Dallas apartment explosion prompts wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos Energy
DALLAS - A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed connected to the deadly explosion at an Oak Cliff apartment complex.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit
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The Dallas law firm Hamilton Wingo filed the suit 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.
Utility work was being done in the area at the time of the explosion. But officials have not yet determined that as a cause. Some neighbors said they smelled gas for several days before the blast.
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Three people, including a toddler, died and five others were injured after an explosion at an Oak Cliff apartment complex in Dallas.
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The law firm Kherkher Garcia LLP in Houston has also filed a lawsuit against Atmos on behalf of Onecimo Ponce Mendoza, a resident who was injured.
Mendoza’s suit alleges the energy company failed to "properly monitor conditions in the complex and surrounding properties despite having knowledge of the extreme risks of harm in failing to do so."
It also alleges Atmos failed to notify residents of the danger associated with a gas leak in their residence.
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The backstory:
The explosion and massive fire happened last Thursday at The Clyde apartments, located near the corner of East 9th Street and North Patton Avenue.
Three people were killed, including Collins, Marisol Perez, and Perez’s 18-month-old son, Erick. 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.
Dallas Apartment Explosion: 3 dead and 'everyone is accounted for'
The focus is shifting to recovery and an investigation after a gas explosion at an apartment building in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. At least three people are confirmed dead and five were injured, including one who was critically injured.
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.
Officials confirmed a gas leak was reported just before the explosion.
Atmos also said a construction crew not related to the company damaged a pipeline.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the wrongful death lawsuit, lawyers for Sylvia Collins' family, and past news coverage.