Lawsuit filed by Bristol nursing home explosion survivors alleges gas leak warnings were ignored

PHILADELPHIA - 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 in Bucks County.

What we know:

According to court filings, four survivors of the Dec. 23 explosion at Bristol Health and Rehab Center have sued multiple defendants, including PECO Energy Company, its parent Exelon, and companies tied to the nursing home’s ownership and operation.

The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, alleges that a natural gas leak had been present for days before the explosion and that residents and staff repeatedly complained about the smell of gas inside the building.

The blast leveled much of the facility, killing two people — a resident and a nurse — and injuring dozens more, according to the complaint.

Allegations in the lawsuit

The complaint claims that despite reports of a strong gas odor, the building was never evacuated, even as PECO workers were on site investigating a potential gas leak on the day of the explosion.

According to the filing, the gas smell intensified in the 30 minutes before the blast, and the leak is alleged to have originated from a PECO natural gas pipeline feeding the nursing home.

"PECO utterly failed to adequately identify the source of its leak, failed to repair it, and failed to initiate an evacuation that would have saved lives and averted casualties," the lawsuit read.

The plaintiffs allege that the explosion was foreseeable and preventable, and that failures by both the gas utility and nursing home operators directly led to the deadly outcome.

Who filed the lawsuit

The plaintiffs include a former resident, two healthcare aides, and an IT contractor who were inside the building at the time of the explosion. All four say they suffered catastrophic physical and emotional injuries and continue to receive medical treatment, according to a news release from their attorneys.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial.

What they're saying:

Attorneys representing the survivors allege there were failures in staffing, training, supervision, and emergency response, and that basic safety protocols were not followed despite clear warning signs.

A lawsuit filed today by Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky law firm in Center City reveals what the firm says four surviving victims went through, including Barbara Sall, seen here in a GoFundMe, who uses a wheelchair that was destroyed in the explosion.

"The windows around her blow in, pieces of drywall hit her, and a wheelchair actually flies through the air and knocks her out of her own wheelchair," says Aiden Carickhoff, partner. "She was relying on first responders to pull her out of the rubble to save her life."

A spokesperson for the NTSB says they wrapped up all the on-scene work yesterday. The next release of information will be the preliminary report, which is expected within 30 days from the date of the accident.

A statement from PECO the day after the tragedy stated that they responded to reports of a gas odor at the facility on Tower Road, and a few hours later, the explosion happened. Their statement also said it is not known if PECO’s equipment or natural gas was involved in the incident.

In an updated statement on Monday, a spokesperson said, "We are a party to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. We are fully cooperating with the NTSB and according to the NTSB rules, we are not permitted to comment on this matter."

"It is a dramatic and catastrophic change in your life and this explosion blew their lives apart," says Bob Mongeluzzi, the firm’s founder. "There’s no doubt that the building should be evacuated and that starts with PECO, they are the gas supplier, they are the expert, it is their gas facility and system, it was their leak, they had the responsibility to repair it."

The lawsuit also represents a contractor who just happened to be in the building that day as well as two nursing aides at the facility who say they were on break at the time. The firm says all of their clients reported smelling gas that day.

"While they’re eating lunch, the floor that they’re sitting on caves in, and they drop from the ground floor into the basement," says Carickhoff. "They’re both badly, badly injured as a result of PECO’s preventable conduct."

They also claim the nursing home had been cited for safety violations by state inspectors just months before the explosion.

What's next:

The lawsuit marks the first known legal action tied to the explosion, though additional filings are expected as investigations continue.

Multiple agencies, including federal investigators, are still working to determine the exact cause of the blast. No defendants have filed formal responses to the allegations at this stage.

Bucks County