• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Every year, dozens of people, many of them children, are severely burned or killed when plastic gas cans explode. It's common in South Dakota for such cans to be in garages, storing fuel for lawnmowers and other common motorized devices.
• Attorney Diane Breneman represents several victims of such explosions, and says these tragedies could easily be prevented.
• "It's a huge problem. There are millions of these cans sitting around in people's homes, and in 30 cases that we've identified, the medical bills exceed $130 million. We're all paying for that."
• Industry spokesmen claim that misuse of the product, or people making unwise decisions, leads to injuries. Breneman disagrees. She says one of the victims was a volunteer firefighter refueling his chainsaw; another was a pit crew member of an auto racing team, who was filling his lawnmower.
• "The people who are injured by these cans never see it coming. Industry, on the other hand, they have been sued since the mid-1990s. They have had over 20 years to get this right."
• Breneman says the fix is simple: Gas can manufacturers can add a 50-cent flame arrester to contain fumes while the gas is being poured. She points out that industrial-grade cans have had flame arresters for decades. Plastic gas cans lack that protective part.
• Check your gas can and get tips at www.stopgasfires.org.
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