Suit Filed in Falk Explosion

By Richard Seward

Published on February 09, 2007

Both Falk and Brennan workers had been testing a propane system prior to the explosion. This system was intended to provide a separate fuel supply for the boilers that heated the 61-acre Falk complex. The propane followed an underground pipe that passed directly beneath the building consumed in the explosion.

Attorney Robert Habush stated at a news conference that workers for J.M. Brennan improperly installed the pipe and failed to test it for leaks before allowing propane into the system. He maintained that had this been done correctly, the men's deaths could have been prevented.

The suit describes how on the morning of the December 6th explosion, a Brennan employee had been monitoring the changeover from natural to propane gas. During this time, it is alleged that both Falk and Brennan workers on site detected the odor of propane gas and observed liquid propane leaking up from below ground. The suit then claims that Brennan workers said that they had control of the situation and that evacuation was unnecessary. The suit also states that Brennan improperly installed the propane tanks and that the pipeline was not tested. The explosion occurred 15 minutes following the first notice of leakage.

The explosion injured 46 other workers.

Damages claimed in the suit are unspecified.

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