Florida Man Suffers Serious Injuries After Laundromat Explodes

An Ocala man was seriously injured after a laundromat exploded, according to a recent news article. He has since filed a lawsuit against several parties that contributed negligence to the explosion. Among those are the owners and operators of the laundromat, the property managers and landlords of the laundromat, the natural gas distributor responsible for providing natural gas to the laundromat, and several companies that were responsible for installing the gas plumbing system on the laundromat premises.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was at the business on July 30, 2024 doing laundry “when suddenly and without warning, the building exploded around him, knocking him to the ground.” The lawsuit further maintains that the “Defendants negligently allowed a significant amount of natural gas to inconspicuously leak and build up on the premises, creating a foreseeable zone of risk. Defendants had actual and/or constructive knowledge of the dangerous condition on the subject premises. Defendants’ negligence was a legal cause of the Plaintiff’s loss, injury, and harm.”

Injuries and victims

According to authorities, three people, two women and one man, who were in the building at the time of the explosion, suffered substantial injuries. One of the victims was taken to a local hospital for burn treatment. The other two were treated for cuts and scratches.

One woman, who was inside the laundromat at the time of the explosion, told a reporter that she smelled gas while she was doing her laundry. She opened the front door to ventilate the interior of the laundromat and went to a liquor store within the same strip mall, where she spoke with an employee. The employee also mentioned smelling gas. The lawsuit maintains that the woman called and texted the owners of the laundromat to let them know what was happening. She ended up speaking to someone connected with the owners. The woman said that when her clothes were finished washing, she put them in the dryer, started the machine, and then she heard the explosion.

Elements of negligence 

Despite the sensational aspects of this story, this boils down to a simple premises liability lawsuit. Proprietors and their businesses are responsible for keeping the premises in safe condition for their customers. In this case, they failed to respond to an active threat of a gas leak on the premises. Ultimately, the gas leak caused an explosion that resulted in the plaintiff’s injuries. The plaintiff has a right to collect damages because the owners either knew about the gas leak or should have known about the gas leak at the time of the explosion, and failed to warn customers about the combustible nature of their laundromat. Ultimately, someone was hurt, and they have a right to sue.

Talk to a Jacksonville, Florida Personal Injury Lawyer Today 

If you’ve been injured by an exploding laundromat, in a car accident, or after a slip and fall, call the Jacksonville personal injury attorneys at Gillette Law today to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

ocala.com/story/news/local/2025/03/20/lawsuit-filed-by-man-injured-in-ocala-florida-laundromat-explosion/82541846007/