Premises Liability- Gas grill explosion left mom with severe burn injuries

$7 million settlement

Injuries alleged: Severe burns

Court: Virginia Beach Circuit Court

Tried before: Mediation

Name of mediator: Judge F. Bradford Stillman (Ret.)

Date resolved: Feb. 4, 2026

Amount: $7 million

Attorneys for plaintiff: John M. Cooper, Griffin O’Hanlon, John Baker and Bailey Gifford,
Virginia Beach, Cooper Hurley

Case description: A 23-year-old mother sustained severe burn injuries in an outdoor gas grill explosion at her apartment complex. The outdoor grill was furnished for tenant use in the poolside common area. The explosion was caused by a corroded hardline natural gas pipe that was leaking natural gas into the brick grill enclosure. When the plaintiff went to light the grill, the pooled natural gas exploded, and flames surrounded the plaintiff’s body.

The plaintiff was transported to a Level 1 trauma center. When she arrived at the hospital, she had suffered burns to 12% of her body. The area of injury kept expanding after the initial contact with the flames, as is common with burn injuries, and by the time the expansion stopped, the plaintiff had burns on 36% of her body.

The plaintiff remained hospitalized for 19 days and underwent four surgeries, including an autograft. The plaintiff will have visible scarring, discoloration and compromised skin on large parts of her body for the rest of her life. The plaintiff incurred over $262,000 in past medical bills.

The plaintiff’s experts included a pain management doctor who treated her ongoing physical pain from the burns, a clinical psychologist who treated her for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health concerns and an OB-GYN who advised the plaintiff regarding future pregnancy risks. The defense hired a plastic surgeon who conceded that the plaintiff would require multiple future scar revision surgeries and procedures, and that she would never return to her pre-accident condition.

Liability and damages were disputed. Forty discovery depositions and four de bene esse depositions were taken throughout the course of the case. A mediation was held four months prior to trial, but it failed and settlement discussions did not occur again until the week before trial. The attorneys, through the mediator, were able to negotiate a settlement the day before jury instructions were due. The settlement came four months before the statute of limitations. All other terms of the settlement are confidential.