Georgia Personal Injury Trial Attorneys

Gas Company Liability When There’s a Leak

By: Fry | Goehring

We always think of home as the safest place. It’s our refuge and a place where we can escape from many of the dangers of the world. However, when there’s a gas leak nearby your home—it can create a dangerous situation for you and your family.

Although natural gas is odorless, gas companies typically add a chemical that has the smell of rotten eggs to alert people of a gas leak. But a gas leak does so much more harm than releasing a foul smell in the air: It can be toxic when people are exposed. Gas and natural gas leaks can cause a variety of symptoms in those exposed to the leak, including headaches, nosebleeds, rashes, earaches, eye irritation, vomiting, nausea, and respiratory problems. People with cancer, emphysema, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may experience worsened or more pronounced symptoms.

When there is a gas leak nearby, it’s crucial to get away from the gas leak as soon as possible because of the risk of explosion. Although gas leaks sometimes occur hundreds of feet underground, if they are near a well, they could potentially get into a water supply or cause water faucets in homes to explode. Homeowners will typically have to go stay at a hotel for a few days until the leak is fixed and children may have to attend school in an alternate location when there is a gas leak nearby.

When a gas leak occurs, who is responsible? What is the gas company’s liability in the situation?

WHAT IS THE GAS COMPANY LIABILITY IN A GAS LEAK?

Natural gas is a part of our everyday lives: We heat our homes with it, cook with it, and power our homes it. However, it is a very dangerous substance that should be handled with extreme care. A distributor of natural gas is required to exercise a high level of care and due diligence to prevent injury and damage to the public from the escape of gas from its lines.

If at any point a gas company has notice of defects in gas lines, pipes, or any appliances a customer has, they have an obligation to fix any problems or shut off the gas until the problem has been fixed. If a gas leak has caused an injury or illness to a customer or a homeowner living within the vicinity of a gas leak, then the gas company could be deemed negligible.

Were you injured, or did you incur an illness or health condition as a result of a gas leak in Georgia? You have rights. Call the Fry Law Team today at (404) 948-3571 to find out how to pursue compensation for your medical bills.