The family of longtime Dallas community activist Sylvia Collins has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Atmos Energy, Barba Drilling Co., and several other companies following last week's deadly apartment explosion in Oak Cliff that killed three people and injured several others.
The lawsuit, filed in Dallas County by Collins' daughter, Michelle Collins, alleges negligence and gross negligence and seeks more than $1 million in damages, including punitive damages.
Collins, a longtime community leader and Dallas Democratic Party precinct chair, was among three people killed when an explosion demolished the Clyde apartments near East Ninth Street and Patton Avenue on May 28.
According to Dallas Fire-Rescue, crews were responding to a reported gas leak just before 1 p.m. when the explosion occurred.
Oak Cliff apartment fire explosion Hamilton Wingo
According to the lawsuit, Collins was “violently killed in her own apartment by a bomb-like explosion that caused her to be burned alive, as a neighbor heard her screams.” It also states that her “gruesome death was senseless and easily preventable—if all parties had complied with known safety requirements, the law, and ordinary common sense.”
Chris Hamilton, the family's attorney, said the lawsuit was filed to ensure accountability and prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.
"The family has brought this lawsuit to make sure that this never happens again in our community," Hamilton said during a news conference Tuesday.
The lawsuit names Atmos Energy, whose natural gas infrastructure served the property, and Barba Drilling Co., which was performing geotechnical work at the site. Several property ownership and management entities are also named as defendants.
Hamilton said one of the central questions in the case is whether underground gas lines were properly marked before drilling work began.
Aftermath of the explosionHamilton Wingo
"One of the key questions that we have right now is how were these lines marked and was that done correctly?" Hamilton said. "It is somewhat hard to believe that a correctly marked line could result in this happening."
The lawsuit also alleges residents reported smelling gas and rotten eggs in the days before the explosion. Hamilton said his team has spoken with multiple neighbors who described noticing the odor before the blast.
"We have, in our investigation, spoken to a number of neighbors who reported gas, the smell of gas in the building in the days before," Hamilton said.
Hamilton described Collins as "an absolute gem of a person" who spent decades serving others and advocating for her community.
Sylvia CollinsHamilton Wingo
"She truly is that rare individual who always put others first," he said.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. No court date has been set.
KRLD reached out to both Atmos and Barba Drilling for comment, but has yet to hear back.
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