A Massachusetts family is seeking $450 million in damages in a lawsuit filed against Eversource on Tuesday, years after a beloved husband and father was killed in a house explosion caused by an underground gas leak.
A lawsuit filed in Middlesex County Superior Court by Sweeney Merrigan Law alleges that the Westwood-based utility company discovered the gas leak in 2018, years before Greg Sharrigan died in 2021 but did nothing to address it, instead “prioritizing more lucrative maintenance projects.”
“As shocking as this case already was, it’s even more staggering that Eversource’s alleged safety system is riddled with cost-saving measures. Eversource fails to properly track and repair leaking natural gas pipes because it prioritizes cost over danger,” said J. Tucker Merrigan, co-managing partner at Sweeney Merrigan. “It represents a classic corporate failure of profits over people. It actually detected the underground gas leak years before it killed Greg Sharrigan, but then didn’t do anything about it.”
Sharrigan lost his life when a leaking natural gas line ignited in a crawlspace of his home at 27 Park Street in Maynard in September 2021 , sparking a fire that led to the deadly blast, investigators said.
Sharrigan, a licensed union electrician, noticed an unusual “musty” smell the day before the blast but he figured it was caused by recent heavy rain and their slab and rock basement, the complaint stated. Sharrigan called the fire department the next day after the odor intensified overnight, but before firefighters arrived at his home, he attempted to turn on a hanging lightbulb, sparking the explosion.
“The force of the blast sent the home’s windows into the street, caused a significant structure fire, and killed Greg Sharrigan, who was inside,” the lawsuit stated.
Subsequent investigations conducted by the local authorities, state police, Eversource, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, among others, determined that the explosion was caused by a preventable natural gas leak due to a severely corroded gas main owned and operated by Eversource.
“Natural gas migrated from the leak through the earth, pooling in the Sharrigan basement before exploding,” the lawsuit stated. “The investigations identified multiple systematic failures that led to the explosion. Eversource misclassified and improperly tracked leaks, corrosion, and failing infrastructure and failed to respond to information about these issues after being made aware of the dangers posed to the community.”
The lawsuit contends that Eversource prioritized cost-saving and profit-producing measures in its gas service planning, implementation, maintenance, and operation over the safety of the people it serves.
“As a result of Eversource’s choices, Greg Sharrigan lost his life, a wife lost her husband, two sons lost their father, and a community lost a hero,” the lawsuit alleges.
In the filing of the lawsuit, Greg’s wife, Carol Sharrigan, broke her silence in the hope of preventing similar tragedies in the future.
“What Eversource did is very hard for me to talk about because the pain they caused is truly unspeakable. Nothing can ever fix this kind of damage,” Carol said in a statement. “But I am raising my voice to prevent this from ever happening again. The public needs to know that Eversource has been cutting corners and putting lives at risk.”
Jason Sharrigan, Greg’s youngest son, said his father was beloved in the community.
“Everyone in our neighborhood and everyone who worked with him knew his generosity,” Jason said of his father. “It could have been any house in the neighborhood, and my dad would have been the first to be there to help out. But it was my house, our house, and my father was inside. We lost our dad, and the community lost a great man.”
In response to the lawsuit, Eversource said it was “disappointed” to have not been able to resolve the matter with the Sharrigan family, while “strongly” disputing the allegations in the complaint.
“The 2021 fire in Maynard was an isolated, tragic accident and we continue to extend our sincere sympathies to family and friends impacted by it. We are also disappointed that we have not been able to resolve this matter with the family and remain hopeful that we can bring this matter to a fair resolution,” an Eversource spokesperson said in a statement. “We take very seriously our daily work to maintain our natural gas distribution system to enhance safety and reliability for all of our customers as we focus on helping the commonwealth achieve its clean energy and decarbonization goals. While we strongly dispute the assertions made in the complaint, we will continue to work through the appropriate legal processes to reach a resolution based on the facts of this tragic accident.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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