Spain Mexico
Philadelphia, PA Cherry Hill, NJ New York, NY Roseland, NJ 1-866-LOCKSLAW
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Locks Law Firm
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Get Started
  • No win, no fee
  • Free consultation
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • The Team
    • Office Locations
    • Newsroom
    • FAQ
  • About
    • About Us
    • The Team
    • Office Locations
    • Newsroom
    • FAQ
  • Practice Areas
  • Practice Areas
    • All Practice Areas
    • Medical Malpractice and Nursing Home Abuse
    • Environmental and Toxic Torts
    • Catastrophic Personal Injuries
    • Dangerous Drugs & Devices
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Get Started
  • Spain Mexico   Spanish
  • About
    • About Us
    • The Team
    • Office Locations
    • Newsroom
    • FAQ

    One of the most prominent personal injury law firms in the tri-state region, the Locks Law Firm is steadfastly committed to protecting the rights of seriously injured victims.

    Free Case Evaluation
  • Medical Malpractice and Nursing Home Abuse
    • Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
    • Hospital Acquired Infections
    • Medication Errors
    • Misdiagnosis / Failure to Diagnose
    • Surgical Errors
    • Needle Stick - CRPS

    Medical malpractice is any act by a health care provider that deviates from accepted standards of medical care and results in the personal injury, disability, or wrongful death of a patient. Nursing home abuse or negligence can take many forms. It can include physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, negligent care, and even financial exploitation.

    Free Case Evaluation
  • Environmental and Toxic Torts
    • Asbestos and Mesothelioma
    • Benzene
    • Chemical Exposure
    • Manganese Exposure
    • Natural Resource Damages
    • Toxic Injuries
    • Workplace Exposure

    Exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace or environment can cause serious, sometimes fatal health problems, including cancer.

    Free Case Evaluation
  • Catastrophic Personal Injuries
    • Burns and Chemical Burns
    • Traumatic Brain Injuries
    • Spinal Cord Injuries
    • Wrongful Death

    Catastrophic personal injuries include brain and spinal cord injuries, severe burns, carbon monoxide poisoning and, most seriously, death.

    Free Case Evaluation
  • Dangerous Drugs & Devices
    • Allergan Breast Implant Recall
    • Hernia Mesh
    • IVC Filters
    • Philips Respironics Lawsuit
    • Zantac (ranitidine)
    • NEC Baby Formula

    At the Locks Law Firm, our pharmaceutical litigation and defective drug lawyers are committed to serving personal injury victims and are well versed in the product liability laws that protect consumers.

    Free Case Evaluation

Locks Law Firm

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 893-0100

Cherry Hill, NJ

(856) 663-8200

New York, NY

(212) 838-3333

Roseland, NJ

(973) 671-1940

Locks Law Firm

Philadelphia, PA

The Curtis Center
Suite 720 East
601 Walnut Street

Cherry Hill, NJ

801 North Kings Highway

New York, NY

800 Third Ave 11th Floor

Roseland, NJ

3 Becker Farm Road
Suite 105

Locks Law Firm

Philadelphia, PA

[email protected]

Cherry Hill, NJ

[email protected]

New York, NY

[email protected]

Roseland, NJ

[email protected]

Blog

Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, Endures Historic Gas Leak

In Los Angeles, California, the neighborhood of Porter Ranch has been enduring an environmental catastrophe of historic proportions in the form of a natural gas leak since mid-October 2015. On a normal day, the sun shines brightly over Porter Ranch, which is surrounded by the Santa Susana Mountains to the north, the Granada Hills to the north and east, and Brown’s Canyon to the south and west. Unfortunately, the bliss of the neighborhood came to an abrupt halt on October 23, 2015, when employees of the Southern California Gas Company (“SoCalGas”) noticed a leak from the ground caused by the malfunction of a well.

Upon investigation, SoCalGas determined that Well SS-25 was releasing a tremendous amount of natural gas into the environment. SS-25 was originally built in 1953 and was equipped with a sub-surface safety valve intended to prevent these types of gas leaks. Problematically, SoCalGas had not inspected the well since 1976. Even more egregiously, the safety valve was removed from the well in 1979. In defense of this decision, SoCalGas noted that the well was not considered “critical” and thus the safety valve was not replaced. This decision has been questioned by many given that the safety valve likely would have prevented the leak in its entirety.

The leak is highly damaging, in part, because of the vast amount of methane gas that is being released into the atmosphere. Of note, methane gas is considered to be one of the most problematic types of greenhouse gas emissions. The gas release represents an increase of approximately 25% of all California’s methane emissions and is producing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2.3 million cars each day.

