PORTER RANCH, Calif., Oct. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Firefighters protecting residents in Porter Ranch during the massive Aliso Canyon gas leak filed a civil lawsuit against Southern California Gas Company ("SoCalGas"). The Firefighters claim the utility knowingly exposed them to hazardous levels of known toxins like benzene and formaldehyde, according to the complaint filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Shortly after the gas well blowout in October 2015, firefighters jumped into action, by helping protect the community and respond to 911 calls from residents and SoCalGas employees. The firefighters at Station 28 (in Porter Ranch) requested air purifiers from SoCalGas in December 2015, but the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) joined with SoCalGas to say there were no health impacts.
Together, DPH and SoCalGas told the LAFD the same thing as the public that "natural gas is not toxic." But SoCalGas issued a proposition 65 notice in August of this year saying the exact opposite – natural gas has chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer.
"My brothers and I are proud to be firefighters, and we're trained and ready to run into any dangerous situation," Daniel Mehterian, a recently retired firefighter. "SoCalGas chose to lie to us, mislead us and put us in harm's way without giving us the chance to warn others. They robbed us of the chance to help save lives further, and instead chose to hide the truth and cover their own butts. Now we are all suffering intense nosebleeds, severe headaches, nausea, dizziness and more. To a man, we would gladly lay down our lives, but none of us can stand being lied to."
The firefighters allege that SoCalGas misled them about the extent of the chemical exposure to workers stationed near Porter Ranch during the blowout. SoCalGas failed to protect the first responders tasked with protecting the public and exposed these firefighters to hazardous chemicals. The firefighters claim they suffered from, and in some cases continue to suffer from nosebleeds, migraine headaches, dizziness, skin rashes, sleeping difficulties, and breathing difficulties. Many now battle cancer.
"The brave men and women who choose to be firefighters risk their lives every day in order to keep us safe," said attorney R. Rex Parris. "SoCalGas hid the truth from these brave souls in order to keep all of us in the dark. Now, the bravery of these firefighters has been rewarded with chronic, often permanent illness by SoCalGas' lies."
Download Complaint - https://www.parrislawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Firefighter-Complaint_Conformed.pdf
Between October 23, 2015 and February 18, 2016, toxic gases spewed out of the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility into the residential communities in the northern San Fernando Valley. By volume, the gas leaking at this time was 220 times greater than the oil released during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
In late January 2016, SoCalGas partnered with the DPH to tell the firefighters at Station 28 the gas was "not toxic." The DPH employees told the LAFD there were no risks to their health, assured the LAFD of the safety of the gas and its constituents and told the firefighters odorants caused short-term irritation to people who are sensitive to odors. Within less than six weeks, DPH knew its own employees suffered from the same health problems when going to Porter Ranch, but DPH never returned to let the firefighters know of the health risks.
The lawsuit alleges SoCalGas knew its statements were false and that it had known for at least two decades gas transported to Aliso Canyon via pipelines had benzene – a known carcinogen. The benzene levels in the stored gas thousands of times higher than the accepted exposure set by California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). New requirements for Proposition 65 also forced SoCalGas to admit on August 1, 2018 that its natural gas contained known carcinogens, including formaldehyde.
About PARRIS Law Firm
PARRIS Law Firm has dedicated the past 33 years to representing families affected by catastrophic injuries as a result of someone else's careless actions. The experienced team at PARRIS, a Los Angeles County based business, fight tirelessly against corporate defense attorneys to make sure their clients are fairly compensated for their pain and suffering.
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