Lisa Denise Derringer, 58, from Stanford lost her life and at least five other people were injured after an Enbridge gas pipeline exploded near Moreland, KY, about 40 miles south of Lexington, around 1:30 this morning. Emergency responders say several people are unaccounted for. The blast engulfed six buildings in flames as it shot a fireball into the sky that was so massive it was picked up on Louisville weather radar, according to an Associated Press and Daily Mail report.
This is not the first time the Texas Eastern Pipeline has exploded.
The same pipeline blew up in Pittsburgh in 2016 – This has to stop.
Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman, the lead attorneys on our explosion legal team, have represented pipeline explosion victims nationwide and have experience with the 8,835 mile Texas Eastern Pipeline.
Fred and Eric are looking to talk to people injured, and who lost family members, in this tragic explosion in Kentucky. Please call them at 1-888-377-8900, or click the button below to contact them online. They would like to represent you.
Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Don Gilliam, told the reporters that the flames rose 300 feet in the air and could be seen from miles around. Someone used a phone to capture the video uploaded to YouTube below.
The explosion closed portions of U.S. Highway 127 and forced the evacuation of the Indian Camp trailer park. Residents have been offered shelter at New Hope Baptist Church in Stanford. One of them, Don Coulter, 84, told the Courier Journal he “thought the world was coming to an end.” He told the paper that the walls of his home were shaking so hard his clocks fell to the floor. When he opened the door he saw a ball of fire and heard a loud noise. The door was too hot to hold onto. He and his family ran across the road to escape the heat.
The pipeline, which is operated by Enbridge Inc. of Calgary, Canada, is part of the Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline which covers more than 9,000 miles as it branches on its run from the Mexican border to New York City.
Enbridge released a statement saying it is aware of the rupture ad working with emergency responders in the area.
“Right now the most important thing is to find out what caused this tragedy. The families who were impacted deserve answers. But far too often we have seen pipeline companies disregard safety concerns in favor of expediency. The result is that many of our gas pipelines are ticking time bombs. Dangerously corroded pipelines have the potential to cause immense human suffering and the people of Kentucky are now paying the price. The only way this will stop is if we insist on holding these companies accountable. Safety has to come first 100 percent of the time,” said Explosion Lawyer Eric Hageman.
Eric and Fred Pritzker lead Pritzker Hageman’s team of explosion lawyers who represent clients nationwide who have been injured in explosions and the families of those who have suffered the wrongful death of a loved one. Our award-winning team has experience with this same pipeline. If your family needs help, call us at 1 (888) 377-8900 (toll-free), send a text to 612-261-0856, or complete the form below. The consultation is free and there is no obligation.