Second claim filed against Kern County in deadly downtown apartment explosion

Ishani Desai, The Bakersfield Californian
Updated ·2 min read

Jan. 25—A second claim was filed against Kern County this week over last summer's downtown apartment complex explosion that killed one person while injuring at least two.

Attorneys for Patricia Allen filed a claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — asserting negligence was involved in the June 30 gas explosion that rocked Park 20th Apartments. Before abruptly ending the call, a person who answered the phone Wednesday for the law office of Allen's Ventura-based lawyer, Bruce Paller, would not disclose what type of "negligence" was being alleged or Allen's whereabouts.

Allen suffered injuries such as "damage to bodily organs," dizziness, nausea, headaches, chest pain and emotional distress, according to the claim. It states Allen was poisoned by carbon monoxide months prior to the incident. She seeks less than $25,000 in a limited civil case, according to the claim listed on the Kern County Board of Supervisors' agenda Tuesday.

Zackhary Williams, who broke his leg after being hurled against a wall and falling from the building, filed a claim against the county July 18. Bakersfield law firm Chain Cohn Clark filed Williams' lawsuit against Kern County; the law firm no longer represents him. The status of Williams' claim was unclear. County counsel did not respond to an inquiry about the status of Allen's claim.

Cleveland Lee Amos, 66, died July 2 at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital after suffering injuries from the explosion, according to the Kern County coroner's office.

Park 20th Apartments, which offers housing for low-income residents and homeless veterans, is run by the Housing Authority of the County of Kern at 20th and V streets. Bakersfield firefighters said previously that initial reports showed a gas leak caused a gaping hole in the three-story, 55-room building. It damaged seven rooms and forced the relocation of 14 tenants.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has denied faulty equipment belonging to the utility led to the explosion. It said preliminary reports showed the accident was caused by an apartment's stove.

The Bakersfield Fire Department has begun conducting an investigation into the damage's origin. An agency spokesperson did not respond Wednesday in time for The Californian's print deadline about the status of the department's investigation.