Victims of New Year’s Day 2023 explosions in Port Richmond are suing PGW and Peco

Port Richmond residents woke up on New Year’s Day 2023 to an explosion that leveled three houses and hurt five people, including a man who later died from his injuries.

Waldemar Janiszewki, who suffered spinal fractures and a traumatic brain injury from the blast, died from injuries in April at age 70 after nearly 16 months of intensive medical care.

Ahead of the two-year anniversary to the explosion last week, Janiszewki’s estate and three other people injured in the blast that rocked the 3500 block of Miller Street accused Philadelphia Gas Works and Peco of failing to maintain infrastructure, “gross negligence” that led to the explosions.

» READ MORE: A Port Richmond explosion survivor says she wants to rebuild her home, but she’s having a hard time learning how

The two lawsuits, filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, allege that the explosion was the result of a gas leak and that utility and maintenance companies had years to prevent the incident but instead “chose not to warn residents of Miller Street, including Plaintiffs, of the risk posed by the pipeline.”

“The gas pipeline leaked into the ground near and around 3546-3550 Miller Street,” the complaint on behalf of Janiszewki’s estate says. “The leaking natural gas ultimately ignited and created a massive high order explosion.”

Janiszewki’s estate sued alongside Michael Schofield, 58, who suffered spine injuries in the blast. A second lawsuit was filed on behalf of Maria Mardula, 66, and John Sotomayor, 56.

The explosion upended the lives of all three survivors. Sotomayor, for example, worked as an executive chef. He was sleeping in his mother’s house on Miller Street on the night of the explosion and suffered broken ribs, burns, and trauma to the head, neck, and shoulders, according to the complaint.

Sotomayor hasn’t been able to return to work since the explosion, according to Thomas Sweeney, an attorney with Messa and Associates, who represents Sotomayor and Mardula.

“They went to bed one night and woke up to a catastrophe,” Sweeney said.

PGW’s initial investigation found no leaks in the natural gas infrastructure on the block, representatives of the utility said in a community meeting days after the incident. And PGW continues to stand by that assessment, according to a spokesperson.

“As the incident did not involve PGW’s mains or service pipes, PGW has no further updates or information and cannot comment on pending litigation,” the spokesperson said.

» READ MORE: Port Richmond explosion site had no gas leaks, according to PGW’s initial survey

Other defendants include Peco and parent company Exelon, the city, Riggs Distler Gas, and contractors.

A spokesperson for the city’s law department declined to comment on the active litigation. Riggs Distler Gas’s parent company, Centuri, did not respond to requests for comment.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission didn’t find evidence that gas infrastructure led to the explosion, a Peco spokesperson noted. The electric utility and its parent company shouldn’t be parties to the lawsuits, the company said.

Large catastrophe cases are complex, involving experts and engineers to get to the root of what happened, said Michael Budner, attorney at Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky, who represents Janiszewki’s estate and Schofield.

But there is only so much investigation the survivors and attorneys can conduct without information from the defendants.

“The discovery process is how we prove what caused the explosion,” Budner said.