If you were hurt in an explosion at a job site or industrial facility, or lost someone you love, the injuries are severe, the recovery is long, and the path to compensation is complicated. Utility companies, property owners, and contractors all have attorneys protecting their interests from the moment an explosion happens, and the evidence that determines who is responsible can disappear just as quickly. The accident attorneys at Loewy Law Firm have recovered millions for Austin accident victims, and we’re ready to go to work for you.

Call Loewy Law Firm at (512) 280-0800 for a free consultation. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win.

Types of Explosion Cases

Explosions happen for different reasons, and the cause determines who can be held responsible. Our attorneys handle every type of explosion case, including:

• Residential gas and propane explosions
• Pipeline and utility line ruptures
• Industrial and construction site explosions
• Boiler and pressure vessel explosions
• Refinery and chemical plant explosions
• Vehicle fuel system explosions
• Apartment and commercial building gas explosions

Our team investigates the cause of every explosion before drawing any conclusions, because who owes you compensation depends entirely on what went wrong and who was responsible for it.

Who Can Be Held Responsible After an Austin Explosion

In most explosion cases, more than one party shares responsibility. Our attorneys look at every possible defendant to maximize the available compensation.

 Gas and Utility Companies

Atmos Energy and Texas Gas Service operate the gas lines running through Austin neighborhoods, and both companies have a documented history of deferred maintenance on aging steel pipes. Corrosion, failed pipe joints, and inadequate gas odorization are all known failure points that can lead to a residential explosion. When a utility company neglects its lines, ignores reported leaks, or violates Texas Railroad Commission safety rules, it can be held responsible for the injuries and property damage an explosion causes.

Property Owners and Landlords

Gas utility responsibility ends at the meter. Everything past it — the pipes running through the walls and under the floors of a home or rental property — is the property owner’s responsibility. Older Austin homes frequently have aging steel piping that hasn’t been inspected in years, and a landlord who rents out a property with a deteriorating gas system can be held liable when that system fails.

Contractors and Construction Companies

Austin’s construction activity has made underground utility line strikes a recurring cause of gas explosions. A contractor who hits an unmarked or improperly marked gas line during excavation can trigger an explosion that injures workers and nearby residents. Depending on the circumstances, the excavating contractor, the utility marking service, and the company that commissioned the work may all share responsibility.

Equipment and Appliance Manufacturers

Defective gas valves, faulty pressure regulators, and malfunctioning appliances have caused explosions in homes and businesses across Texas. A product liability case can be brought against a manufacturer when a defective product causes an explosion, separate from any case against a property owner or utility company.

Industrial Employers and Third-Party Contractors

Construction sites, semiconductor plants, and industrial facilities bring together multiple contractors who may each have different safety standards, and the gaps between them can be dangerous. Workers injured in industrial explosions are frequently told that workers’ compensation is their only option, but Texas law allows a separate personal injury case against any third party — a subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or site owner — whose negligence caused the explosion. Our attorneys have recovered full compensation for clients who were initially told workers’ comp was all they could get.

Contributing Factors in Austin Explosion Cases

Industrial and workplace explosions rarely happen without a traceable cause, and identifying that cause is what determines who is liable. Our attorneys investigate the full picture of what led to an explosion, and several factors come up repeatedly in Austin-area cases.

Aging Pipeline and Utility Infrastructure

Pipeline infrastructure across Texas is aging, and corrosion accounts for up to 20 percent of all pipeline failures nationally. When a utility company defers maintenance on deteriorating lines or ignores known safety violations, that history becomes evidence of negligence in a civil case. Atmos Energy, one of Austin’s primary gas providers, has faced Texas Railroad Commission investigations for safety violations on more than one occasion.

Defective Equipment and Faulty Components

Pressure vessels, valves, regulators, and other industrial components that fail under normal operating conditions can point to a manufacturer defect rather than operator error. When a piece of equipment fails and causes an explosion, our attorneys examine the manufacturing history, prior failure reports, and any recalls or safety bulletins associated with that product.

OSHA Violations and Ignored Safety Protocols

Workplaces with a history of OSHA citations, unresolved safety violations, or internal safety reports that were never acted on have often created the conditions for an explosion long before it happened. Our attorneys obtain OSHA inspection records and internal safety audits as part of every workplace explosion investigation.

