Bus Driver still Battling for Workers' Comp 3 Years after Explosion

Durham, NC (WorkersCompensation.com) – More than three years after a deadly natural gas explosion, a Durham, N.C., bus driver is still fighting to get workers’ compensation from injuries he received during the blast.  

On April 10, 2019, a contractor installing underground cables hit a gas line outside of the Kaffeinate coffeeshop in Durham. The accident caused a gas leak that officials said leaked for nearly an hour. At some point, the gas leak resulted in an explosion, killing two and injuring 25, including nine firefighters and eight Duke University employees.  

The explosion shook downtown Durham and destroyed a number of buildings, officials said. No indication was given on what caused the gas to ignite and explode. 

One of those injured was bus driver Richard Meyers. Meyers was working as a Carolina Livery bus driver when the explosion happened. The bus he was driving had approached its shuttle stop directly across the street from Kaffeinate. The explosion blew out the windows of the bus and left Meyers with brain trauma from a severe concussion, neck and upper back trauma, and numerous head, neck and facial lacerations.  

Three years later, he said, he is still fighting to get workers’ compensation coverage for his injuries.  

“That shockwave went through my bus, went through me, went through my head, and that’s why I have a brain injury, and they’re denying all that,” Meyers told WRAL. “It’s like it never happened.” 

In 2019, an insurance company denied his workers’ compensation claim, leaving him and his wife with between $20,000 to $30,000 in medical debt. Now, he said, he is not able to get the medical therapies he needs to help with his continuing symptoms of headaches, fatigue and disruptive sleep.  

His attorney, Michael Bertics, said they will continue to fight for his benefits. Workers’ compensation, Bertics said, is not supposed to be a battle. Video of the incident showed glass shattering and hitting Meyers in the head.  

The two men have been in court multiple times, and Bertics said they would continue to fight.  

For Meyer, each day, he said, is a struggle.  

"Every single day, I battle fatigue, headaches, memory disconnects," Meyer said, noting that he suffered a brain injury in the explosion that also affected his sight and hearing. "It’s changed my life. ... I have to control the environment that I’m in because sound, light and motion affect me and can affect me very negatively." 

Meyers is also one of four clients David Kirby is representing in a series of lawsuits filed against five companies involved in the explosion – Optic Cable Technology of Durham, PS Splicing of Oxford, Crown Castle fiber, Tower Engineering Professionals of Raleigh and PSNC, the gas company that is alleged to have responded to slowly to the ruptured line.  

In 2021, the N.C. Department of Labor cited Optic Cable for serious workplace safety regulation violations. Inspectors said the company failed to locate nearby utilities, including the gas line, before drilling and failed to immediately call 811 for utility response or 911 for emergency assistance once the leak started. Each of the violations carried a $7,000 fine. 

PSNC, part of Dominion Energy, and PS Splicing were also cited for failing to perform regular inspections at the site, which could have identified the potential for the gas line rupture. PS Splicing was also cited for allowing its employee to respond to the gas leak without personal protective gear.  

According to the NC DOL, PS Splicing allowed one employee to respond to the incident by parking his car near the leak. One PSNC employee who had responded to the gas leak died as a result of injuries he suffered in the blast.  

Meyer told WRAL that he doesn’t blame anyone for the explosion, but that he hopes to get some sort of compensation for his injuries. Since the incident, he’s been unable to do much work.  

"I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. "I incurred my injuries from somebody else’s mistakes, and people make mistakes. I don’t harbor any anger against anyone. It is what it is."