NM High Court Clears Way For Pipeline Explosion Lawsuit

SANTA FE (AP) – The New MexicoSupreme Court has ruled that firefighters and rescue workers who responded to a pipeline explosion near Carlsbad can sue El Paso Natural Gas Co. for emotional distress.

Twelve members of an extended family – including young children – were camping on the banks of the Pecos River when the explosion occurred in August 2000. Some died in the fire and others died later from severe burns.

About two dozen paid or volunteer members of fire departments from Carlsbad and other communities say they were traumatized by what they witnessed in the aftermath of the explosion.

The high court gave the go-ahead for a lawsuit the firefighters and emergency medical technicians filed in 2003.

The first responders contend that misconduct by El Paso Natural Gas, the operator of the pipeline, caused the explosion.