The Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a case of an explosion at a Broward gas station that left at least one man seriously injured Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald.
The explosion took place around 12:30 p.m. at the Mobil station at 26 S. Federal Highway in Hallandale Beach. A witness told fire rescue officials that there was an explosion that “shook the ground violently,” according to local reporting. A man in his 30s was found unconscious on the ground with second-and-third-degree burns and was later taken to Aventura Medical Center.
No other injuries were reported in this incident.
The explosion left a crater measuring about 50 feet in diameter and officials believe the fire was started by “vapors from an underground fuel storage tank.” The day of the explosion, the gas station had been closed for an excavation project.
Past Cases
In its decades of practice in Florida, Leesfield & Partners has been privy to the suffering of vulnerable patrons at the hands of resorts, hospitals and workplaces. Attorneys at the firm have seen clients and their families through these injuries and guided them through the legal system when tragedy strikes, with many of those cases taking place during a vacation.
No one suspects that the relaxing holiday they have booked will have such devastating results. Data from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) stated that there were 390 significant gas leaks that resulted in explosions between 2010 and January 2024. These explosions injured about 725 people and killed 163.
One such instance includes the case of a German man in a lawsuit against a Dominican Republic resort where he stayed with his wife who later died in an explosion from a gas leak. The two were sold to the two-week all-expenses-paid vacation. With only three days left in their trip, a gas leak from pipes in the building where they were staying caused a fiery explosion, severely burning both husband and wife. The couple was taken to a hospital in the Dominican Republic that was ill-equipped to handle the extent of their injuries. They were later transported to a hospital in Miami where the wife died from her injuries.
Leesfield & Partners attorneys were able to prove that the resort was negligent and breached their duty to care for their patrons including by not properly inspecting and repairing the propane gas line despite previous knowledge that there was an issue. The law firm was able to secure a multi-million dollar award for the husband in that case.
More recently, Leesfield & Partners attorneys represented a client who suffered severe burns and orthopedic injuries after an explosion at a home. This case resulted in a six-figure settlement for the client.