Lake Dallas explosion victim sues Atmos Energy over alleged gas leak, says her home had no gas appliances

LAKE DALLAS, Texas - The woman who was seriously injured in a Lake Dallas home explosion last week is suing Atmos Energy, claiming a natural gas leak nearly killed her, even though her home has no gas service.

Lake Dallas Home Explosion

The backstory:

Officials with the city of Lake Dallas and Atmos Energy remain silent about the cause of an explosion and fire on Thursday evening that destroyed a home in the 600 block of Moseley Street, which is near Lake Dallas Middle School.

A woman who was home at the time was airlifted to the hospital following the explosion.

What's new:

A newly filed lawsuit identifies the home’s owner as Jessica Bailey Lopez.

It states that a blast wave ripped through Lopez’ home, blowing off her roof, leveling walls, and sending debris all over the neighborhood.

"Witnesses have compared the concussive blast to the sound of a bomb going off and could be felt and heard miles away on Lake Dallas," the lawsuit states.

Lopez, who became trapped under her home’s rubble and debris, was rescued by neighbors who reportedly heard her crying out for help.

She remains in intensive care at the hospital with severe burns, broken bones, and projectile wounds, according to the lawsuit.

"She is lucky to be alive," it states.  

Natural Gas Leak

What they're saying:

While there’s no official word on the cause of the explosion, Lopez’s lawsuit claims it was the result of a natural gas leak. It places the blame on Atmos.

"After leaking from Atmos’s gas facilities, the gas migrated into [Lopez’s] home where it ignited, resulting in the explosion," the suit claims. "At the time of the explosion, [Lopez’s] home had no natural gas appliances, and she was not a customer of Atmos."

The lawsuit claims Atmos was negligent and seeks more than $1 million in damages for Lopez’s "life-altering, severe personal injuries."

Concerned Neighbors

Local perspective:

Several homes in the neighborhood were also evacuated after the explosion. City officials said it was out of an abundance of caution.

The city reported two other gas leaks on its social media pages in the days leading up to the explosion. But so far, no official connection has been made.

Many neighbors said they were frustrated by the lack of information being shared and the fact that an upcoming city council meeting was canceled.

"We all have questions. Why did you take away our city council meeting? That doesn't make sense. That sounds like another door shut on us," said Amanda Hughes, who lives one street away from where the explosion happened.

Lake Dallas officials said Thursday’s meeting was canceled because the explosion "impacted the ability to meet statutory posting requirements for the meeting." 

They plan to host a town hall meeting in the near future to discuss the incident, but did not specify a date.