Family Sues Eversource After Home Explosion Death

Three years after a tragic gas leak led to the explosion that killed Greg Sharrigan, his family has filed a lawsuit against Eversource, alleging the company was aware of gas leaks in the area and had an ineffective system for detecting them. Ethan Sharrigan, Greg's son, expressed the emotional toll of the incident, stating he struggles to explain the loss to his now three-year-old daughter, who was born shortly after the explosion. The State Fire Marshall attributed the explosion to a leak in an underground gas line, which Greg had reported to the fire department before the incident. According to Tucker Merrigan, the attorney representing the Sharrigan family, Eversource had identified multiple leaks in the neighborhood between 2018 and 2020, including one just 40 feet from the Sharrigan home. Merrigan criticized Eversource's leak detection system as "systemic disorganization," highlighting a Department of Utilities investigation that revealed the leak was not properly tracked or assigned a leak number, leading to confusion in their records. In response, Eversource characterized the explosion as an isolated incident and denied responsibility for multiple gas line explosions since 2022. A company spokesperson stated that eight of those incidents were unrelated to natural gas, and the remaining explosion was caused by a third-party contractor. They also noted that the investigation into the probable cause of the Maynard explosion has not yet concluded. Carol Sharrigan, Greg's widow, shared her grief, stating that nothing can bring her husband back, but she hopes her family's efforts will prevent similar tragedies in the future.