount of heat, flame and force, all of which can be lethal under the right conditions.
Negligence Comes In Many Forms
Gas accidents usually occur because someone isn’t careful, but the ways in which that happens have any number of variations. A gas accident can cause an explosion in the street, for example, due to drunk or distracted driving. Cities throughout North America have narrowly averted gas-related explosions due to poor driving. In some instances, drunk drivers will leave the road and collide not with parked cars, but the gas pipes that are attached to the exteriors of buildings. Fearing the repercussions of being caught “at the scene,” these drivers will simply leave, either not aware—or not caring—that having burst a gas pipe, that gas is now freely spewing into the air, putting any people in the area at risk, should a spark, or someone lighting a cigarette occur in the area.
In some cases, gas accidents may be a simple matter of human error like forgetfulness. The classic cliché of people wondering whether they’ve left the gas on with a stove exists for a reason. Sometimes, especially when dealing with the elderly at home, alone, things can slip the mind. With any luck, the smell of gas in the air would alert a person to the presence of that gas, but if a person leaves while the gas is leaking out of a stove, and that allows for a build-up of gas for a significant amount of time, that simple act of forgetfulness can have explosive, catastrophic results.
It Rarely Just Happens
In most cases, when a gas explosion occurs, there’s some form of negligence at work. It may be in the actual maintenance and safety inspections required for larger structures, such as gas lines. Or it may be a result of the neglectful actions mentioned above by everyday people who make mistakes on the road, or while at home. Regardless of the actual motivation, in the majority of instances, it’s not just random chance that an explosion occurred. Failure of responsibility, or negligence is usually the cause.
This type of accident falls under a premises liability lawsuit, and while it is a form of personal injury, it is a type of case specific to injuries related to property and legal obligations to maintain certain minimum safety standards on that property. If you, or someone you know is injured as a result of a gas explosion, you should see a personal injury lawyer immediately. Investigations need to be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the gas explosion and who is ultimately responsible for allowing it to happen, or failing to prevent it from happening when that was a basic responsibility.