Many wounds remain unhealed a full year since West Reading chocolate factory explosion killed 7

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Sunday, March 24, marks one year since a chocolate factory explosion in West Reading killed seven people and rocked the community to its core. And a full year later, survivors and the families of those who went to work at R.M. Palmer Co. that day, never to return home, are still desperate for answers.

“This has been a situation where a one-year timeframe has not healed any of the wounds — especially for those who lost loved ones,” says Andrew Duffy, one of the lawyers representing those family members and survivors.

“The more they learn about the accident, the more frustrating it gets, because it’s becoming crystal clear that this accident was caused by shoddy equipment and shoddy work.”

The explosion last year led to an overnight search for survivors.

“They just never expected to go through this type of horror in their life,” says Duffy. “Their loved ones simply went to work to put in a hard day’s work to make money to support their families, and seven of them did not come home.”

They’re suing DuPont, the manufacturer of the gas pipeline, UGI the gas utility, and R.M. Palmer Company.

The case may not go before a judge for another year or longer, but Duffy says he’s confident his team will prove the accident could have been avoided.

“What in fact we are learning from the NTSB investigation and their factual release is what we suspected in the beginning — that this was an absolutely preventable explosion that never should have happened.”

UGI told KYW Newsradio, “We mourn and remember those who were lost.” The utility thanked the National Transportation Safety Board for continuing to investigate .

DuPont says it cannot comment on pending litigation, and lawyers for R.M. Palmer Company have not responded to KYW Newsradio’s requests for comment.