Sioux City, Iowa – A worker injured in a 2018 methane gas explosion at Sioux City’s Citizen’s Convenience Center has recently reached a substantial $805,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed against the city and three companies. Douglas Mallette, the injured worker, had alleged that negligence in monitoring the buildup of combustible gas inside the facility led to the explosion that occurred on December 27, 2018, injuring him and another worker.
Mallette, along with his wife Sandra from South Sioux City, filed the lawsuit in November 2020, claiming that the city failed to properly detect and warn of methane gas inside the center. The lawsuit also named Aerionics Inc., Metro Electric Inc., and Barker Lemar and Associates as defendants for their roles in manufacturing gas detectors, installing them, and monitoring methane levels at the site respectively.
The Citizen’s Convenience Center, located at the city’s former landfill, accepts various items not picked up by garbage trucks, including grass clippings, tires, furniture, and household hazardous materials. The settlement, approved by the Sioux City Council on March 25, outlined payments of $40,000 from Macurco, $165,000 from Metro Electric, $200,000 from Barker Lemar, and $400,000 covered by Gill Hauling who manages the center on behalf of the city.
Despite the settlement, the agreement does not admit liability, according to the terms laid out by the parties involved. Mallette’s attorney, Scott Hindman, mentioned that Mallette continues to experience lasting effects from his injuries. Hindman filed for the dismissal of the lawsuit on behalf of his client, marking the conclusion of the legal proceedings surrounding the explosion incident.