$7 Million Settlement After Corroded Gas Line Causes Poolside Grill Explosion in Virginia Beach

On the afternoon in question, a 23-year-old mother walked to the poolside area of her Virginia Beach apartment complex and attempted to light the outdoor gas grill the property provided for tenant use. What she could not have known was that the hardline natural gas pipe feeding the grill had corroded over time, allowing gas to pool unseen inside the brick enclosure. The moment she tried to ignite the burner, the accumulated gas exploded and flames engulfed her.

First responders transported her to the hospital with burns covering roughly 12% of her body. As doctors worked to stabilize her, the burns expanded. By the time progression stopped, 36% of her body surface had been burned. Over the weeks that followed she underwent four surgeries, including an autograft procedure to replace destroyed skin, and remained hospitalized for 19 days. Her past medical bills exceeded $262,000.

Beyond the physical damage, the injuries created long-term complications the trial team documented in detail. A pain management specialist, a clinical psychologist treating the plaintiff for PTSD, and an OB-GYN who addressed new risks to any future pregnancy all testified to the scope of her losses. Even the defense's own plastic surgery expert, when deposed, conceded that multiple additional surgeries would be required in the future.

Cooper Hurley attorneys John Cooper, Griffin O'Hanlon, John Baker, and Bailey Gifford built the premises liability case around the apartment complex's duty to maintain the gas infrastructure it supplied for tenant use. The team conducted 40 depositions plus four de bene esse depositions, establishing that the corrosion was a maintainable defect the property owner could and should have detected.

Mediation was attempted four months before trial but broke down without resolution. Talks resumed as trial approached. On February 4, 2026, the day before jury instructions were due, the apartment complex's side agreed to pay $7 million to settle all claims. No reduction of the settlement has been reported.