Hot Work Failures

Welding, cutting, and grinding near flammable materials or gas lines without proper permits, gas monitoring, or fire watches is one of the most documented causes of industrial explosions. When hot work procedures aren’t followed, liability can fall on the contractor performing the work, the company that hired them, or both.

Chemical Storage and Handling Violations

Improper storage of flammable or reactive chemicals, inadequate ventilation, and failure to follow handling procedures can turn a routine workday into a catastrophic event. Facilities are required to follow strict state and federal guidelines on chemical storage, and deviations from those guidelines are often central to establishing negligence in an explosion case.

How Our Attorneys Build an Explosion Case

Getting to the Scene Before Evidence Disappears

State investigators from the Texas Fire Marshal’s Office focus on public safety and criminal intent. A civil liability investigation runs separately and needs to start immediately. Maintenance records, gas pressure logs, pipe samples, and debris fields all start to disappear as soon as a cleanup crew arrives. Our team sends investigators and expert consultants to the scene to preserve what’s there before it’s gone, and the evidence gathered in those first days is the foundation of your case.

Tracing the Cause of the Explosion

Explosion investigations in civil cases follow NFPA 921, the national standard for fire and explosion investigation. Engineers trained in blast analysis map the debris field, measure the force of the explosion, and trace it back to the origin point.

Experts Our Team May Call On

Each explosion case calls for different specialists depending on the cause. Our attorneys work with:

• Blast analysis engineers who trace the origin and force of the explosion through debris mapping and pressure calculations
• Gas systems specialists who review the condition and maintenance history of the pipeline or appliance involved
•  Regulatory consultants who identify violations of Texas Railroad Commission rules and federal pipeline safety standards
• Seismologists who can use sensor data to independently verify the timing and magnitude of a blast
• Medical experts who connect your injuries to the long-term care costs you’ll carry going forward

 Pipeline Safety Records and Regulatory Filings

After a gas or propane explosion, pipeline operators are required under RRC Rule 3.20 to provide immediate notice of any fire, leak, or break, and the reports they file, along with leak detection logs, maintenance histories, and corrosion inspection records, can reveal whether a company knew about a problem and failed to fix it. Our industrial accident attorneys obtain relevant records through the discovery process and know what to look for if there is evidence of negligence.

Injuries From Explosion Accidents

Explosion injuries can affect multiple parts of the body at once, and some injuries don’t fully reveal themselves until days after the blast. Our attorneys account for the full medical picture, including injuries that may not be obvious at first.

Burn Injuries

Burns from an explosion range from superficial to full-thickness third-degree injuries that destroy skin, nerves, and underlying tissue. Severe burns require surgery to remove damaged tissue and rebuild the skin through grafting, followed by long-term scar management, pressure garment therapy, and sometimes reconstructive procedures. Permanent disfigurement and loss of function are not uncommon with serious burn injuries.

Blast Lung and Inhalation Injuries

Breathing in superheated air or combustion gases can cause severe damage to the airway and lungs, and the swelling that follows can develop over hours — sometimes closing the airway well after a victim appears stable. Dell Seton Medical Center at UT, Austin’s only adult Level I Trauma Center, treats inhalation injuries with immediate airway intervention and bronchoscopy to assess internal damage. Chronic respiratory problems are a documented long-term outcome in serious inhalation injury cases.

Brain Injury and Hearing Loss

An explosion’s pressure wave travels through the body and can damage the brain and ears without leaving any visible mark. Blast-related brain injury and permanent hearing loss are frequently missed in initial treatment, when attention goes to visible injuries like burns and fractures. Both conditions can limit a survivor’s ability to work and function independently for years, and both need proper specialist documentation as part of the damages your case needs to account for.

Broken Bones, Shrapnel, and Crush Injuries

Flying debris and structural collapse cause fractures, deep lacerations, and penetrating injuries that require surgery and extended recovery. Shrapnel injuries carry a high infection risk and can result in nerve damage when fragments lodge near sensitive structures.

PTSD and Psychological Trauma

Survivors of explosions regularly develop post-traumatic stress disorder, with flashbacks, sleep disruption, and heightened anxiety that can make it hard to return to normal life. Psychological injuries are fully recoverable in a Texas personal injury case, and our attorneys document them as a distinct part of what you’re owed — not a secondary item.

