The Columbia Daily Tribune, from Missouri, has reported that a long-running wrongful death lawsuit has been settled and three adult children, descendents of the couple that perished in their home from a natural gas leak and ensuing explosion, will be receiving a confidential award.
The four-year-old lawsuit was settled on September 10. The suit had been scheduled to be heard the following day, September 11, before Circuit Judge Jodie Asel in the Boone County Courthouse.
C.S. and M.S. died on March 14, 2008 in their home in East Campus. An investigation by the fire department confirmed that the explosion that killed the couple was due to an extreme amount of natural gas that had been leaking into their home's basement.
Ameren Missouri, a power company part of the St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation, was the defendant in the suit. The plaintiffs were P.S., P.H. and L.S., the couple's three daughters.
L.S. lives in Columbia while the other two sisters reside in California. L.S. told reporters, "I am emotionally relieved not to be going to trial today and glad that I don't have to relive the events of March 14 and the death of my parents."
Neil Johnson, the attorney for the three daughters, chose not to issue a comment on the lawsuit.
The date for the settlement hearing has not been scheduled.
Ameren was represented by attorney Gerald King. King told reporters, "Ameren Missouri has settled with the family of (C.S. and M.S.). The terms of the settlement are confidential."
C.S., 87, was found dead at the scene. His wife, M.S., 85, was found 20 feet away from the house. M.S. was taken to University Hospital, but was unable to recover from burns to 30 percent of her body and died three weeks later.
Columbia Fire Department investigators reported that the explosion caused the home's walls to be pushed out several feet, the first floor came down all the way to the basement and the front door of the house was found in a yard across the street.
According to court records, on the day of the explosion the amount of gas in the home had risen to 1,800 cubic feet. In the preceding weeks, it was noted that no more than 700 cubic feet of gas entered the home in a single day.
Investigators did not locate any firearms or explosives in the home.
The suit, filed in 2008, alleged that Ameren had "superior knowledge" of the gas distribution system that sent natural gas into the home. The suit further alleged that Ameren did not act responsibly, or timely, in shutting off the gas after it had begun to enter the home.
Ameren countered the allegations by stating that it never willfully caused the explosion, they followed all government regulations, the couple should have smelt the odor of "rotten eggs" from their gas leak and that the couple also didn't properly maintain their in-home appliances.
You may be due a monetary award if you too have lost a loved one in a wrongful death situation. Contact a personal injury lawyer to file your lawsuit right away!