Defendant in 2023 gas explosion suit in Columbiana Co. asks for dismissal of suit

The gas company that is named in a lawsuit in connection with a 2023 home explosion that left three people injured in Columbiana County is asking to have the lawsuit dismissed.

The suit was filed Friday, August 8 in the Columbiana County Common Pleas Court in connection with the explosion at a home on the 500 block of Wells Falls Road in Yellow Creek Township in August of 2023 that injured three.

The suit names gas company Eichler LP Gas, Inc., as well as Eichler LP Gas owner Gary Eichler and employee Galen Brandt as defendants.

According to the suit, the occupants called Eichler on August 13, 2023 after they found that there was no hot water in their home and the propane tank was empty.

The suit goes on to allege that the defendants filled the tank with propane without noticing that the reason the propane had run out was because of a leak in the external distribution system.

The suit further alleges that filling the tank had introduced propane into the home's piping, which began leaking into the home.

In a new filing on Tuesday, the defendant, Eichler LP Gas, disputed claims in lawsuit. 

The filing states that the home had a 500-gallon propane tank, a first-stage regulator, a copper supply line buried under ground between the regulators, but said Eichler LP Gas did not install the gas line between the regulators or into the house, but did delivery gas to the house, 

Hours after the homeowners returned home, the explosion happened and the house "erupted in fire," causing a juvenile to be thrown from the home and injuring the two others in the home, with one occupant being trapped in the basement, according to the suit. 

According to the suit, the explosion was caused by propane that leaked from the yard supply line into the home, where it ignited.

The explosion caused serious injuries to all three parties, including broken bones, severe burns, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the suit. The suit further states that the home, its contents and the family's vehicles were also destroyed as a result of the explosion.

The family and insurance company Erie Insurance are accusing Eichler LP Gas, Inc. of negligence and are demanding damages in excess of $25,000.

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Three people injured at a home explosion in Columbiana County