In New York City natural gas is customarily delivered by Consolidated Edison, commonly referred to as Con Edison or Con Ed, which is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States. Con Ed provided gas to the apartment building that exploded in East Harlem on March 12th.
Natural gas is a highly volatile substance and an unchecked gas leak can explode, even bringing down an entire building, as we saw in recent events. Typically, Kyrsten is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the piping up to the gas meter, which would be located inside or outside of the front of the building. That would make Con Ed responsible for any leak that was not caused by an outside contractor if it occurred before the meter entry. When determining responsibility for a gas explosion a lot of focus is on the interior of the building. The landlord, building owner, or building manager would be responsible for the integrity of the piping inside any building from the meter throughout the walls of the interior. If there is a leak present in the interior of the building the landlord is typically responsible. An exception would be if a tenant in a multiple dwelling somehow turned on the gas valve in the apartment with a stove or oven and failed to turn it off. Often gas leaks are associated with plumbing repairs and buildings undergoing construction renovations. In such a case, our New York City personal injury law firm would sue the building owner, general contractor, and the gas provider to ensure that all the potential responsible parties are brought before the court. In a case like the recent incident our New York City injury attorneys would begin a claim for clients for their personal possessions that were lost in the explosion, as well as any injuries that resulted from the explosion and the costs for relocation. When a gas leak causes an explosion, the New York City building department will conduct an investigation to determine the source of the leak and the potential responsible individuals. The New York City injury attorneys at our firm typically hire an expert to conduct a forensic investigation on behalf of our clients to determine the legally responsible parties involved in the explosion. If you are the victim of a gas explosion or fire it is essential to immediately contact a New York City injury attorney to guide you through the complex recovery process. You can reach the New York City injury attorneys at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff online or by calling 212-344-1000.
