Lawsuit Against Wessington Springs Propane Provider Dismissed

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A federal judge has dismissed a January lawsuit filed by a Wessington Springs woman who lost her home to fire when her neighbor’s home exploded.  District Judge Roberto Lange said the lawsuit against propane supplier CHS Inc. was not filed within the three-year statute of limitations.  Marguerite Cashman’s home burned October 12, 2007, when flames spread from a neighbor’s home that was destroyed in a propane explosion.  Cashman also sued homeowner Darrick Van Dyke in state court, claiming he was negligent in lighting a pilot light on his furnace. A circuit judge in that case ruled that Cashman did not prove Van Dyke acted negligently, and the South Dakota Supreme Court rejected Cashman’s appeal.  A lawsuit that Van Dyke filed against CHS ended with a confidential settlement.