On Wednesday, Indiana state regulators fined Vectren Energy – one of the state’s largest utility companies – for $100,000 for mistakes that led to a serious natural gas explosion in New Albany in 2011. According to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC), Vectren Energy violated federal and state pipeline safety standards during a 2011 excavation project, injuring five people who lived in a home nearby, as well as a worker for Vectren’s subsidiary company, Miller Pipeline Corp.
Miller Pipeline Corp failed to verify the location of underground infrastructure, leading to them damaging a natural gas main. The gas leak caused an explosion in the nearby home. According to a spokeswoman for Vectren Energy, the company is taking full responsibility for the accident. The IURC has accused Vectren of four main violations:
- Failure to following proper notification protocol ($25,000)
- Failure to follow proper boring protocol ($25,000)
- Failure to follow proper leak investigation protocol ($25,000)
- Failure to engage in proper first responder activities ($25,000)
If you have been injured in a gas explosion caused by a leak, please contact Kline & Specter today for a free case evaluation with an experienced premises liability attorney.
