Families and relatives of those who died or were injured in the Creeslough explosion plan to launch civil lawsuits against the operators and owners of the Applegreen service station, as well as the management company of the nearby apartments where ten people lost their lives in the 2022 blast, reports RTE.
The legal actions seek compensation for both physical injuries and psychological trauma.
It’s believed the hearings could begin within a year, reports RTE.
Lawyer Damien Tansey has confirmed that he has filed legal proceedings for 25 individuals, including relatives of those killed in the explosion.
Those named as co-defendants in the recently filed lawsuits include members of the Lafferty family, Vivo/Shell Limited, Duntally Woods Apartment Owners Management Company, Donegal County Council, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, and Applegreen Limited, reports RTE.
“I can confirm our office has now submitted numerous personal injury lawsuits. We represent about 25 people and there are a further six or seven apartments occupiers,” Mr Tansey said, reports RTE.
He added: “High Court actions have commenced in relation to numerous injured parties, including on behalf of families of deceased victims and people who themselves suffered catastrophic injuries. One of the defendants is in liquidation, which means we have to get the consent of the High Court to proceed. We had to first submit the claims to the Injuries Resolution Board,” he added, reports RTE.
The legal claims, submitted between last October and June this year, target individuals and organisations connected to the explosion site. Six different law firms are handling these cases on behalf of the plaintiffs.
Included among those taking action are Donna and Hugh Harper, who lost their 14-year-old daughter Leona in the blast, and Amanda Faul, Marie Ronaghan and Kathryn McDevitt — sisters of Martina Russell, who also died in the incident, reports RTE.
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Mr Tansey also confirmed that some cases include apartment owners worried that their insurance coverage won’t fully cover the loss of their destroyed properties.
The latest lawsuits required permission from the High Court before they could be filed, as one of the co-defendants — the Register of Gas Installers Ireland — is currently undergoing liquidation, reports RTE.
Altogether, twelve individuals or organisations have been named as defendants in these new legal proceedings.
The explosion on October 7, 2022, claimed the lives of four men, three women, and three children, ranging in age from five to 59, reports RTE.
Those who died were five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her father Robert Garwe (50), 14-year-old Leona Harper, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 48-year-old James O’Flaherty, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 39-year-old Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan.
While investigators believe a sudden gas leak may have triggered the explosion, the Garda investigation has not yet been completed, reports RTE.
The inquiry is being led by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in collaboration with several other bodies, including the Health & Safety Authority and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities.
A man in his 60s was arrested in May in connection with the case but was later released without charge. This brings the total number of people interviewed during the investigation to five, reports RTE.
Many families of victims and survivors have continued to demand a public inquiry, saying they still lack clear answers about what led to the tragedy.
These requests have been backed by Donegal County Council, which passed a motion last year in support of launching a public inquiry, reports RTE.
Vivo/Shell Limited, whose directors are Danny Martin Lafferty and Annette Lafferty, received planning permission from the council in February to rebuild a service station on the explosion site.
The decision deeply upset some victims’ families and was overturned last month following appeals to An Coimisiún Pleanála, reports RTE.
The proposed project involved demolishing the damaged structure and constructing a new facility featuring a shop, post office, beauty salon, fuel pumps, and a commemorative area, including a sculpture with 10 metal poles representing each victim and a space for a memorial garden.
But An Coimisiún Pleanála ruled that the new development would clash with the local setting and would negatively impact the visual and architectural character of Creeslough, reports RTE.
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