Albuquerque Gas Explosion Accident Attorney

Gas explosions are severe incidents that often cause serious injuries and wrongful death. One recent gas pipeline explosion in New Mexico is an example of the catastrophic nature of these accidents. This explosion killed five adults, five children, and critically injured two others. A gas company could be liable for these major injury events.

If you’ve suffered personal injuries or lost a loved one in a gas explosion, contact the Albuquerque accident attorneys at the Fine Law Firm. We have decades of experience navigating complex injury laws and claims. We can investigate your case, identify a defendant, and help you fight for fair compensation. Schedule your free consultation today.

Why Choose Us?

Gas explosion injuries require lawyers who pay attention to detail. The Fine Law Firm’s lawyers always carefully review the facts of each client’s case. We prioritize client well-being, maintaining close contact with them and offering candid advice as necessary. Clients choose us to represent them during gas explosion cases for the following reasons:

• A 99% success rate and history of achieving positive outcomes for clients
• We operate on a contingency-fee basis, charging attorney’s fees only if we win
• Multiple prestigious organizations have recognized us for our achievements

If you’re recovering from a serious gas explosion or burn injury, The Fine Law Firm may be able to help. We can review your case, discuss whether it has merit, and potentially assist you with the claims filing process in Albuquerque.

Why Do You Need a Gas Explosion Accident Lawyer?

A gas explosion case is serious. Gas companies and their insurers will likely attempt to downplay your injuries, shirk liability, and/or deny your claim to save money. The odds of an insurance company taking advantage of you are much higher without a lawyer. Hiring an attorney to represent you during claims negotiations, however, can ensure the insurance company takes your case seriously. Our trial attorneys aren’t afraid to go up against insurance corporations in court.

Causes of Gas Explosions

Gas explosions occur most often due to gas pipeline leaks. Undetected gas leaks can lead to the gas mixing with a source of ignition, such as a spark. When a gas company fails to properly install and maintain gas pipelines, the risk of an explosion increases.

Pipelines themselves may also explode if improperly pressurized. Sudden inundation with high-pressure gas, for example, could burst the pipes or cause a gas leak. It is up to gas companies to properly install and monitor their pipes for potential problems before leaks, fires, and explosions.

What Kind of Injuries Do Explosions Cause?

Gas explosions can be catastrophic events that result in multiple serious injuries and casualties. Explosions can cause a wide variety of injuries depending on the size and magnitude of the event. The proximity of the gas line or explosion to a victim can also affect injury severity.

Common injuries from explosions include:

• Cuts, scrapes and deep lacerations from debris and shrapnel
• Internal injuries to organs from the force of a shockwave
• Burn injuries from a fire or the heat of the explosion
• Blast lung, or damage to the lungs due to a shockwave
• Hearing damage and temporary or permanent hearing loss from the blast
• Eye injuries from the light of the explosion or damage from flying debris
• Bone fractures from the force of the blast or being struck by shrapnel
• Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions from the blast force or getting struck by flying objects
• Muscle and soft-tissue damage from the force of the explosion
• Amputations or losses of limb due to the force of the blast
• Spinal cord injuries and permanent paralysis from blast damage

Gas explosion injuries can result in permanent scarring, disfigurement, disability, loss of an important bodily function and wrongful death. If you or a loved one suffered any type of injury in an Albuquerque gas explosion, you may qualify for financial compensation for your related medical expenses and other losses.

What Should I Do Immediately After a Gas Explosion Accident in Albuquerque?

If you are in the vicinity of a gas explosion in Albuquerque, you could be at risk of suffering serious and life-changing injuries. Take the following steps to ensure your safety, minimize further harm and protect your legal rights:

1. Ensure your safety and the safety of others by evacuating the area where the gas explosion occurred. There may be additional explosions or structural collapses after the initial blast.

1. Notify emergency services, such as a disaster response team at your workplace or local law enforcement (by calling 911). Report the explosion and give details about anyone who is injured.

1. Seek medical attention immediately for any injuries. Go to the nearest hospital or medical center for treatment without delay. Keep copies of your medical records and hospital bills.

1. Avoid returning to the site until emergency responders have deemed it safe to do so. Once you receive clearance to return, document the site by taking photos for insurance purposes.

