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Second wrongful death suit filed after Dallas apt. explosion
Another wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Atmos Energy for their alleged role in the Dallas apartment explosion that killed three people. FOX 4's Steven Dial has more.
DALLAS - Atmos Energy is facing another wrongful death lawsuit in the wake of the deadly apartment explosion in Oak Cliff earlier this year.
Wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos Energy
What we know:
Attorney Ted Lyon has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos Energy on behalf the family of Marisol and Erick Perez Jr., who were killed in the deadly May explosion.
The suit alleges Atmos Energy did not properly mark gas lines outside The Clyde Apartments, where the explosion occurred.
A crew hired to do soil tests on the building, which was up for sale, ruptured an unmarked gas line. Atmos says it hired a contractor to handle line markings.
Marisol Perez and her son, Erick
What they're saying:
"Here they failed to mark the line properly. Atmos did. They didn't know where their line was," Ted Lyon tells FOX 4's Steven Dial.
Lyon believes Atmos Energy is solely responsible for the explosion.
Ted Lyon
"They gave a driller information where to drill, and they drilled in the wrong place. The under bearing of the structure was filled with gas and you had this immense explosion. So strong evidence that they were negligent, they were grossly negligent."
Marison Perez's daughter survived the explosion, being carried out of the building by a good Samaritan before the flames engulfed it. Lyon believes her daughter has trauma from the event as well.
"This has been crushing for Mr. Perez and his daughter is suffering a lot. Of course, she was in the explosion, so we are very concerned that she may have explosion-related brain damage. It's a horrible situation."
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Man describes saving young girl from apartment explosion
Dallas resident Rodney Brown describes his effort to save a young girl from the Dallas apartment explosion to FOX 4's Amelia Jones.
Atmos Energy tells FOX 4 it does not comment on pending litigation.
Dig deeper:
This is the second lawsuit filed against Atmos on behalf of one of the victims.
In early June, the Dallas law firm Hamilton Wingo filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Sylvia Collins, an 81-year-old community activist who was killed along with two others.
The suit accuses Atmos Energy, a drilling company, and the apartment management of gross negligence resulting in the tragedy.
Sylvia Collins
Oak Cliff apartment explosion
The backstory:
The explosion and massive fire happened on Thursday, May 28, at The Clyde apartments, located near the corner of East 9th Street and North Patton Avenue.
Three people were killed, and five others were hospitalized.
Images from SKY 4 showed the 22-unit apartment building fully engulfed in flames. The windows on neighboring buildings appeared to be blown out and debris was scattered across the street. There also appeared to be a utility truck that was affected by the fire.
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Families lose belongings, loved ones in Dallas explosion
An explosion at a Dallas apartment complex has left at least three people dead and many without their belongings, pets or a place to call home. FOX 4's Amelia Jones and David Sentendrey have more about the ongoing recovery efforts and what residents are saying about the tragedy.
Neighbors said they heard a loud boom, and they felt their own apartments shake before a large plume of black smoke rise high into the Dallas sky.
At peak, there were more than 100 firefighters at the scene of the five-alarm fire.
What's next:
Lyon says he has previously sued Atmos Energy in similar cases dating back to 2000, and each of those cases were settled before reaching court.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a lawsuit filed against Atmos Energy and previous FOX 4 reporting.