Wrongful death claim filed over California gas leak

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Wrongful Death, on Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Massachusetts residents might find it interesting that a lung cancer patient’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the California gas company responsible for a Los Angeles-area methane leak, claiming the incident hastened her death. The 79-year-old woman died on Jan. 25, approximately three months after the pipeline rupture was discovered. According to the lawsuit, the victim was suffering from stage 4 lung cancer but was very independent, going on cruises, lunching with friends and continuing to drive. Her family contends that she began suffering from labored breathing and severe headaches shortly after the leak, which was about 3 miles from her home, began. By December, her condition worsened to the extent that she required 24-hour oxygen support. The victim’s family claims the gas leak ruined her quality of life and led her to a premature death. The suit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, alleges that Southern California Gas Company removed a safety valve from the ruptured gas well in 1979 that could have ended the gas leak as soon as it was detected. Instead, the leak went on for months and is ranked as the largest California methane leak ever. The company is facing more than 20 other civil lawsuits from area residents, thousands of whom had to be temporarily evacuated. Criminal charges are also pending. When someone dies as the result of negligence by another party, the decedent’s survivors may want to meet with an attorney to discuss the advisability of filing a wrongful death lawsuit. The types of damages that are sought often include funeral and burial expenses, loss of companionship and, where applicable, medical expenses incurred prior to the death of the decedent. Source: Yahoo, “First wrongful death claim filed over California methane leak,” Steve Gorman, Feb. 4, 2016