$6.1M Settlement Reached in Youngstown Blast Lawsuit

$6.1M Settlement Reached in Youngstown Blast Lawsuit

Introduction

The family of a 27-year-old man from Penn Hills, who tragically died in an explosion in Youngstown, Ohio, has secured a settlement exceeding $6.1 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.

The explosion occurred last year when an office building in downtown Youngstown was rocked by a blast caused by a severed natural gas line. The incident also left nine others injured.

Cause of Explosion and Legal Action

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a four-member scrap removal crew was working in the basement of the Realty Building at the time. Unaware that the gas lines were still active, a crew member cut into a pipe he had been told was out of service. The victim’s family subsequently filed a lawsuit against both the building owner and the gas company.

NTSB Findings

NTSB investigators later determined that although the gas line was labeled inactive, it had been pressurized with natural gas, ultimately leading to the fatal explosion.