3rd victim dies after Bucks County nursing home explosion; several survivors file lawsuit

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

A 66-year-old woman from Levittown has become the third person to die following the explosion and fire at the Bristol Health and Rehab Center on Dec. 23, according to sources familiar with the investigation.

Sources tell Action News that Patricia Ann Mero was admitted to St. Mary Medical Center on the day of the blast with blunt force trauma to the chest. Her official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Until now, officials had identified two fatalities connected to the explosion: resident Ann Reddy and 52-year-old nurse Muthoni Nduthu.

Preliminary findings indicate a natural gas leak fueled the blast, but a multiagency investigation led by the National Transportation Safety Board is still working to determine the official cause. Approximately 20 people were also injured.

What is believed to be the first lawsuit stemming from the incident has now been filed. Four survivors are suing the facility’s previous and current owners, with their attorneys describing what happened as the result of “overwhelming negligence” before the explosion. They also characterized the tragedy as both foreseeable and preventable.

NTSB officials continue to release updates on their investigation, though the cause of the blast has not yet been confirmed.