You may remember the huge explosion that happened in East Harlem back in 2014. A gas explosion leveled two buildings killing eight and injuring over 50 people. The cause of the explosion was a faulty weld between two ancient gas lines and loose soil. Gas permeated through the soil and caused a buildup sufficient enough to cause so much damage.
The Settlement
Fox Business is reporting that a settlement has been reached between Consolidated Edison and the State of New York over the incident.
The final settlement amount is over $150 million dollars. $25 million of that is guaranteed to go to the victims. The rest of the money will cover the costs the city bore to clean up the mess. Con Ed has also been ordered to inspect and fix all of their pipes and to improve safety features to allow an immediate shutdown of gas. Also, they have been forbidden to pass the costs of the settlement onto their customers.
According to the regulators, this incident was entirely preventable.
We hope that the victims in this incident do get the compensation they need. In such an egregious incident, someone has to pay up. Burn injuries take a very long time to heal and can cause lifelong complications. The settlement money should help.
Have you been injured in an explosion or burn accident? Browse our website. We have information you’ll need to know what to expect after the accident, how the healing process is likely to go, and where you can turn for help. If you need the assistance of a burn lawyer, call the number at the top of the screen and we can refer you to one in your area.