Why a Utility May Be Responsible for a House Explosion

Although a natural gas leak isn’t the only possible reason a home may explode, structures don’t explode by themselves. Natural gas buildup in or near a house is a common cause of these accidents. Depending on the facts of the case, the local gas utility may be liable.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, attorneys represent those injured in home explosions and the family members of those killed in these accidents. If you have questions about your rights and potential compensation following a house explosion, call us at 502-589-5600 (toll-free at 855-385-9532).

How Can a Natural Gas Leak Cause a House Explosion?

Natural gas explosions rarely result from a single error. Instead, they typically result from multiple failures, overlooked warnings, or inadequate maintenance.

Gas distribution systems should operate at carefully regulated pressures. If that doesn’t happen, over-pressurization can rupture service lines or household piping, causing a rapid release of gas into a home. Failures at regulator stations can affect multiple homes, increasing the risk of explosions.

Another danger is a contractor excavating near an underground gas line and damaging it. The contractor should contact the utility to determine the location of the gas line. The contractor may fail to do so, or the utility may provide incorrect information.

A damaged gas line may leak gas underground for hours or days before it gets into a nearby home through:

• Foundation cracks
• Sewer or drain lines
• Utility conduits
• Basements or crawl spaces

Many utility companies operate aging gas infrastructure, including cast-iron or steel pipes that may corrode, crack, or fail at pipe joints, resulting in a gas leak. There could also be gas leaks inside the home from pipes, gas-fueled appliances, or the heating system.

If gas accumulates inside an enclosed space, an ignition source (a furnace, water heater, light switch, or static electricity) can trigger an explosion that could level a house.

What Should Happen if a Gas Leak is Reported?

The chemical, mercaptan. is added to natural gas (which has no odor) to provide a rotten egg/sulfur odor so you’ll know there’s a leak. If a homeowner smells it and notifies the local utility, it’s expected to respond promptly and thoroughly. Explosions may happen if a utility:

• Fails to respond in a timely way, so there’s more gas in the home, making an explosion more likely and more dangerous
• Their inspection is incomplete
• Misclassifies the leak as “non-hazardous”
• Allows a known leak to continue

An inadequate leak-detection survey or outdated equipment can allow dangerous conditions to continue, laying the groundwork for an explosion.

How Might a Utility Claim They’re Not Responsible?

A utility’s legal defenses, like the claims against them, should be based on the facts of the situation. After a house explosion, there may be multiple investigations into the cause, including by insurance companies covering the parties involved.

A wise utility will wait until the outcome of an investigation that clears it before denying responsibility. These investigations may identify multiple, and possibly conflicting, reasons why a house exploded.

A utility may claim that it exercised reasonable care by complying with industry standards and applicable laws and regulations. It may state that it:

• Properly installed and maintained their system
• Conducted routine inspections
• Appropriately responded to complaints

Utilities frequently rely on compliance with federal pipeline safety and state utility regulations to argue they met their legal obligations; however, regulatory compliance, even if established, is not necessarily a complete defense. At issue is whether the utility, through its employees, was negligent and caused the explosion, regardless of whether applicable rules or laws were followed.

• A utility may shift blame to others, including:
   • interior house piping beyond its control;
   • defective gas appliances; or
   • errors by homeowners or contractors.

A utility may investigate an explosion to identify alternative causes, potentially shifting blame to other parties the plaintiff may need to join in the litigation.

Utilities may argue the homeowner shares the blame because they:

• Ignored gas odors and allowed the leak to continue
• Failed to maintain gas appliances
• Performed work in the home that damaged the gas line
• Failed to evacuate or report the leak

Kentucky is a pure comparative fault state. If a utility successfully makes this argument to a jury, the case against them may be dismissed, or the plaintiff’s recovery may be reduced by their share of the explosion’s cause.

Why Should I Retain Satterley & Kelley, PLLC if My Home Exploded Because of Another Party’s Negligence?

Natural gas explosions lead to complex, high-stakes, and expert-driven legal claims. Proving liability can require engineering experts and aggressive discovery to uncover the following:

• Facts
• Data
• Internal communications
• Documents
• Physical evidence

They can help establish the following:

• The explosion’s cause
• What the utility knew about related problems
• When it learned about these problems
• What it did and failed to do in response

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers can:

• Preserve evidence after the explosion
• Retain qualified experts
• Challenge utility defenses and blame-shifting
• Pursue full compensation for your property loss, displacement, and injuries

These cases are far too complex for a homeowner to handle themselves if they want to discover the truth of what happened and obtain fair compensation for their losses.

Get The Legal Help You Need After a House Explosion

If you’re injured in a gas explosion or a family member was killed in one, you may be entitled to compensation. To talk to an experienced attorney about your situation, contact our Louisville law offices online or call us at 502-589-5600 (toll-free at 855-385-9532). We can discuss what happened, how Kentucky law may apply, and how we can help you and your family.