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Lawsuits filed following deadly 2019 Farmington propane blast settled

Lawsuits filed following deadly 2019 Farmington propane blast settled

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


A suit filed on behalf of firefighters who responded to a deadly propane blast in Farmington two years ago has been dismissed as part of an agreement between the parties.

Fire Captain Michael Bell was killed in the blast at the LEAP Inc. building in September of 2019 which also left six firefighters and a maintenance worker injured.

According to the Portland Press Herald, lawyer Walter McKee said all of the claims filed last year against C.N. Brown and Techno Metal Post have been settled.

The case was settled through stipulation, which means it cannot be brought back to court, the paper writes.

The suit claimed Techno Metal Post was negligent after a propane line was severed during the installation of bollards in the ground. The company was fined for violating Maine’s Dig Safe law.

C.N. Brown was also named in the suit, and blamed for not checking the piping system for leaks.

The suit also named LEAP Inc.

The family of maintenance worker Larry Lord, who suffered serious burns and spent months in the hospital and a rehabilitation center, was credited with evacuating the building before it was destroyed by the blast. His family also filed a suit which was settled in May.

 

 

 

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