HOPKINTON - The parents of two young girls who died
in their Hopkinton apartment when the building exploded this summer will
have their attorney meet with state investigators next month.
Heath and Tara Carey and their independent investigators were shut out by
a Worcester Superior Court judge earlier this year, but a state fire marshal
spokeswoman said they are now allowed to play a role in the investigation.
"We're attempting to work together," Jennifer Mieth said.
NStar and the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy are also
newcomers to the investigation into what caused a suspected natural gas
explosion in the early morning hours of July 24.
Iris and Violet Carey died minutes after the explosion while sleeping in
their parents' bed. Iris was 4. Violet would have turned 6 on Friday.
"We're extraordinarily happy we get an opportunity to be a part of
the process," said John Wozniak, a Mendon attorney representing the
Careys.
"We're moving forward now after a four-month delay," he said.
"And I'm delighted."
DTE has called for a Dec. 4 meeting to discuss plans for testing evidence
pulled from the 65 Main St. apartment building. Nstar and the fire marshal
were invited to the meeting, but the Careys had to submit a written request
to attend, Wozniak said.
State officials said the next round of tests are likely to destroy all or
parts of the evidence.
"Once you start the testing you can't go back, so everyone has to
agree on the testing," DTE spokesman Rob Wilson said. "If someone
doesn't agree on a test they can speak their piece at the meeting."
Mieth would not say what evidence will be tested, but DTE in a release
said tests must be done on pipes retrieved from the blast site.
The fire marshal has the right to pull the plug on his decision to work
with the Carey family, DTE and NStar if testing reveals a criminal act is to
blame for the explosion, Mieth said.
"We don't expect that, but it's a possibility," she said.
A Worcester Superior Court judge in August denied the Careys' request to
stop the investigation until all parties could agree to work together. He
said the state has the right to rule out criminal activity before opening up
its investigation to outside parties.
The December meeting will be held at Massachusetts Materials Research
Inc. in Holden, a private lab contracted by the state. State officials last
month said the lab focused its tests on a "posilock transition
fitting," a joint that connects the outdoor and indoor gas lines.
That fitting is manufactured by Inner-Tite Corp., a Holden company the
Careys named in a lawsuit filed last month in Middlesex Superior Court. The
couple claims the posilock fitting caused the explosion when it either broke
or was tampered with, sending gas into the building.
The lawsuit also names NStar and building owners Ann-Marie and Leonard
Pearson of Hopkinton.
