Four survivors of a devastating explosion at a nursing home in Bristol have filed a lawsuit against the facility's operator, PECO, alleging negligence. The lawsuit claims that Saber Healthcare Group and PECO failed to address a gas leak that allegedly caused the blast, which killed three people and injured 20 others.
Barbara Sall, a former resident whose wheelchair was destroyed in the fire, James Broderick, an IT contractor who worked at the facility, Stacy Ballard, a facility aide, and Davidetta Blay, another facility aide, are among those suing the companies. The survivors received medical treatment for physical and emotional injuries.
According to investigators, PECO was on site when the explosion occurred and had been investigating a gas leak. However, despite complaints from residents about a gas smell in the days leading up to the blast, the company allegedly failed to identify and repair the leak in time.
The lawsuit also accuses Saber Healthcare of neglecting to ensure adequate safety measures were in place at the facility. A state inspection report had identified issues with the nursing home's stairways, fire extinguishers, and smoke barrier partitions, among other problems.
The survivors' lawyer, Robert Mongeluzzi, claims that the defendants were responsible for the "foreseeable and preventable tragedy" and will prove that there were failures in staffing, training, and supervision. He also alleges that basic facility life safety protocols were ignored or compromised, putting innocent lives at risk.
PECO has declined to comment on the allegations, citing its cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Saber Healthcare has stated that it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation but will not comment on pending litigation.
Barbara Sall, a former resident whose wheelchair was destroyed in the fire, James Broderick, an IT contractor who worked at the facility, Stacy Ballard, a facility aide, and Davidetta Blay, another facility aide, are among those suing the companies. The survivors received medical treatment for physical and emotional injuries.
According to investigators, PECO was on site when the explosion occurred and had been investigating a gas leak. However, despite complaints from residents about a gas smell in the days leading up to the blast, the company allegedly failed to identify and repair the leak in time.
The lawsuit also accuses Saber Healthcare of neglecting to ensure adequate safety measures were in place at the facility. A state inspection report had identified issues with the nursing home's stairways, fire extinguishers, and smoke barrier partitions, among other problems.
The survivors' lawyer, Robert Mongeluzzi, claims that the defendants were responsible for the "foreseeable and preventable tragedy" and will prove that there were failures in staffing, training, and supervision. He also alleges that basic facility life safety protocols were ignored or compromised, putting innocent lives at risk.
PECO has declined to comment on the allegations, citing its cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Saber Healthcare has stated that it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation but will not comment on pending litigation.
A gas leak was there for days and PECO just ignores it? That's some serious negligence right there! And Saber Healthcare, come on, they're supposed to ensure safety measures are in place. It's like they were trying to cover something up.
The thought of it is just sickening. And now there are four people who have to deal with the trauma and pain because of this.
they have families & loved ones & deserve better safety measures in place, especially with all the complaints just ignored... PECO & Saber Healthcare should've taken those gas leak complaints seriously & done something about it ASAP! 
I'm not saying ppl are entirely blameless either, but there needs to be accountability here 
the fact that they knew about a gas leak days before but didn't do anything about it is just crazy... i mean, how hard is it to fix a little gas leak? 
and on top of that, there's all these other safety issues at the facility too... like, why didn't they address those problems when they found out about them? 
I'm really worried about the people who sued PECO and Saber Healthcare - hope they get some justice 
I hope they get the compensation they deserve and that some real change happens at those companies. we should ALL be payin attention to these kinds of issues so we can prevent tragedies like this from happenin in the future. 
. I mean, how can a company be so irresponsible 
. The survivors are still dealing with physical and emotional trauma 
, right? 
I hope justice is served 
. And what's even worse is that there were warnings from residents about a gas smell in the days leading up to the blast... like, what are they doing? 
. The lawsuit seems pretty legit 
. Fingers crossed for their case 
.
This explosion at the nursing home in Bristol is just devastating... I mean, can you even imagine living in a facility where people are complaining about a gas smell and no one does anything about it? It's like, basic life safety protocols, you know? They're not just going to ignore something that could be so deadly. 
. The fact that medical treatment is being sought for physical and emotional injuries indicates the severity of the incident's impact on those affected 
. Furthermore, a state inspection report revealed multiple issues with the facility's infrastructure, which raises questions about the efficacy of existing safety protocols 
. It will be crucial to examine the staffing, training, and supervision processes at PECO and Saber Healthcare to determine accountability for this tragedy 
The fact that they were told there was a gas smell by residents but nothing was done about it is just heartbreaking.
. And now there are four survivors suing them for negligence? It's just common sense. They should've prioritized safety over profits 
.
. I want to believe that someone, somewhere, was trying to sound the alarm, but it seems like their warnings fell on deaf ears 
.
and that justice is served for them and their loved ones 
I'm shocked they're suing for negligence after all this time! Like, how long was the gas leak just sitting there? Wasn't PECO like "oh no, we need to fix this ASAP" or what? 
And what's with all these lawsuits now? Did they just magically remember to care after the explosion happened? 
this is just heartbreaking... I mean what's going through the minds of people who run these facilities? The fact that a gas leak was ignored for days and then suddenly exploded, killing 3 people and injuring 20 more... it's just devastating. 
we need better regulation and accountability in this country, especially when it comes to our elderly and vulnerable populations... 
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. The buck stops at the top, and I hope those in power listen to the survivors' stories and make some real changes 
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. These people are gonna have a field day collecting settlements 
is the state inspection report that said the stairways were a mess 
. How do you miss that kinda thing? Should've been fixed ages ago 
. Now these people are gonna get paid for their "injuries" and the company is gonna get sued into oblivion 
.
. Now we're gonna have to deal with more lawsuits and settlements 
. Joy 
. Can you even imagine being a resident there, smelling that gas for days and still nobody doing anything to help? It's just unacceptable.
. And Saber Healthcare is being pretty tight-lipped too.
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