Shirley Gas Leak Send Toxic Into The Air. Were you among the thousands evacuated due to the Long Island propane leak on New Years Day? The evacuations were ordered in Shirley and Mastic after a cracked valve on a propane tank sent thousands of gallons of toxic, flammable liquefied propane gas into the air.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in connection with the Shirley gas leak, but 2,000 people were forbidden from returning to their homes until later in the evening. If you were among the businesses or individuals impacted by this accident, our Long Island propane leak lawyers want to hear from you today.
The Shirley gas leak caused residents and businesses in Shirley and Mastic to suffer economic damages. After fleeing, many families were forced to pay for hotel rooms, restaurant meals, and in some cases, clothing and other necessities.
Many businesses shut down for the day, and supermarkets and grocery stores were forced to discard thousands of dollars worth of spoiled food after power was cut off to many areas. Employees for many of these businesses lost a day of wages, including holiday overtime pay. Our Long Island propane leak lawyers are working right now to make sure these individuals and businesses receive fair reimbursement for their economic losses.
Our Long Island propane leak lawyers are offering free legal consultations to any business or individual economically impacted by the Shirley gas leak. We urge all those affected to contact one of our Long Island propane leak lawyers right away to protect their legal rights.
The Shirley Gas Leak
The Shirley gas leak was discovered at about 1:13 a.m. New Years Day, behind the Kohl’s Department store at 999 Montauk Hwy. A propane truck was making a delivery when the driver noticed gas leaking from a 30,000 gallon tank below ground. The leaking propane tank was owned by Synergy Gas, and was used to provide heat to the Kohl’s building.
Experts have said the Long Island propane leak had the potential to spark a devastating, fast-moving fire. Such a fire could have scorched building walls and broken windows 300 feet or more away. Because of the danger, 900 homes were evacuated. Stretches of the Sunrise Highway, Montauk Highway and some other major roads were closed in the area, and the Long Island Rail Road replaced trains with buses in the area for about 11 hours.
In the course of its investigation into the Long Island propane leak, Brookhaven’s Division of Fire Prevention said that the propane deliveryman, from L.P. Transportation Inc. of Chester, N.Y., found the tank’s supply valve, which should have been shut, open.
This caused the deliveryman to assume the supply valve was for another purpose. As a result, he opened an adjacent valve, not connected to the tank’s delivery system, to pump propane into the tank.
In actuality, that valve was meant to remove gas from the tank. It was also fitted with a plastic dust cap, rather than a metal one. As the deliveryman pumped propane into the tank, that plastic cap gave way, resulting in the leak. The report found that the leak could have been averted if the deliveryman had cleared away enough snow to see the color coding on four valves or the lack of piping on the valve he opened, or had an “approved plug” been in place.
The same report also found that Synergy had failed to obtain permits and pay fees to perform recent safety upgrades to the tank and would be fined.
Need Legal Help Regarding Shirley Gas Leak?
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