The daughter of a woman killed in an Oak Cliff apartment gas explosion last week is suing the owners of the building, Atmos Energy and other companies involved in drilling on the property before the explosion.
The wrongful death lawsuit is seeking $1 million in damages. It claims Sylvia Collins, a Dallas County Democratic Party precinct chair, was “violently” killed in the fire after the explosion Thursday afternoon.
“Sylvia’s gruesome death was senseless and easily preventable – if all parties had complied with known safety requirements, the law, and ordinary common sense,” the lawsuit said.
Attorney Chris Hamilton filed the lawsuit Sunday in Dallas County on behalf of Collins’ daughter, Michelle Collins. He told reporters during a Tuesday news conference he has seen evidence showing “gross negligence.”
The lawsuit alleges Atmos has a history of leaky gas pipes and residents reported the smell of gas days before the explosion. KERA has not yet independently verified those claims.
KERA has reached out to all the defendants in the lawsuit and will update this story with any response.
Sylvia Collins and two other residents — identified by family as Marisol Perez and her 18-month-old son Erik — were killed in the explosion and fire at The Clyde near East 9th Street and Patton Avenue. Several others were injured.
“This is just something that should never happen, and there are a bunch of things that have to go wrong for it to happen,” Hamilton said. “And there needs to be some accountability so that it doesn't happen again.”
A separate suit was filed Friday by the Houston-based catastrophic injury firm Kherkher Garcia on behalf of another resident in the building.
Who was Sylvia Collins?
Collins was a prominent activist in the Oak Cliff neighborhood and Dallas Democratic Party precinct chair who championed progressive values.
KERA spoke to three people on the day of the explosion who said they were looking for Collins.
Omar Jimenez told KERA he saw Collins the night before she died. He said she was campaigning outside primary runoff election polls Tuesday before attending a club meeting for the 23rd Senatorial District Tejano Democrats on Wednesday night. He thought Collins, who was in her 70s, would be tired and in her home Thursday.
Jimenez described her as “bubbly” and open to talking to anyone.
“She is one of those persons that is willing to help people whenever they ask for help and especially in the community,” he said. “She knows the community, and the community knows her.”
Hundreds gathered for a vigil late last week to honor Collins.
What we know about the explosion
The National Transportation Safety Board is still leading an investigation into the explosion and hasn’t released an official cause.
Barba Drilling was conducting a soil test on the property for a developer seeking to buy the land when the explosion occurred.
Atmos said in a statement last week the fire department told them a construction crew unrelated to the company damaged a gas pipe.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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