The victim, a member of a 23-man crew employed by C&H Power Line Construction, was installing a utility pole when an unmarked gas line was nicked, triggering a massive fireball that consumed nearly 50 acres. The reverberation could be felt miles away from the explosion site, and heat from the blast melted the shoes of rescue workers, even after the fire was extinguished.

“The gas company is responsible for properly marking all of their underground pipelines. That didn’t happen, now a man is dead and several others were seriously burned,” said Richard Arsenault, whose law firm has teamed up in this matter with Mark Lanier.

The lawsuit alleges that Houston-based Enterprise Product Partners failed to properly mark the location of underground pipe, despite C&H’s request to do so. The Texas Railroad Commission confirmed that C&H had followed procedure and made the proper requests prior to the start of the construction. A full incident report is still 45-60 days away.

The victim suffered second and third degree burns to his back, neck and arms, which have resulted in serious damage to the muscle tissue. The concussion from the blast caused damage to his heart, lungs and internal organs, despite having been approximately 150 yards from the pipe at the time of the explosion. Several of the victim’s co-workers were also injured in the blast, including an Oklahoma man who died from his injuries.

“Plain and simple, this was a preventable tragedy,” said Arsenault, “and it’s troubling to see, time and time again, energy companies engaging in practices that play havoc with human lives as well as our environment.”

The victim was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler about 10:20 p.m. Wednesday on I-20 near Bert Kouns Industrial Loop. The truck driver told police he hit a pedestrian who was in the roadway. The investigation is ongoing.