Coroner confirms third death in Bucks County nursing home explosion days before Christmas
Lawsuit filed after nursing home explosion in Bristol
A lawsuit filed Monday by Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky law firm in Center City reveals what the firm says four surviving victims went through after a deadly explosion occurred at a nursing home in Bucks County.
BRISTOL - The Bucks County Coronor's Office on Tuesday confirmed the death of a 66-year-old woman who was fatally injured in a devastating explosion at a nursing home.
What we know:
Patricia Mero, 66, and two others were killed in an explosion at Silver Lake Nursing Home the day before Christmas Eve that left nearly two dozen others injured.
PECO said they were called out to the facility on Tower Road around 2 p.m. that afternoon for reports of a gas odor when an explosion happened while on site.
Nursing home explosion: Families seek justice and lawyer up
The community at Silver Lake nursing home is seeking justice after an explosion left two people dead and nearly two dozen injured in Bristol Township.
Two people – a resident and a nurse – were killed in the blast and 20 others were wounded, with several people left trapped under the ruble of the building collapse.
The death toll from the explosion climbed to three on Tuesday when the Bucks County Cornor's Office confirmed Mero's death.
Dig deeper:
Two workers at Bristol Health & Rehab Center LLC, a resident of the suburban Philadelphia facility and a contractor who happened to be there when the blast occurred, filed the lawsuit.
The defendants include PECO Energy Company, which provided natural gas to the complex, its parent company Exelon Corp., and Saber Healthcare Holdings LLC of Beachwood, Ohio.
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Lawsuit filed by Bristol nursing home explosion survivors alleges gas leak warnings were ignored
The first civil lawsuit has been filed following the deadly explosion at a Bristol nursing home, with survivors alleging that warnings about a gas leak were ignored in the moments leading up to the blast.
The lawsuit filed in Philadelphia court claims the defendants "were aware of a gas leak in the building and failed to take the steps necessary to evacuate the building, fix the leak and protect the residents, workers and others that were exposed to the horrific blast."
Zach Shamberg, Saber Healthcare Group chief of government affairs, said in an email Monday that the company is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and does not comment on litigation.
What's next:
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Officials said they will issue a report on the explosion within 30 days of the incident.