Family sues Eversource for $450 million after natural gas explosion kills Maynard father

“Because Eversource failed to maintain meaningful and clear record-keeping, it failed to operate a reasonable and safe critical infrastructure gas line maintenance," the complaint said.

The wife of a man who died after a natural gas explosion in Maynard is suing Eversource Energy for $450 million, claiming the energy giant improperly addressed leaks and pipe corrosion near the home.

“Eversource’s choices and operations caused Greg Sharrigan to lose his life, caused his wife to lose her husband, caused two sons to lose their father, and caused the community to lose a hero,” said the complaint filed in Middlesex Superior Court Tuesday.

Sharrigan, 67, was killed in 2021 when a natural gas explosion caused a two-alarm fire at his Park Street home. Investigators at the time found that a leaking underground gas line “ignited in a basement crawl space,” The Boston Globe reported.

Sharrigan, a licensed union electrician according to the complaint, had noticed a “musty” smell in the home, which became stronger overnight. Sharrigan had called the Maynard Fire Department to report the smell before heading into the basement to investigate, where he died from the explosion.

Sharrigan’s wife Carol, who represents his estate, is suing for $450 million in punitive and compensatory damages, according to court documents.

“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. “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.”

Lawyers representing the family point to a Department of Public Utilities incident report from last fall that says Eversource violated multiple federal pipeline safety codes, in part related to their “inadequate processes to identify active corrosion.”

The DPU incident report also alleges that Eversource had “unclear and inconsistent practices” to handle gas leaks and at least six employees performing leak investigations who were not properly qualified.

“As shocking as this case already was, it’s even more staggering that Eversource’s alleged safety system is riddled with cost-saving measures,” lawyer Tucker Merrigan said in a statement. “Eversource fails to properly track and repair leaking natural gas pipes because it prioritizes cost over danger; it represents a classic corporate failure of profits over people.”

However, a spokesperson for DPU said the investigation is still ongoing and the report is not final.

“The Department of Public Utilities is currently conducting an investigation into the gas-related incident that occurred in Maynard,” the spokesperson said. “The investigation, led by the Department’s Pipeline Safety Division, involves a comprehensive review of the incident’s root cause, the company’s response, and the company’s compliance with state and federal pipeline safety regulations and laws for public safety.”

The lawsuit alleges that Eversource knew about the underground leak at least three years prior to the explosion, claiming the dangerousness of the leak near the Sharrigan home wasn’t addressed due to Eversource’s “repeatedly erroneous identification and misclassification.”

“Eversource records showed that the leak history was inconsistent and unclear, and many of the documents provided were illegible in part or in whole,” the complaint said. “Because Eversource failed to maintain meaningful and clear record-keeping, it failed to operate a reasonable and safe critical infrastructure gas line maintenance.”

Eversource disputes any claim that the company knew about the leak that caused Sharrigan’s death. William Hinkle, a spokesperson for Eversource, said the fire was “an isolated, tragic accident” and offered their “sincere sympathies” to those affected by Sharrigan’s death. He said Eversource takes the maintenance of their natural gas distribution system “very seriously.”

“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,” Hinkle wrote in an email. “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.”