Plum Borough, PA – Five months after a fatal explosion that killed 64 year-old Richard Leith, his family is still no closer to knowing who was at fault for the devastating blast, now their attorney is taking legal action.
Ellie Cravotta showed Channel 11 the renovations to her home Tuesday night. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of work, with the final touches just completed. Cravotta said, “Today they put in a the front door, and did some minor touch up…every room in my house with the exception of the powder room had cracks in it.”
Her home of more than 40 years is just across the street from the Mardi Gras Drive gas explosion that leveled her neighbors house, and severely damaged others.
All that remains now is a for sale sign, and overgrown grass.
On March 5 of this year the neighborhood was a chaotic scene.
The explosion killed 64 year-old Richard Leith.
His four year-old granddaughter, Gianna Pettinato, was seriously injured.
Cravatta still talks to the family regularly, “They seem to be holding up pretty well. I’m sure it’s gonna take a long time for them to get through this, Gianna is doing great. She is absolutely…the angels picked her up and just set her down, but she’s walking and running, just a typical four and half year old little girl.”
Tuesday, the Pettinato family’s lawyer filed a lawsuit against Dominion Peoples Gas, Plum Borough, and a contractor.
A crack in a two inch gas line was determined to be the cause of the explosion, but the National Transportation Safety Board and Commonwealth Public Utility Commission still haven’t revealed their findings.
It’s information only released by subpoena.
Attorney Alan Perer said, “We need to get to all the facts in the case, and the only way we’re able to do that is to proceed with the lawsuit.”
A spokesman from Dominon People’s Gas said Tuesday, “We do not comment on pending litigation, and in fact, the company has yet to receive any documentation on the lawsuit.
Plum Borough Manager Michael Thomas had no comment.