Park Forest woman rescued after explosion, neighbor file lawsuit

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Yolanda Collins at the site where her duplex used to stand at 15 Bailey Road in Park Forest before a gas explosion leveled it and heavily damaged the neighboring unit at left. | Brett Roseman ~ Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 24, 2012 8:58AM

A Park Forest woman who was rescued in dramatic fashion after her townhome exploded last year, and her neighbor, whose townhome also was destroyed, have filed a lawsuit claiming the explosion occurred after natural gas lines were struck during a village water system improvement project.

Yolanda Collins and Christina Sandoval were living in adjacent townhomes in the first block of Bailey Road on Feb. 22, 2011, when workers from Trine Construction Corp. struck a gas main, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

Trine was working as a contractor for the village to complete the water system improvements, which included installing water mains, fire hydrants and pavement restorations, the lawsuit said.

The damage to the gas lines caused explosions and fires at the townhomes of Collins and Sandoval, the lawsuit said.

The roof of Collins’ townhome fell, causing debris and hot tar to rain down on her bed where she was using her laptop computer, the lawsuit said. The bedding caught fire and resulted in her entire home being engulfed in flames, the lawsuit said.

About a week after the explosion, Collins told the SouthtownStar that to be rescued, she had to crawl on her hands and knees toward daylight coming from what used to be a wall. AT&T workers Ron Shockley and Garreth Carpenter heard her screams, and Shockley, of Tinley Park, grabbed a ladder from a construction crew, scaled it, grabbed Collins by the waist and carried her to safety before much of the building burned down.

Collins’ hair was burned off and she suffered burns to her face, body, hands, legs and feet, the lawsuit said. Collins’ 2009 Ford Fusion sedan also was completely destroyed, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit claims Collins’ son, who lived in the home but was at school at the time, suffered emotional trauma after learning of his mother’s hospitalization.

Sandoval’s townhome also was completely destroyed due to the natural gas explosion and fire, the lawsuit said.

The eight-count lawsuit claims negligence by Trine, the village, USIC Utility Resources Inc. and Northern Illinois Gas Co., which could not be immediately reached for comment. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and court costs.

Contributing: Sun-Times Media