First Lawsuit Filed in Deadly New York City Apartment Blast

March 20, 2014

A 46-year-old Harlem woman has filed a lawsuit against Con Edison in connection with the explosion that leveled two apartment buildings last week.

The New York Post reports that Michelle Nelson filed the civil suit on Monday, becoming the first to sue over the deadly blast.

The lawsuit says she sustained “severe and permanent injuries” when the explosion caused her to fall in her apartment more than a block away.

The suit names Con Edison and the owner of 1646 Park Ave., one of the collapsed buildings.

It says they neglected their “duty to keep … the premises in a safe, proper and secure manner.”

Con Ed says it has not seen the papers and could not comment. The owner of 1646 didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment.