Posted on 06/04/2005 9:43:17 PM PDT by QwertyKPH
“When I struck the lighter, the whole thing just detonated. The whole top blew off. I can't tell you if it blew me out the door or if I jumped out.”
John Jenkins
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A man who says he was severely burned when a portable toilet exploded after he sat down and lit a cigarette is suing a general contractor and a coal company.
John Jenkins, 53, and his wife, Ramona Jenkins, 35, of Brave, Pa., filed the lawsuit this week in county circuit court, accusing Chisler Inc. and Eastern Associated Coal Corp. of negligence.
The lawsuit seeks $10 million in damages.
The lawsuit says Jenkins' face, neck, arms, torso and legs were severely burned last July after the cigarette ignited methane gas leaking from a pipe underneath the toilet unit.
“When I struck the lighter, the whole thing just detonated. The whole top blew off,” said Jenkins, a methane power plant operator with North West Fuels Development Inc. “I can't tell you if it blew me out the door or if I jumped out.”
Eastern Associated owns the Blacksville property where the explosion occurred. Jenkins alleges that heavy equipment from Chisler ran over the pipelines before the explosion, causing the methane gas leak.
A call to the Charleston office of Peabody Energy, the parent company of Eastern Associated Coal, was not returned.
A man who answered the phone at Chisler's office in Fairview said the company would have no comment.
This one blows me away. I think the guy has a claim. Can he win? Methanes he might have a chance. But they might say this is just an ex-septic-ion to the rule. He should not take this sitting down.
He did feel much better after it happened when he went home to his wife who prepared rump-roast.
This one blows me away. I think the guy has a claim. Can he win? Methanes he might have a chance. But they might say this is just an ex-septic-ion to the rule. He should not take this sitting down.
He did feel much better after it happened when he went home to his wife who prepared rump-roast.
It's a good thing he wasn't carrying his portable oxygen tank.
This was more like a weapon of 'ass-destruction.'
Chisler Inc in the Ink......
Jenkins, a methane power plant operator with North West Fuels Development Inc. <<
He knew it was explosive, he knew what is smelled like, and he lit a lighter.
Tobacco addict!
DK
Shi'ite happens! After all, outhouses have crescents on them!
Almost a Darwin Award Winner. A 10 year old would know better than to have an open flame in an enclosed portapotty. Geeeesh, he should be too embarrassed about his stupidity to sue anybody.
Even a toilet knows a dumbass when it sees one.
I had to read this article over several times to pick up on the detail that it was methane external to the Porta-Potty that caused the problem. I wonder if it was this guy's job to do the maintenance that would have prevented this methane leak. The OSHA report will be interesting...
Okay, he should have smelled the mercapton, but few would have known what I was talking about. Good catch.
But that does give me another thought.
>>Jenkins, a methane power plant operator <<
Was he smoking in the the porta potty because he was in a no smoking area?
DK
I understand the judge has agreed toilet the defense submit the plaintiff's diet into evidence, and the results could be explosive. No doubt, the plaintiff's attorney will try to put up a smoke screen and have it wiped from the record with a motion to squat.
Frankly I think the whole thing stinks and there will be a dark cloud hanging over the whole trial and the plaintiff's life will never be the same. He may be happy that he stool the headlines this week, but every time he takes a crap it will be in the paper.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.