DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – The family of the 12-year-old girl killed in a house explosion in Northwest Dallas last month is suing Atmos Energy.
Linda Michelle Rogers was killed on February 23 in blast that the family argues was completely preventable.
According to the lawsuit, several attempts to revive Linda failed and her parents held her in their arms as she died.
It also states that Linda’s brother and grandmother suffered serious injuries from the explosion and will require long-term care.
The lawsuit claims that Atmos was dismissive and refused to respond when contacted leading up to the explosion.
According to the family’s attorneys, Atmos had identified the leaks in the neighborhood in the 3500 block of Espanola/Durango alley back in January and although the company secured a permit to fix the leaks the repairs were never done.
The lawsuit states that on February 20th, Linda’s mother Maria contacted Atmos about the smell of gas and “other anomalies” in the alleyway behind her home. She said the company was dismissive of her concerns.
Three days later the Rogers’ home exploded and Linda was dead.
The family’s attorneys argue that state and federal laws were violated and Atmos’ conduct constitutes gross negligence, aggravated assault and murder.
They’re seeking up to $1 million in damages.
The explosion led to the evacuation of 2800 homes in the area. Residents were displaced for almost a month following the evacuation order and were given stipends by the company for living expenses.
The company announced this week that they had finished a massive repair on natural gas lines in the area.
On Wednesday, Atmos ordered the evacuation of 25 homes and 18 apartments units near the explosion after getting reports of gas odors from residents. They’re paying for displaced residents to stay in hotels.
The National Transportation Safety Board said federal investigators are still looking into the explosion.
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