Compensation You May Recover

After an explosion, you may be entitled to compensation for every way the injury has affected your life. Insurance carriers for utility companies and large contractors are trained to limit payouts, and our attorneys fight to recover the maximum compensation available for every client we represent.

Damages in explosion cases can include:

• All past and future medical costs, including surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, and ongoing care
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work
• Pain and suffering, physical and emotional
• Permanent disfigurement and disability
• Property damage
• Wrongful death damages for families who lost someone in an explosion

Loewy Law Firm Gets Results

Loewy Law Firm has recovered tens of millions for injured Austinites since Adam Loewy founded the firm in 2005. In explosion and burn injury cases specifically:

• $2.8 million settlement — burn injury
• $2.5 million settlement — burn injury
• $10 million settlement — catastrophic injury
• $6 million settlement — wrongful death

Recovering compensation in explosion cases means going up against utility companies and corporate defendants who have experienced defense teams and significant resources. Our attorneys are built for exactly that kind of litigation.

Texas Law and Your Deadline to Act

Two Year Statute of Limitations

The statute of limitations cited in Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003 generally gives explosion injury victims two years from the date of the explosion to file a lawsuit. Two years can pass quickly when you’re focused on recovering, and explosion cases require months of investigation before litigation can begin. Starting the investigation as soon as possible protects the evidence and preserves your options.

Shorter Deadlines If a Government Entity Is Involved

If a city utility, a municipal contractor, or another government entity bears responsibility for the explosion, the Texas Tort Claims Act requires formal written notice within six months of the injury. Missing that deadline can eliminate your right to recover from a government defendant.

Why Waiting Costs You Evidence

Evidence in any accident case weakens over time, and in an explosion case where the cause is disputed and the defendants have resources, getting an attorney involved quickly protects what’s available. 

Support for Explosion and Burn Survivors

Physical recovery is only part of what an explosion survivor faces. Scarring, disfigurement, and trauma affect every area of life, and our attorneys regularly connect clients with support beyond the case itself:

• Texas Burn Survivor Society (TBSS) — monthly in-person support groups for survivors across Texas, plus programming for pediatric burn survivors through Camp David
• Phoenix Society SOAR Program — connects new survivors with trained peer supporters who have been through similar recoveries
• Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas — Austin’s Level I Trauma Center with a dedicated burn program that uses hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound care, and integrated physical and occupational rehabilitation

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I pursue a case if a gas explosion happened at my rental property?

Yes. Texas law holds property owners and landlords responsible for maintaining the gas systems on their property, including all piping past the utility meter. If your landlord knew about a problem, or should have known, and failed to fix it, you have a case against them.

A worksite explosion injured me. Am I limited to workers’ compensation?

Workers’ compensation covers your employer’s liability, but if a third party — a subcontractor, an equipment manufacturer, or a site owner who wasn’t your employer — caused the explosion through their own negligence, you can pursue a separate personal injury case against them. Our attorneys have recovered full compensation for clients who were initially told workers’ comp was their only option.

How do attorneys prove liability in a gas explosion case?

Proving liability requires a cause and origin investigation under NFPA 921 standards, review of incident reports and maintenance records filed with state regulators, and testimony from engineers and gas systems specialists. Our team builds the evidentiary record before the scene is cleaned up and records become harder to get.

Does Loewy Law Firm handle wrongful death cases from explosions?

Yes. If your family lost someone in an explosion, our attorneys can pursue a wrongful death case on your behalf under Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 71.001. Recoverable damages include the financial support your family has lost, funeral and burial expenses, and the loss of companionship that can never be fully measured in dollars.

What is the average settlement for a burn injury in Texas?

Burn injury settlements depend on the severity of the burns, the treatment required, the long-term impact on the victim’s ability to work, and who is at fault. Our firm has secured $2.8 million and $2.5 million in separate burn injury cases. A meaningful estimate for your situation requires a review of your records and the specifics of your case, which we can do in a free consultation.

Do I pay anything if Loewy Law Firm doesn’t win my case?

No. Our firm takes explosion cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. No upfront costs, no out-of-pocket fees for our representation.

Let Loewy Law Firm Fight for Justice

Utility companies and corporate defendants start protecting themselves immediately after an explosion. Loewy Law Firm has been fighting for injured Austinites since 2005, with over $100 million recovered and millions specifically for burn and blast injury survivors. Call us today at (512) 280-0800 for a free consultation — you pay nothing unless we win.