Lawsuit: CenterPoint, contractor negligent in Minnehaha Academy explosion
Updated: Oct. 19, 1:55 p.m. | Posted: Oct. 18, 7:41 p.m.
Family members of a woman killed in a blast at Minnehaha Academy's upper campus this summer filed a lawsuit Wednesday, saying the companies in charge of gas line work were negligent.
In a suit filed in Hennepin County District Court, the mother and daughter of Ruth Berg, say the companies — CenterPoint Energy and Master Mechanical — failed in many ways. Berg, a 47-year-old receptionist at the school, and custodian John Carlson were killed in the Aug. 2 blast. Nine people were injured.
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The explosion happened as two employees from Master Mechanical were preparing to move a gas meter to the outside of the Minneapolis private school, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also charges that CenterPoint had not installed an excess flow valve on the service line that could have kept an explosive amount of natural gas from entering the school.
According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, while the workers were removing the existing piping, a full-flow natural gas line at pressure was opened. The workers weren't able to stop it, so they evacuated the building. The report doesn't say whether they tried to alert anyone.
The NTSB preliminary report said a maintenance worker at the school tried to radio instructions to people to get out of the building, which exploded about a minute later.
Fred Pritzker is one of the attorneys representing Berg's daughter, Brittany Bergstrom and Berg's mother, JoAnn Fricano.
"There were about 13 different places where they could have and should have figured out something was wrong and not done it," Pritzker said. "And then once they did it, the people who did it ran away rather than warn the people whose lives were now in danger."
The lawsuit alleges the companies didn't properly train, supervise and equip the workers on the project. It also says the companies didn't have a thorough safety plan.
A spokesperson for CenterPoint Energy said the company will respond during the legal process.
Master Mechanical issued a statement saying they were reviewing the litigation and would respond accordingly.
"Out of respect for the various ongoing investigations, we will not be discussing the details at this time. We continue to actively cooperate with all state, local and federal agencies investigating this tragic event," the statement read.