State AG details charges against Equitrans in 2018 Greene house explosion
news@greenecountymessenger.com
The family injured when their home exploded in 2018 sat quietly while Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry walked through criminal charges against the company that may have caused it.
Cody White and Samantha Adamson did not wish to speak with media or appear in front of cameras, but they listened while Henry detailed their traumatic experience and recovery during a press conference in Pittsburgh Wednesday.
鈥淔ive years ago, it was Halloween and the White family 鈥� were going about their day. They were preparing for Halloween, and for trick-or-treating, when suddenly an explosion rocked their house, and destroyed the entire house,鈥� Henry said.
This week state prosecutors charged Cecil Township-based Equitrans Midstream with a felony for violating the Pennsylvania Clean Streams law upon the recommendation of a grand jury. The company also faces two misdemeanor charges.
The grand jury prepared a report outlining their investigation, which accuses Equitrans of knowing methane was leaking from a storage field and failing to investigate the problem.
The home was located at 161 Bowser Road in Morgan Township, and directly above the Pratt Storage Field, owned by Equitrans.
The grand jury report states that Equitrans had been aware of 鈥渆xtraordinarily gas loss,鈥� in their storage fields, including the Pratt field, as early as 2003.
Equitrans is accused of neglecting to do a legally required investigation to address the issue.
鈥淚n 2018, the gas that was stored in the Pratt Storage Field managed to migrate vertically into the ground water through a nearby storage well 鈥� a storage well that also was owned by Equitrans, which was deteriorating and badly leaking,鈥� Henry said. 鈥淭his went unchecked by Equitrans for enough time that the methane traveled through the water and into the White home.鈥�
According to the grand jury, at about 11 a.m. Oct. 31, 2018, White went to make his 4-year-old son James macaroni and cheese. When he lit the stove, the house instantly exploded.
White was thrown over the kitchen table and briefly lost consciousness. He rescued his son from the bathroom, where he was pinned underneath a collapsed piece of ceiling. Adamson had also been trapped beneath a chunk of ceiling, which White was able to remove.
They were flown to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. White was admitted to the burn unit while James went to the ICU.
Each of them suffered severe burning that left permanent scarring. According to the grand jury, White testified that it took two years for his and Adamson蘑菇视频 skin to fully heal. James suffered burns to more than 60% of his body.
鈥淭he recovery process for them since this has happened has been long, extremely painful and difficult. And the truth is, words can鈥檛 really describe how grueling this has been for this entire family. Not only were they physically injured 鈥� but they lost their entire house, everything they owned,鈥� Henry said.
Uniontown attorney Benjamin Goodwin, who is representing the family in a civil lawsuit against Equitrans, spoke on their behalf following Henry蘑菇视频 press conference.
鈥淚 think they鈥檙e relieved. They certainly approve the grand jury蘑菇视频 presentment, their findings. This has been a long painful road for them without many answers. I think this brought them the first step towards closure to understanding what happened to them that day,鈥� Goodwin said.
In a statement emailed Tuesday, a representative of the company denied responsibility for the explosion, noting Equitrans 鈥渇ully cooperated with the grand jury investigation,鈥� and maintaining the evidence the company presented 鈥渇actually demonstrates that Equitrans鈥� operations were not the cause of the incident.鈥