Man injured in Carrollton home explosion believed linked to natural gas sues Atmos Energy
A man who was injured in an explosion believed to be linked to natural gas at a Carrollton home on Saturday has filed a lawsuit against Atmos Energy.
Sergio Valdez suffered severe burns on his arms and face, according to the lawsuit.
The investigation into what caused the explosion is ongoing, but Fire Chief Michael Thompson told KXAS-TV that an underground gas leak may have gotten into the sewer pipe at the residence and built up in a bathroom. The blast ignited when someone lit a cigarette around 3:45 a.m.
Valdez and his wife, Raquel Garcia, are asking for over $1 million in damages.
“This is yet another tragic explosion case that arises from Defendant, Atmos Energy’s, gross negligence and longstanding pattern of valuing profits over human life, of which the citizens of DFW have become all too familiar,” the lawsuit states.
The explosion at the Carrollton home comes less than two weeks after a Jan. 8 explosion that blew out windows and walls on the first two floors of the Sandman Signature Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. Two stories collapsed into the basement, where the blast is thought to have originated, and 21 people were injured. The cause of that explosion remains under investigation, but fire officials think it was connected to natural gas.
At least eight lawsuits including 28 plaintiffs have been filed in the wake of the hotel explosion.
The lawsuits claim companies including the hotel and its owner Northland Properties, gas company Atmos Energy, and Rock Libations, the owner of the Musume restaurant in the hotel’s basement, knew there was a gas leak but didn’t warn the occupants of the building or attempt to evacuate them.
In the home explosion case, Carrollton Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to the 1800 block of Highland Drive shortly before 3:45 a.m. Saturday. They found evidence of an explosion in the single-family residence, officials said in a social media post. Firefighters quickly extinguished small amounts of fire at the location.
One person was found at the home and taken to a hospital in stable condition, the post said. There were no other injuries reported. Houses on both sides of the affected home were evacuated as a precaution.
The Carrollton Fire Marshal’s Office and Atmos Energy are investigating the cause of the explosion, officials said in the post.
“While the cause is still under investigation, we do remind our citizens if you smell gas inside your house, DO NOT turn on any lights, smoke cigarettes, or turn on stoves — get outside of the structure and call 911 to report it,” fire officials said in the post.
Another natural gas leak was discovered Friday afternoon in the area of East Seventh Street and Commerce Street in downtown Fort Worth, a short distance away from a leak that was discovered Jan. 16 outside the 777 Main St. tower.
This story was originally published January 20, 2024 at 12:49 PM.
