House explosion injures two in Prince Frederick, Maryland

A husband and wife sustained burn injuries in a house explosion on May 28, 2018. William and Tacy Gash were hospitalized with burn injuries. Investigators think a gas leak may have caused the explosion. The house was located on the 4000 block of Sparkleberry Court in Prince Frederick, Maryland.

Neighbors said they heard a large explosion that was followed by more, smaller blasts. One of those people, Peter Lyster, told Fox 5 news that he found the husband in the debris in the garage. Lyster and his wife Sharon heroically rescued the couple as firefighters arrived. It took more than five hours to put the fire out.

Officials tried to airlift the couple to the hospital, but wind conditions in the area were severe and a helicopter could not land. Mr. Gash is expected to be hospitalized for a month. Two GoFundMe pages have been established for the couple. The first was established by a friend of the couple’s daughter, who was not at home at the time of the explosion, and the second established by a family friend.

House Explosion Causes Can Vary

There is currently no information from officials about the house explosion investigation. But we know there could be several reasons why structures explode.

There could be a natural gas leak, an appliance could be faulty, or if the home has a propane tank, that could leak. If a home is filled with gas, something as minor as flipping a switch or dialing a phone could create a spark that would ignite the gas and destroy the property. If odor fade occurred, smelling the gas would be difficult or impossible.

The force of an explosion like this is devastating. Survivors can suffer crush injuries, burn injuries, and damage to the brain, heart, lungs, eyes, and ears.

Burn Injuries are Life-Altering

Our sympathies go out to the Lyster family after this tragedy. News reports say that the couple’s injuries are not life-threatening. But both face a long road to recovery. Burn injuries are treated with a painful process called debriding. And many burn victims need months of rehabilitation and may even need multiple surgeries to recover. But they can and do recover.

Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman have represented many clients who have been injured when their homes exploded. They understand how to investigate accidents such as this one, and will call in experts to examine evidence to discover how the explosion happened. Fred and Eric will travel anywhere in the country to talk to their clients. They believe that getting to know their clients is an important step to helping them recover and possibly representing them in court.

You can call Fred and Eric at 1-888-377-8900 for a free, confidential, and no-obligation consultation. These attorneys understand what you are going through and are ready to help.

Sources

“State fire marshal’s office investigating possible explosion on Memorial Day.” The Calvert Recorder, May 29, 2018.

Coffin, Corey. “House destroyed by possible explosion in southern Maryland.” Fox 5 News, May 29, 2018.