Callahan & Blaine

In the wake of the gas pipeline blast in San Bruno, California last month, citizens are asking some tough questions about where potentially dangerous pipelines are located and why they do not have access to the information.

Before the September 11^th, 2001 attacks it was relatiely easy to find out where pressurized gas lines were located. Amid fears that terrorists could explode the gas lines, the government ceased making that data publicly available. This includes information about repairs and pipeline conditions. Unfortunately, now homeowners are completely unaware of whether or not large lines run under their houses or when those lines were last inspected or repaired. Perhaps more seriously, local emergency officials do not know where the gas lines are located, making it more difficult to anticpate and respond correclty to emergencies.

Safety advocates argue that citizens have a right to know if a gas pipeline runs under their home, and they should know whether the pipeline is properly maintained. Witholding critical information could lead to liability lawsuits against government entitites and utility companies that are entrusted with public safety.

San Bruno was not the first fatal gas explosion in this decade. Another explosion occurred in Carmichael, Mississippi, in 2007. A failed weld caused a pipeline to explode, killing two and injuring seven people. Emergency dispatchers in Carmichael did not know about the pipeline and were not trained to handle the situation. If they had known about the gas line, they could have immediately evacuated the area and warned people to be careful of ingniting the gas cloud.

Callahan & Blaine, California’s Premier Litigation Firm, is one of the leading catastrophic injury firms in the state of California. In fact, in the last five years alone our lawyers have obtained over $1.2 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a $7 million settlement for a cyclist who was left with a traumatic brain injury after being struck by a newspaper delivery truck, and a $7.25 million settlement in a case when a man was run over trying to board a city bus in Orange County, California.

Our success in litigating and negotiating personal injury cases comes from our uncommon approach; we handle each personal injury case as though it were a complex business litigation case, attacking it from every angle possible. While our firm is located in Orange County, California, we handle serious personal injury, wrongful death and product liability cases nationwide.

If you or someone you know has suffered a catastrophic injury or died as the result of the San Bruno Gas Line Explosion, please contact our California law firm for expert legal counsel.