YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Attorneys have filed a wrongful death lawsuit following a deadly natural gas explosion in Youngstown. The lawsuit, was filed on behalf of the family of Akil Drake, who was killed during the explosion and subsequent building collapse at the Realty Tower in downtown Youngstown, Ohio, on May 28, 2024.
The explosion occurred while a contractor was performing work on natural gas utility lines in the basement of the Realty Tower. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the explosion was caused by the cutting of a pressurized natural gas line that the construction crew believed was inactive and unpressurized. When the line was cut, it leaked extremely flammable and dangerous natural gas, resulting in an explosion that caused extensive damage to the building and the death of Mr. Drake, who was working in the JP Morgan Chase bank on the first floor of the Realty Tower.
Mr. Drake’s sister, Traesha Pritchard, shared that “our entire family is devastated by Akil’s death. He was a wonderful son, brother, boyfriend, and community member who was innocently doing his job when this preventable tragedy took him from us.”
“Our goal in this lawsuit is to secure justice for our clients and prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future,” stated Ben J. Whitman, a partner at the firm. “We are committed to a thorough investigation into the cause of this incident and will advocate for stringent enforcement of safety regulations to ensure that all companies performing this type of work do so in the safest possible manner to protect the public.” Whitman added that “in recent years, we have seen numerous cases where avoidable mistakes are made during projects involving these inherently dangerous businesses – our mission is to force these companies to change their practices to make our communities safer.”
The family is represented by Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Littky-Rubin & Whitman, a Florida-based legal team.