Prison Explosion Kills Two, Injures Hundreds

The prisoners, jail guards and other staffers got the shock of their lives when a prison cell in Florida that killed two inmates. According to authorities, the explosion happened around 11 pm Wednesday that “partly leveled” the four-story Escambia County Jail’s central booking facility. This detention center is home to 600 inmates. After the explosion, all of the inmates were accounted for. Other than the 2 killed after the explosion, reports revealed that around one hundred to a hundred fifty inmates and guards got injured. The explosion was so violent, the building, though standing is unstable and partially collapsed.

According to witnesses, the explosion shook the building like it was in an earthquake. A good number of the inmates who have been in to the facility shared their experience on how dangerous the accident was.

Authorities are still trying to figure out what happened. According to initial reports, investigators say that the signs are saying that what happened was an “apparent gas explosion”. Investigators said that people heard an explosion and smelled gas. However, no fire was reported. Up to this very moment, investigators are still trying to figure things out, wanting to make sure what the real cause of the explosion was. The families and relatives of the workers and inmates in the facility are all worried about the safety of their loved ones. Meanwhile, the families of those killed are still in disbelief over what happened.

If the incident was indeed caused by a gas explosion, can the management of the prison be held responsible for the death and injury incurred by the victims? As administrators of the building, it is their task to make sure that these facilities and everything in it are well maintained to prevent accidents such as this from happening. In cases where accidents happen in the premises controlled or maintained by an entity or individual, people can file a wrongful death or personal injury claim with the help of a wrongful death or personal injury attorney for what has happened to their loved ones. Here, some people are thinking if the same can be done given that this was a state-maintained correctional facility.