A Cole County businessman has filed a civil suit against a Columbia-based company, alleging a faulty propane tank installation caused an explosion that severely injured him nearly a year ago.
Christopher Russell and his wife, Elizabeth, and on the behalf of their business, Xtreme Body and Paint LLC, have filed suit in Cole County Circuit Court against MFA Oil, based in Columbia.
Firefighters were called just after 4:30 a.m. Jan. 31, 2019, to the business on Lomo Drive, according to Regional West Fire Protection District reports.
Christopher Russell had gone into the garage for a tractor to plow snow. The explosion occurred shortly afterward.
The garage door was blown 90 feet away from the building, and propane gas got into a stormwater inlet in the parking lot, causing a fire there.
As firefighters left the Regional West station in St. Martins, they could see flames coming from the area where the fire was reported. Cole County Fire Protection District firefighters were called to assist.
Initial reports indicated there was an underground gas leak at the business, and the ground was saturated around the property.
Christopher Russell suffered severe burns and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
The Russells note in their lawsuit MFA had removed approximately two propane tanks from the property prior to Jan. 30, 2019. The tanks had been connected to the powder-coating building by an underground gas line.
The lawsuit alleges MFA removed the two propane tanks and “left the underground line connected to the powder coat building.” The unused line was connected and supplied with propane from two 1,000-gallon propane tanks adjacent to the powder coat building. The line had a shut-off valve connected to prevent propane from the 1,000-gallon tanks from filling that line.
The Russells also allege MFA made “the conscious decision to leave the unused line connected to the powder coat building rather than to cut and cap this unused line, creating unnecessary and foreseeable danger to persons and property” when it removed the propane tanks.
In the lawsuit, the Russells allege MFA put in two 1,000-gallon liquid petroleum tanks before Jan. 30 and after the two propane tanks were removed.
The couple allege MFA had a legal duty to warn them of the potential danger of LP gas causing harm to them and their property.
On Jan. 29, Christopher Russell contacted MFA and reported some of the powder coat building’s propane appliances were not working, according to the lawsuit. MFA employees went to the business and removed and re-installed a regulator at the rear of the powder-coat building. They turned on the shut-off valve to the unused line, which the Russells allege caused hundreds of gallons of propane to escape underground.
The escaped propane’s vapors entered a garage attached to the powder-coat building. When Christopher Russell entered the building Jan. 31, an explosion and fire occurred. The Russells allege the fire and explosion were due to MFA’s negligence during the tank installations.
In the lawsuit, the Russells ask the court to award them damages in an amount that will “properly punish MFA and deter them and others from like conduct.”
The case has been assigned to Judge Jon Beetem, and no court date has been set.