A third person has died following a devastating explosion at a nursing home in Pennsylvania, officials confirmed.
The blast occurred on Dec. 23 at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center—also known as the Silver Lake Nursing Home—in Bristol Township. Two people were killed in the immediate aftermath, and 19 others were taken to hospitals with injuries.
On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Bucks County Coroner’s Office announced that another victim had died from injuries related to the explosion. The individual was identified as 66-year-old Patricia Mero, a resident of the facility. She had been receiving treatment at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Bucks County, where she later died.
The coroner’s office said Mero’s cause of death was chest trauma, and her death has been ruled an accident.
The two people who died earlier were identified as 52-year-old Muthoni Nduthu, a nursing assistant at the facility, and resident Ann Reddy, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY.
In the wake of the explosion, a lawsuit has been filed by two workers, a resident, and a contractor who were injured in the blast, according to Fox affiliate WTXF and NBC affiliate WCAU. The complaint alleges that PECO Energy Company, its parent company Exelon Corp., and Saber Healthcare Holdings LLC were aware of a gas leak and failed to take necessary steps to evacuate the building, repair the issue, and protect residents, employees, and others from harm.
Zach Shamberg, Saber Healthcare Group’s chief of government affairs, said the company is cooperating with a government investigation but declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, according to WTXF and WCAU.
In a statement, a spokesperson for PECO said the company is participating in the National Transportation Safety Board investigation and is fully cooperating, adding that federal rules prevent further comment on the matter.
