Hurt in an explosion? We find every party that caused it.

Who is responsible for an explosion?

Most explosions have more than one cause and more than one responsible party. That matters. More responsible parties can mean more insurance to pay for a lifetime of care. These are the cases we see most:

• Natural gas and pipeline explosions. The gas utility or pipeline operator, an excavation contractor that hit a line, or the landlord or property owner. Gas operators must report serious incidents to federal regulators.
• Propane explosions. The propane supplier or delivery company, the installer, and the makers of the tank, regulator or appliance.
• Refinery and chemical plant explosions and fires. The facility operator, maintenance and turnaround contractors, and the makers of valves and equipment.
• Industrial dust explosions. Grain, wood, food, plastic and metal dust can explode. The facility operator and the makers of dust-collection equipment can be responsible.
• Boiler and pressure-vessel explosions. The owner or operator, the inspection or maintenance contractor, and the manufacturer of the boiler, safety valve or controls.
• Lithium-ion battery fires and explosions. E-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards, vapes, power tools and EVs. The battery maker, the device maker, the importer, the seller and the charger maker.
• Consumer product explosions. Pressure cookers, gas cans, fireworks and space heaters. The manufacturer, the distributor and the retailer.
• Vehicle fuel-system fires. The vehicle or parts maker when the fuel system fails in a crash, and the at-fault driver.
• Construction and workplace explosions. General contractors, other subcontractors, property owners, equipment makers and utilities. See "Hurt in an explosion at work" below.

The law that applies to explosion cases

Strict liability for dangerous activities. Some work is so dangerous that the company doing it pays for the harm even if it was careful. The California Supreme Court applied this rule in Luthringer v. Moore (1948) 31 Cal.2d 489, when toxic gas used for pest control escaped into the business next door. Nevada adopted the same rule in Valentine v. Pioneer Chlor Alkali Co. (1993) 864 P.2d 295. Illinois courts have applied it to blasting and explosives for more than a century.

Product liability. A company that sells a defective product is responsible for the injuries it causes. California set this rule in Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc. (1963) 59 Cal.2d 57. The idea started with an explosion: in Escola v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co. (1944) 24 Cal.2d 453, a bottle exploded in a server's hand. Illinois and Nevada follow strict product liability too. A product can be defective in its design, in how it was made, or in its warnings.

Negligence and premises liability. Utilities, contractors, landlords and property owners must act with reasonable care. A gas leak that was reported and not fixed, a line that was not marked, or an appliance that was not maintained can all be negligence.

"The thing speaks for itself." When an explosion would not normally happen without someone's carelessness, and the cause was under the defendant's control, California law can let a jury infer negligence. Lawyers call this res ipsa loquitur.

Utility violations. In California, a public utility that breaks the law or a CPUC order is liable to the people harmed (Pub. Util. Code § 2106).

Hurt in an explosion at work

Workers' compensation pays for medical care and part of your lost pay. It does not pay for pain, for the life you lost, or for your full lost earnings. In most states you cannot sue your own employer. But you can sue everyone else who caused the explosion.

That is a third-party claim, and that is the case TORKLAW handles. California Labor Code § 3852 keeps your right to sue anyone other than your employer. Illinois law does the same (820 ILCS 305/5(b)). Common third parties are the equipment or valve manufacturer, the general contractor, another subcontractor on the site, the property or facility owner, and the utility.

These cases have their own rules. In California, a company that hires a contractor is usually not liable to the contractor's workers. There are exceptions, for example when the company controlled the work in a way that contributed to the injury, or hid a danger it knew about. We look at the contracts, the permits and the chain of control to find who can be held to account. Your comp claim runs at the same time, with its own lawyer or administrator.

Why your own investigation matters

After a major explosion, many agencies arrive: the fire department or fire marshal, Cal/OSHA or federal OSHA, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, federal pipeline regulators, the NTSB and, in California, the CPUC. Their reports help. But they do not work for you.

Federal law bars the conclusions of the Chemical Safety Board and the NTSB from being used as evidence in a lawsuit for damages. So your case needs its own experts: fire and explosion investigators, engineers, metallurgists and battery specialists. They examine the evidence under an agreed protocol, before it is lost, altered or scrapped.

We send preservation letters fast. We demand that the utility, the owner, the contractors and the manufacturer keep the failed parts, the meters and valves, the camera footage, the alarm and control-system logs, and the maintenance records. If a party destroys evidence, courts can instruct the jury to assume that evidence would have hurt them.

Explosion and blast injuries

• Burns. Second-degree burns damage the top two layers of skin. Third-degree burns destroy both layers and the tissue under them. Deeper burns reach fat, muscle and bone. See our burn injury page.
• Traumatic brain injury. A blast wave can injure the brain even when the head is not hit. See brain injuries.
• Blast lung and inhalation injury. Damage from the pressure wave, heat, smoke and toxic gas. Symptoms can be delayed.
• Hearing loss and tinnitus. The ear is the organ most likely to be hurt by a blast. See hearing damage.
• Amputation. From the blast itself or from injuries that cannot be saved. See amputation.
• Shrapnel and crush injuries. Flying debris and building collapse cause deep wounds, fractures and spinal cord injuries.
• Death. When an explosion takes a life, the family can bring a wrongful death claim.

Recent explosions show how these cases start

Martinez, California, February 1, 2025. A fire broke out at the Martinez Refining Company during planned maintenance. Six workers were hurt and nearby residents were told to shelter in place. An independent investigation for Contra Costa Health found that contract workers opened equipment containing hot hydrocarbons on the wrong side of an isolation valve, and named inadequate oversight of contractors as the root cause. TORKLAW already represents Martinez residents in litigation over releases from the same refinery. Read about the Martinez refinery lawsuit.

Dallas, Texas, May 28, 2026. A drill rig working for a contractor struck an unmarked natural gas line near an apartment building in Oak Cliff. The explosion killed three people and injured others. The NTSB is investigating. Its preliminary findings say the contractor had an 811 ticket, but the gas line had not been located and marked.

Lithium-ion batteries. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission counted 45 fire deaths linked to e-bikes, e-scooters and hoverboards from 2017 through 2024, most often during or after charging. In June 2026 the CPSC proposed a mandatory safety standard for these batteries. It is not final.

How long do you have to file?

Deadlines vary by state and by case, and claims against a government agency, a public utility district or a city can have much shorter deadlines, sometimes measured in months. Evidence after an explosion can disappear in days. Contact a lawyer promptly, and we find the deadline that applies to you.