Pennsylvania Explosion Injury Attorneys

Many gas explosions are the result of negligence on the part of gas companies and their employees. If gas lines are not properly installed, tested and maintained, innocent people can be injured by these explosions. Gas explosions can also happen in the workplace, causing serious injuries to employees. When someone is injured in an explosion accident, they deserve to be compensated either from their employer or through a personal injury claim.

At Caroselli, Beachler & Coleman, L.L.C., we have five decades of experience helping people who have suffered serious injuries due to gas explosions and other types of personal injury accidents. Our attorneys have in-depth knowledge of this area of the law, and we have a successful track record with even the most complex cases. If you or someone close to you has been injured by a gas explosion, our attorneys are here to stand up for your rights.

Contact our law firm today online or by telephone at 412-391-9860 or toll free at 866-466-5789 to speak with an experienced Pittsburgh gas explosion lawyer.

The Impact of Gas Explosions

Unless someone is conducting a controlled demolition, explosions are unexpected events that can be very traumatic for those who are affected by them. And because there is very little (if any) time to brace for the explosion, it can often result in severe injuries and fatalities.

Gas explosions can happen for a number of reasons, among the most common being flammable liquids, built up air pressure, volatile gases, sparks, open flames, and other various combinations of incendiary materials and substances.

Gas explosions occur in a variety of different settings, including:

• Power Plants
• Oil and Gas Refineries
• Fracking Sites
• Mining Operations
• Manufacturing Plants
• Construction Sites
• Lumber Mills
• Transport Depots
• Fertilizer Plants
• Motor Vehicles (usually because of burst fuel tanks)

As we talked about earlier, gas explosions also happen frequently in residential areas, usually because of negligence on the part of the gas company, their employees, or an outside party. For example, these explosions have been known to occur because of aged and poorly maintained gas lines that lead from the street into the home.

Improper installation of a gas furnace, stove, or another appliance is a common culprit for explosion accidents as well. And in some cases, the root cause ends up being defective gas-powered products resulting from either a design or manufacturing flaw.

Types of Gas Explosion Injuries

There are four general ways in which someone can get injured by a gas explosion:

• Primary Blast Injuries: These are injuries that result from the direct impact of the explosion. For example, blast waves that hit the body can instantly damage lungs and other internal organs. The impact of the blast can also cause head and traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), eye ruptures, and severe ear damage.

• Secondary Blast Injuries: These injuries occur when individuals get struck by materials, fragments, and other objects that are dispersed during the explosion. Secondary blast injuries can be very serious, depending on which objects strike the individual and where they strike. For example, sharp objects can cause penetration injuries in the skin while hard objects that strike the head can cause traumatic brain injuries.

• Tertiary Blast Injuries: These are injuries that happen when an individual is thrown a significant distance because of the blast. This can cause various types of hard falling injuries, such as severe head injuries and fractures/broken bones.

• Quaternary Blast Injuries: These are any other injuries that do not fall into the other three categories. Burn injuries are among the more common types of quaternary blast injuries, and they can vary widely in severity. Inhalation of smoke and other toxic fumes is another frequent injury that can result from explosions.

Propane and Natural Gas Explosions

A gas leak can cause a number of different types of injuries. Victims can be injured by inhaling the gas (even if there is no explosion), by the impact of the explosion itself, by smoke inhalation and by burn injuries caused by resulting fires.

Victims of gas explosion accidents are forced to contend with serious personal injuries, property damage and even wrongful death. One of our experienced personal injury attorneys can conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the gas explosion accident to determine how the explosion occurred and who was at fault.

Can You Sue A Utility Company For A Residential Gas Explosion in Pennsylvania?

If you have been affected by a residential gas explosion in Pennsylvania, you may be wondering if you can hold the utility company accountable. The short answer is yes: it is possible to file a lawsuit against a utility provider if their negligence or failure to maintain safe infrastructure directly caused the incident. However, these cases are legally complex and require proving that the company breached its duty to keep residents safe.

Establishing Negligence

To succeed in a lawsuit against a utility company in Pennsylvania, you must typically prove negligence. This involves demonstrating that the utility company had a legal obligation to provide safe service, failed to meet that obligation, and that this failure led to the explosion. 

Evidence often centers on maintenance records, inspection histories, and the company’s response to reported gas leaks. If a utility provider ignored clear warning signs of a leak or failed to maintain aging, corroded, or unstable underground infrastructure, they may be held liable for the resulting damages. Under Pennsylvania law, the liability of public utilities for negligence, as established by common law, remains a foundational principle of accountability. 

The Complexity of Liability

In many cases, the utility company is not the only potential target for a lawsuit. Gas explosions are often the result of multiple failures. For example, a third-party construction company might have damaged an underground gas line, or a property owner might have failed to maintain internal gas appliances.

Because of this “web of liability,” legal teams often conduct extensive investigations to identify all responsible parties. They may consult safety engineers, fire marshals, and experts to reconstruct the timeline of events. You can pursue claims against contractors, appliance manufacturers, or even property owners, alongside or instead of the utility company, depending on who is found to be at fault.

Critical Steps Following an Explosion

If you or a loved one are involved in such an incident, time is of the essence. Pennsylvania law, specifically 42 Pa. C.S. § 5524, imposes a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury and property damage lawsuits based on negligence. If an action is not commenced within two years from the date of the injury or incident, the claim is generally barred. Furthermore, evidence preservation is vital. Following an explosion, the site must be thoroughly documented before conditions change or evidence is lost. 

If you smell gas, your priority must always be safety: evacuate immediately, leave doors and windows open if it is safe to do so, and move to a distance where you can safely call 911 or your local gas utility. Do not use light switches, phones, or any electronics that could create a spark.

Seeking Justice and Compensation

Victims of gas explosions can seek compensation for various damages. These typically include economic losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, as well as non-economic damages for pain, suffering, and emotional trauma. Because these cases involve large corporations with significant legal resources, seeking experienced legal counsel is a critical step in navigating the complexities of Pennsylvania’s utility and personal injury laws.

Pursuing a Gas Explosion Injury Claim in Pennsylvania

Our attorneys have extensive experience handling gas explosion lawsuits and other personal injury cases. We regularly work with experts in fire origins and other relevant fields who help us build compelling cases for our clients. Our goal is helping you recover maximum compensation for the losses you have suffered.

If your gas explosion injury happened in the workplace, you should be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, which provide reimbursement for reasonable and necessary medical costs, a percentage of lost earnings, and disability coverage.

Although workers’ comp is a no-fault program in which you do not need to prove negligence to qualify for benefits, the system is more complicated than it should be, and it can be very difficult for employees to recover the level of benefits they deserve. Our lawyers will work closely with you to ensure that you are able to get approved for benefits and that your claim goes as smoothly as possible.

If a gas explosion in the workplace is caused by a party other than your employer or coworkers, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit directly against the responsible party. This can open the door for the recovery of damages over and above what would be available through a workers’ comp claim, including compensation for pain-and-suffering, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life.

Examples of outside parties that may be responsible for a workplace gas explosion include:

• Third-party subcontractors that are doing work at the job site.
• Drivers of vehicles who cause auto accidents that result in a gas tank explosion.
• Designers, manufacturers, and distributors of faulty products that explode and cause injuries in the workplace.

Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Have you or has someone close to you been injured due to a gas explosion accident? Contact us today online or by telephone at 412-391-9860 or toll free at 866-466-5789 to speak with an experienced Pittsburgh gas explosion lawyer. We will meet with you to thoroughly assess your case and advise you of your legal rights and options. Initial consultations are free and confidential.