1. Contact your gas company to report the explosion and file a claim with their insurance provider for your injuries and property damage.

If you are not at fault for the gas explosion, collecting financial compensation should be a simple and straightforward process. Unfortunately, insurance companies tend to put their own interests before their clients. If an insurer makes it difficult for you to recover fair financial compensation for your injuries, you may need to hire an attorney to represent you.

Who Is Liable? Who Can I Pursue for Damages?

If a gas company fails to adequately install, maintain, or repair its gas pipelines, and this causes a gas explosion, the company could be liable for property damage, injuries and deaths. The same is true if one of the gas company’s employees made the error that caused the explosion, as employers are liable for the actions of their employees. As a victim, you would have to prove the gas company (or another party’s) fault for causing the explosion to pursue damages.

The burden of proof in a gas explosion case is a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely to be true than not true. If you or your lawyer can show that the gas company negligently failed to meet the appropriate standards and this caused the gas explosion, the company can be held financially responsible for your losses.

Besides the gas company, any other party that contributed to the explosion could also be named as a defendant in your case. Examples include contractors or equipment installers, equipment manufacturers, property owners, employers, and local authorities or utility regulators. Determining liability will require an in-depth investigation into the cause of the incident.

How to Prove Negligence in a Gas Explosion Case?

Most gas explosion cases are based on the legal theory of negligence, or someone’s failure to exercise proper care. To secure compensation for a gas explosion case in Albuquerque, your attorney must prove that the defendant or accused party was negligent and that this is what caused the explosion.

Negligence consists of four elements:

1. Duty of care: an obligation the defendant owes to the plaintiff to act with a reasonable amount of care, such as the duty a gas utility company owes to its customers to ensure the safety of its pipelines and equipment.

1. Breach of the duty of care: an act or failure to act that violates the defendant’s duty of care, such as a gas company failing to properly inspect and maintain its pipelines.

1. Causation: a provable connection between the defendant’s breach of the duty of care and the injured victim’s losses or damages.

1. Damages suffered: real and specific losses sustained by the victim due to the defendant’s negligence, such as physical injuries and property damage.

An attorney can help you establish the defendant’s duty of care based on the circumstances, such as the legal duty that utility companies have to maintain safe gas systems. Then, your lawyer can collect evidence of negligence on the part of the defendant and demonstrate that this was a substantial factor in causing the gas explosion that injured you. Your lawyer will search for supporting evidence and hire experts, as necessary, to help you prove your case.

What Damages Can I Recover?

You may be able to recover both past and future expenses arising from the gas explosion in a personal injury claim. Your recovery amount could include compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost wages, the lost capacity to earn, and restitution for a temporary or permanent disability. Disfiguring burns, traumatic amputations, and other permanent injuries from gas explosions will generally garner greater damage awards than less serious injuries.

Economic Damages

The two types of compensatory damages available in a personal injury case in New Mexico are economic and noneconomic. Economic damages are the monetary or financial losses suffered by the victim, also known as tangible or specific damages. They include health care expenses, losses of income and property damage. Economic damages can cover both past and future foreseeable expenses connected to the incident.

Noneconomic Damages

Noneconomic damages describe losses suffered by the victim that are not financial, such as physical pain, psychological trauma, scarring or disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. Since noneconomic damages are intangible, they are more difficult to calculate than economic damages. Their value is generally based on the level of impact the gas explosion has had on the victim’s life and well-being. Insurance companies and the courts have their own ways of calculating noneconomic damages.

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are not awarded to reimburse a victim for losses suffered but instead to punish a defendant for especially egregious or malicious acts of wrongdoing. In New Mexico, a judge may award punitive damages if a plaintiff can prove that the defendant was reckless or intentionally intended to harm another person. Punitive damages are rare in New Mexico, as this burden of proof is difficult to meet.

Contact Our Albuquerque Gas Explosion Accident Attorneys Today

If you’ve been in a gas explosion in New Mexico, contact us for a free legal consultation. The Fine Law Firm can give you peace of mind, taking care of the complex litigation process while you focus on injury recovery. Our Albuquerque personal injury lawyers are compassionate to the unique needs of clients after gas explosions. Schedule a free evaluation today.