YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Another lawsuit has been filed stemming from the May 28, 2024, explosion at Realty Tower.

Two employees of the former Chase Bank branch in the Realty Tower, Alanjuwon Daniels of Austintown and Samantha Black of McDonald, filed the suit Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, seeking unspecified damages.

The suit lists as defendants YO Properties 47 LLC, which owned the now-demolished building; LY Property Management, which managed it; GreenHeart Companies LLC, the East Ohio Gas Company; Enbridge Alternative Fuel; Enbridge (U.S.) Gas Distribution; Enbridge EOG Holdings II Corp.; Enbridge EOG Holdings LLC; Enbridge Genoa U.S. Holdings LLC; Enbridge (U.S.) Inc.; and Enbridge Pipelines (Toledo) Inc.

The lawsuit says Daniels and Black were present when the explosion occurred and that Daniels “sustained serious traumatic injuries to his shoulder, knee and head with a loss of consciousness, requiring hospitalization, extensive medial treatment, and therapy” and incurring significant expenses and pain, “emotional harm, mental anguish, and inability to engage in his usual activities.” He also suffered a loss of wages.

Black, the suit says, sustained “serious traumatic injuries while attempting to evacuate, requiring medical care and treatment and causing past and future pain and suffering, emotional harm and mental anguish.” She also suffered lost wages.

The lawsuit says that on the afternoon of the explosion, a four-person scrap removal crew from GreenHeart was removing old utility lines and equipment from the vault area of the building. They cut an abandoned gas service line, believing it was dead. The crew exited the building, called 911 and pulled the fire alarm.

The explosion occurred about six minutes later.

The lawsuit is the latest stemming from the explosion that killed one man, injured several others and displaced Realty tenants. Residents of the International Towers next to Realty were also relocated for a few weeks due to concerns about Realty’s stability.

A lawsuit filed by the estate of Akil Drake, a Chase employee who was killed in the explosion, was settled earlier this month. Seven others are pending. 

Pictured at top: A Chase Bank sign is seen on the Realty Tower after the May 28, 2024, explosion at the building.