The disaster is not just damaging to the planet, but it has had a very real effect on the residents of Porter Ranch, too. Although public health officials state that there are no long-term health risks from these exposures, the symptoms residents are experiencing paint a different picture. In some parts of the neighborhood, half of the families have temporarily moved away, complaining of headaches, dizziness, nosebleeds, and vomiting. Other residents have been seen wearing surgical masks. Of the symptoms, one resident stated, “It’s like a fog in your brain – it feels like you’re having a stroke.” The gas also contains benzene, a known human carcinogen which has been linked to leukemia and aplastic anemia, among other diseases.

At this time, SoCalGas has been unable to commit to a date when the leak will be fixed, and some sources predict that the leak is likely to continue until at least February 2016. The Federal Aviation Administration has declared a no-fly zone over the area due to safety concerns. On January 6, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for the neighborhood. Simply put, environmental activist Erin Brockovich spoke for many when she declared the SoCalGas leak as the “worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill of 2010.” In response, various efforts have been made for judicial relief for the victims of this environmental tragedy. Given the unfortunate nature of this preventable occurrence, one can only hope that lessons will be learned going forward.

Mark Weinstein

Guest Author
January 11, 2016 Mark Weinstein

Tell Us About Your Case

If you can read this, please avoid filling the following input field or your submission may be marked as spam.
Thank you for contacting us! We will be in touch with you shortly.
Uh oh. There was a problem processing your request. Please try again!
Previous Entry

Leon Carelli, Locks' Chief Technology Officer, Quoted in Forbes

Next Entry

Lead Poisoning: Knowing the Facts

Recent Entries

  • Locks Law Firm Partner Al Anthony Helps Raise Over $1.3 Million for Pillar Care Continuum
  • Jennifer Emmons Named Managing Partner
  • Stephen M. Tatonetti Joins the Locks Law Firm Team
  • Partner Andrew DuPont along with colleagues at Justice for our Neighbors - Delaware Valley, to host CLE on Humanitarian Relief Available to Afghan Nationals Under the U.S. Immigration & Nationality Act
  • Locks Law Firm Attorneys Peer Reviewed for inclusion on Annual 2022 Best Lawyers in America® list

Archive

  • February2022
  • January2022
  • September2021
  • August2021
  • July2021
  • March2021
  • February2021
  • January2021
  • November2020
  • September2020
  • July2020
  • June2020
  • May2020
  • April2020
  • March2020
  • February2020
  • January2020
  • December2019
  • November2019
  • October2019
  • September2019
  • August2019
  • July2019
  • June2019
  • May2019
  • April2019
  • March2019
  • February2019
  • January2019
  • December2018
  • November2018
  • October2018
  • September2018
  • August2018
  • July2018
  • June2018
  • May2018
  • April2018
  • March2018
  • February2018
  • January2018
  • December2017
  • November2017
  • October2017
  • September2017
  • August2017
  • July2017
  • June2017
  • May2017
  • April2017
  • March2017
  • February2017
  • January2017
  • December2016
  • November2016
  • October2016
  • September2016
  • August2016
  • July2016
  • June2016
  • May2016
  • April2016
  • March2016
  • February2016
  • January2016
  • December2015
  • November2015
  • October2015
  • September2015
  • August2015
  • May2015
  • April2015
  • March2015
  • February2015
  • January2015
  • December2014
  • November2014
  • October2014
  • August2014
  • June2014
  • April2014
  • February2014
  • August2013
  • July2013
  • June2013
  • February2013
  • December2012
  • November2012
  • October2012
  • September2012
  • August2012
  • July2012
  • June2012
  • September2011
  • January2011
  • November2010
  • September2010
  • August2010
  • July2010
  • June2010
  • March2010
  • February2010
  • January2010
  • December2009
  • November2009
  • September2009
  • August2009
  • July2009
  • April2009
  • March2009
  • February2009
  • January2009
  • July2008
  • June2008
  • May2008
1-866-LOCKSLAW
[email protected]
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube
2021 Best Lawyers
Martindale-Hubble Award Ten Leaders

Copyright ©2022 Locks Law Firm. Made by Mindlark.

Locks Law Firm only provides legal advice after having entered into an attorney client relationship, which our website specifically does not create. Conversations that originate from website messaging, chat or other two way web based engagement  do not create an attorney client relationship. It is imperative that any action taken be done on the advice of counsel. Because every case is different, the description of awards and cases previously handled do not guarantee a similar outcome in current or future cases. The firm practices law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey & New York as Locks Law Firm. Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and other organizations that rate attorneys are not designations that have been approved by the State Supreme Courts or the American Bar Association.