Wrongful death lawsuit alleges negligence led to deadly Eustis building explosion
Wrongful death lawsuit alleges negligence led to deadly explosion
A newly filed wrongful death lawsuit alleges the December 2025 explosion that killed a Eustis business owner could have been prevented and claims a series of failures by utility and construction companies led to the deadly blast.
EUSTIS, Fla. - A newly filed wrongful death lawsuit alleges the December 2025 explosion that killed a Eustis business owner could have been prevented and claims a series of failures by utility and construction companies led to the deadly blast.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Orange County by the daughter of Wendy Davis, seeks damages for wrongful death and property loss. It names Peoples Gas System, Wire 3 LLC, FiberPro Network Services, Alson Services and Mendoza Conduit Installers as defendants.
Emergency response questioned
What we know:
According to the complaint, contractors installing fiber-optic infrastructure used an unlicensed worker to operate a horizontal directional drill near the Davis Building on South Eustis Street.
The lawsuit alleges the operator struck a natural gas line at 9:33 a.m. while drilling within the pipeline's 58-inch tolerance zone without adequately locating the underground utility.
The complaint further alleges Peoples Gas responded to the gas leak but failed to evacuate the surrounding area. Instead, Davis was allegedly allowed to re-enter the building without knowing it was filling with natural gas.
According to the lawsuit, Peoples Gas shut off the damaged gas line at 10:48 a.m., an action the complaint claims changed the air-to-gas mixture inside the building and created conditions for an explosion.
Nine minutes later, the building exploded.
Davis escaped the wreckage with severe burns but died at a hospital two days later.
Neighbor recounts aftermath
What they're saying:
Jennifer Doyle, who lives next to the explosion site, recalled seeing Davis immediately after the blast.
"She was standing there in a daze … I couldn't believe it. Her entire top had been blown off," Doyle said.
Doyle also said she had previously reported smelling natural gas near the property.
"This is really upsetting to me, because I had called and complained of a smell of gas," she said.
Companies accused of negligence
The lawsuit alleges the defendants failed to follow industry safety standards, improperly trained or supervised workers, and did not take appropriate action after the gas line was damaged.
The companies named in the lawsuit had not responded publicly to the allegations as of Friday. Requests for comment were sent to four of the five defendants. Attempts to contact the fifth company were unsuccessful.
The allegations in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.
The Source: This story was written based on a wrongful death lawsuit in Orange County on Sept. 10, 2026, and from an interview with Jennifer Doyle, who lives next to the explosion site.