As a result of the settlement, the company will add a warning label to new boilers next to the reset button, but owners of existing boilers should be aware of the hazard of restarting a frozen boiler. Monies generated from this lawsuit will be distributed to several Homer area non-profits in Mr. Thomas’ name
A lawsuit alleging the wrongful death of longtime Homer resident Gary Thomas, filed by his wife Laura Patty, has been settled with Lochnivar LLC, the manufacturer of the boiler that exploded and killed Thomas while he was attempting to restart it in January of 2020. Thomas was checking on a house owned by a friend who was out of town, and discovered the house was frozen up and the boiler was not running. Because the water in the boiler was frozen, as the boiler warmed up, the hot water had no where to circulate, turning to steam and creating extreme pressure in the boiler. The resulting explosion killed Thomas and badly damage the garage where it was located.
