SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A worker injured in a methane gas explosion at Sioux City’s Citizen’s Convenience Center in 2018 has recently settled a lawsuit filed against the city and three companies for $805,000.
The explosion occurred due to a buildup of methane gas inside the Convenience Center’s office and scale house. The gas ignited when a worker lit a hand-held lighter on December 27, 2018, resulting in injuries to Douglas Mallette and another worker.
Mallette and his wife, Sandra, from South Sioux City, filed the lawsuit in November 2020, alleging negligence on the part of the city and the companies involved in monitoring and detecting the combustible gas inside the facility.
The defendants in the suit included Aerionics Inc., operating as Macurco Gas Detection, Metro Electric Inc., and Barker Lemar and Associates. Aerionics Inc. manufactured and sold gas detectors installed at the site, while Metro Electric Inc. installed two of the detectors, and Barker Lemar and Associates were responsible for monitoring methane levels and inspecting gas monitors.
Located at the city’s former landfill, the Convenience Center managed by Gill Hauling accepts various items, including household hazardous materials. Following the settlement’s approval by the Sioux City Council on March 25, the Mallettes will receive compensation from the companies involved.
The settlement agreement, which does not imply liability, stipulates that the Mallettes will receive payments from Macurco, Metro Electric, Barker Lemar, and Gill Hauling. Mallette’s attorney, Scott Hindman, noted that his client continues to suffer from the lingering effects of the injuries sustained in the explosion.
Hindman filed for the dismissal of the lawsuit earlier this week, marking the resolution of the legal proceedings stemming from the methane gas explosion.