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Melinda Gonzales, 65, moved back to Dallas to be close to her family.
Gonzalez had lived in San Antonio for years before she returned to her hometown in mid-July. She found a duplex to rent in the Cedar Crest area.
On Aug. 9, Gonzales was inside the home when an explosion rocked the South Dallas home. Neighbors reported hearing Gonzales scream for help, trapped inside the smoldering wreckage of the duplex.
She ultimately escaped through a side door. When she emerged, witnesses were horrified by the extent of her burns, so much so that they didn’t want to touch her for fear of worsening her injuries.
Doctors in the emergency room determined she had sustained burns on about 95% of her body. Two days later, Gonzales died.
Now, her family wants justice – to the tune of $100 million.
A lawsuit filed by a Houston-based firm alleges that the Atmos Energy Corp. violated safety standards and procedures when it failed to check whether gas was leaking into houses near a company worksite near Huntingdon Avenue.
“The damages are so high because we can’t bring the person back. We have to send the message that this defendant [Atmos Energy Corp.] is putting people in the Dallas County area at risk.” – Benny Agosto Jr., attorney
An Atmos crew had been conducting maintenance on the main gas line near the site of the explosion in the days leading up to the blast. “If they do repairs on the main, they have to close all the lines that go to the property,” explained Benny Agosto Jr., the Gonzalez family’s attorney.
According to Dallas County Health and Safety Code, technicians must enter the nearby homes connected to the mainline and ensure the valves on their gas lines are closed, which prevents gas from leaking into the homes.
Melinda Gonzales moved back to Dallas to be close to her family. After an explosion rocked her duplex while she was inside, her family is suing Atmos Energy, saying they are at fault.
Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner
The lawsuit alleges that there were three valves left uncapped in the duplex where Gonzales lived at the time of the explosion.
“The damages are so high because we can’t bring the person back. We have to send the message that this defendant [Atmos Energy Corporation] is putting people in the Dallas County area at risk,” Agosto said.
Atmos Energy didn’t respond to requests for comment.
This is not the first time Atmos has been connected to a fatal explosion in the Dallas area. In 2018, a 12-year-old girl died in a house explosion. The National Transportation and Safety Board later found that the explosion was caused by Atmos’ insufficient management of their nearby pipelines.
This summer, an Atmos worker was killed after safety protocol lapses resulted in an explosion at an Atmos plant. Weeks later, another home explosion rocked Plano, injuring six people.
