Survivors of fatal home explosion in Lexington sue gas, utility companies
Attorneys for the surviving victims of the fatal gas explosion that leveled a Lexington, Missouri, home have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against multiple organizations involved in the blast.
The April 9 explosion destroyed the Cunningham-Lamb family home on Franklin Avenue and neighboring houses on both sides. Alistair Lamb, 5, was killed in the explosion. His sister Camillia “Cami” Lamb, 10, and their father Jacob Cunningham survived but sustained severe burns.
The suit names United Fiber LLC, Alfra Communication LLC, and Sellenriek Construction Inc., all of which were involved in the fiber optic cable installation dig that led to the explosion. The suit also names Liberty Utilities Corp., the Missouri gas company which provides gas for Lexington.
The lawsuit states that employees of the three companies were installing fiber optic cable underground at 1720 South St. when they hit a gas line maintained by Liberty around 4:13 p.m., which aligns with fire and police dispatch logs reviewed by The Star.
According to the lawsuit, the leak caused gas to seep into nearby homes and businesses unchecked through the air and top soil — including the Cunningham home a block away — for more than 3 1/2 hours. The explosion took place around 7:45 p.m. when Cunningham flipped on a light switch, according to relatives.
The 207-page lawsuit, which attorneys for Cunningham filed, also acts on behalf of Cami Lamb, referring to her in court documents as CFL.
Sellenriek Construction issued a statement the night after the explosion indicating that an employee was responsible for hitting a gas line near the Cunningham home. In the statement, the construction company said that the gas line was not marked.
The companies involved in the cable installation project called Missouri’s 811 information line and shared their intent to dig before April 9. Liberty was then required to mark all of the places where gas lines and other utilities existed underground, as the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit states that Liberty was negligent in failing to mark the gas line, and that after hitting the gas line, the other three companies were negligent in letting the gas leak continue unchecked. The lawsuit further states that no one involved in any of the four companies made any effort to warn nearby residents, including the Cunninghams, or to ensure that the gas at their homes were shut off.
Police and fire records obtained by The Star indicate that the first call to emergency responders was issued at 4:14 p.m. and directly named the gas leak. Missouri’s 811 line received a call a few minutes later, and Liberty was notified at 4:17 p.m., according to the police and fire call logs.
Along with damages related to Alistair’s death, the family’s lawsuit includes personal injury claims for both Cunningham and Cami Lamb.
Cami was still hospitalized as of April 15, when Cunningham was released into outpatient care, relatives told The Star. The lawsuit indicates that Cami was extensively injured. Cunningham’s injuries, also extensive, were detailed in the lawsuit, including significant disfigurement, extensive surgical reconstruction and loss of mobility.
The family is seeking separate payouts of at least $25,000 from all four companies for each of the three victims, according to the lawsuit, aiming for at least $300,000 in cumulative damages.
Cami and Alistair’s mother and Cunningham’s wife, Rachel Lamb-Cunningham, died in December 2023 of medical complications, two days after the couple wed. Cunningham was appointed guardian and conservator of both children in December 2024, according to the lawsuit.
A GoFundMe organized by Cunningham’s aunt has raised about $74,600 as of Monday night. Family members are also taking donations through an account at Midwest Bank in Lexington, 1211 Main Street, in the name of Cunningham’s mother Cathie Woods.
The Star has reached out to attorneys for Cunningham and Lamb, who declined to comment on pending litigation. The Star also reached out to all four companies involved.
Lexington City officials have told The Star that no one can speak about the incident now that an investigation is underway by the National Transportation Safety Board, which in turn has remained silent while the investigation remains active.
Liberty Gas also declined to comment on pending litigation, saying it would be “inappropriate” to speak during an active NSTB investigation.
Previous reporting by Laura Bauer and Eric Adler contributed to this article.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 10:07 PM.
