Contacts:
Attorney Ken Jones, Editor
(800) 635-5297 X22
Aubrey Haznar
(800) 444-5297 X8312
(781) 226-8616-Pager

St. Louis - (December 3, 2002) – A contractor whose workers punctured a gas main causing a fatal explosion and the phone company that hired the contractor have agreed to settle a wrongful death lawsuit for more than $1.4 million. The family of the Laclede Gas worker who died after the explosion two years ago in Barnhart, Mo., have agreed to the settlement, according to Missouri Lawyers Weekly. The weekly legal newspaper also reports the family has settled with AmerenUE electric company for an undisclosed amount. Exclusive details of the settlement can be found in the latest edition of the weekly legal newspaper and through the newspaper's web site, www.molawyersweekly.com.

On Feb. 7, 2000 workers for A-B Contracting Company punched a hole in a four-inch gas main at the Bayberry Farms subdivision as they were laying telephone line for Southwestern Bell Company. Laclede Gas employee Kenneth Ferguson was part of a "leak team" trying to pinch off the leaking gas main. Natural gas had been pouring out of the plastic pipe for 2 1/2 hours after it was pierced. The high build up of gas caused an explosion, which was heard miles away, demolishing a house Ferguson was standing nearby and heavily damaged several other homes. The 44-year old father of two died two days later.

In their lawsuit, Ferguson's family claimed A-B Contracting Company's negligence caused the gas leak and that Southwestern Bell was responsible for the contractor's actions. A-B paid $750,000 and Southwestern Bell paid $725,000 to settle the lawsuit. AmerenUE, which was accused of not responding quickly enough when asked to turn off power to the house, settled for a confidential amount.

"There have been a number of lawsuits in the St. Louis area because of residential natural gas explosions over the last several years," said attorney Ken Jones, editor of Missouri Lawyers Weekly. "Laclede Gas was not named in the lawsuit by the dead worker's family because the law doesn't allow it. Instead, they received $126,000 from the gas company in a worker's compensation award."