FORT WORTH, Texas — A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of eight employees severely injured in the Sandman Hotel explosion in Downtown Fort Worth last week, accusing the defendants of negligence.
The suit, filed by Zehl & Associates, also includes two spouses of the injured parties as plaintiffs. The defendants in the case are Atmos Energy, Sandman Management, Northland Developments and Rock Libations LP, who own the Musume restaurant in the Sandman Hotel where the explosion occurred.
This is the third suit that has been filed regarding this explosion since it occurred last week.
The suit accuses the defendants of being negligent in the upkeep and maintenance of natural gas utilities and not taking the necessary precautions to ensure safety.
“The defendants in this case knew there was a risk that this sort of tragic accident could happen, and they simply didn’t take the time or effort to either fix the issues or warn our clients of the dangers,” said Zehl & Associates founding partner Ryan Zehl in a statement.
The suit goes on to argue that the defendants had knowledge or reasonably should have known of the dangerous condition of the area where the explosion occurred.
"Defendants knew or should have known foreseen that these dangerous conditions would ultimately lead to an explosion like that which occurred here," the suit reads.
It was gross negligence by the defendants which caused the injuries to the plaintiffs, the suit argues, and as such, should have to pay damages to the victims.
Damages listed include expenses to cover medical care, past and future pain and suffering, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of earnings and court costs.
A statement from Zehl & Associates states there were multiple reports before the explosion of a strong gas smell in the building. The explosion injured more than 20 people and caused catastrophic damage.
Late Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for Zehl & Associates told WFAA TV that there are now two additional guests the law firm will represent in a different lawsuit Ryan Zehl plans to file. That brings the total victims he is representing to 4 guests and 8 employees.
WFAA reached out to the hotel owner, Northland Properties, for its response to the lawsuit.
"We appreciate the ongoing concern for those impacted by the incident in Fort Worth. Our focus remains on supporting our team and those who are recovering. Senior executives have traveled to Fort Worth to help our local management. We have been in contact with everyone on our team during this difficult time, and we remain available for them.
We are holding regular meetings with our team members to provide updates, extend ongoing counseling services, and address their concerns. We have also submitted Workers Compensation forms for all those who were hurt during the incident and relevant information has been shared with all team members. Team members continue to be compensated while we gain a better understanding of our operations moving forward.
We continue to cooperate with the investigation of the incident, however, we will not be commenting further on the specific assistance that we are providing as this is a confidential legal matter and we respect the privacy of those involved.
We are grateful for the display of community spirit and resilience shown by our neighbors in Downtown Fort Worth. We would again also like to thank the community, first responders, local officials, the city and council, and the state for their support since the events occurred."