Four survivors of a fatal gas explosion that destroyed a Bristol Township nursing home filed a lawsuit Monday.
The survivors are alleging “overwhelming negligence” by the facility’s operators and PECO, its natural gas supplier.
The complaint, which was filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, is believed to be the first legal action following the Dec. 23 blast at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center and Silver Lake Nursing Home.
The explosion killed a staff nurse and two residents. It also injured 20 others. The third victim died on Monday.
The lawsuit names PECO; its parent company, Exelon Corporation; Bristol Health and Rehab Center LLC; and Saber Healthcare, which acquired the facility in early December.
Plaintiffs include Barbara Sall, a former resident and paraplegic; healthcare aides Stacy Ballard and Davidetta Blay; and James Broderick, an independent telecommunications contractor who was working at the site during the explosion.
According to the filing, an odor of gas permeated the building for at least 30 minutes before the blast.
The lawsuit alleges that despite reports of a leak “festering for days,” the defendants failed to evacuate the building.
“Our pre-suit investigation left no doubt that the defendants were responsible for this foreseeable and preventable tragedy,” said Robert J. Mongeluzzi, lead trial attorney for the plaintiffs and president of Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky.
Mongeluzzi alleged that “basic facility life safety training protocols were blatantly ignored” and that the site remained occupied even after several reports of noxious odors.
The complaint asserts that PECO, as a natural gas distributor, owes the “highest duty of care” because of the dangerous nature of its product.
The plaintiffs allege PECO workers were on the property investigating a leak at the time of the blast but failed to properly diagnose the issue or shut off the gas.
Regarding the facility’s operators, the filing states they had “actual and/or constructive notice” of the leak but ordered employees to continue working.
The complaint also noted the facility had been cited for safety violations by state inspectors as recently as October 2025.
“Suddenly and without warning, the natural gas leak caused a massive explosion, leveling much of the building,” the complaint said.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for physical and psychological injuries, including permanent scarring and emotional distress.
Saber Healthcare spokesperson Zach Shamberg said the company is cooperating with the ongoing investigation and cannot comment on pending litigation.
PECO spokesperson Candice Womer said the utility is 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,” Womer said.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and several other federal, state, and local agencies are investigating the blast.
Attorneys Larry Bendesky, Andrew R. Duffy, E. Douglas DiSandro, Jr., and Aidan Carickhoff are serving as co-counsel.
Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, was the lead council in the fatal 2023 natural gas explosion at the R. M. Palmer Chocolate Factory in Berks County case. It also represents family impacted by the 2022 Pottstown natural gas blast that killed five people and the 2014 fatal propane explosion in Philadelphia that killed two people.
