On July 21, a Virginia jury convicted a service manager of a local propane company of involuntary manslaughter, a felony, and three additional misdemeanors related to the improper handling of hazardous materials. He is facing up to 13 years in prison.
The incident that led to this criminal conviction occurred on Feb. 16, 2024, at a private residence in Sterling, Virginia. The homeowner had an underground 500-gallon propane tank that serviced a heated pool. There were no gas-fed appliances in the home.
It is alleged in a civil lawsuit that the tank had been red-tagged prior to Feb. 16, 2024, the date of the explosion. It is claimed that the propane delivery driver did not know the tank had been red-tagged and put approximately 125-130 gallons of propane into the tank. He immediately began to smell a strong odor associated with a propane leak.
It is alleged that the propane company performed a leak check of the tank sometime prior to Feb. 16, 2024, and found a leak, meaning the tank was unsafe to use until the leak was fixed. The company disconnected the gas line to the tank and put a POL lock on the tank…