SD woman loses appeal in house explosion case

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – The South Dakota Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a Wessington Springs woman who lost her home when her neighbor’s home exploded.  Marguerite Cashman’s home was burned when flames spread after the home of her neighbor, Darrick Van Dyke, was destroyed in a propane explosion on Oct. 12, 2007. She claimed that Van Dyke was negligent in lighting a pilot light on his furnace.  A circuit judge ruled that Cashman did not prove Van Dyke acted negligently, and the Supreme Court justices agreed there was not enough evidence to support her claim.   Van Dyke suffered burns over a large part of his body in the explosion.  The lawsuit he filed against his propane supplier ended with a confidential settlement.