One year ago, on Jan. 14, 2024, a propane tank exploded at a Wilderness Road home in Copiah County, resulting in the deaths of four people.

Loyd Star Attendance Center student and football player Toler Jordan, 14; his 18-year-old cousin Houston “Bubba” Jordan, a former Brookhaven Academy football player and a 2023 Reading Nook Academy graduate; 43-year-old Calvin “Benjy” Jordan, father to Bubba and uncle to Toler; and family friend Jeremy Mitchell, age 52, were the victims.

A lawsuit was filed a few days after the incident, claiming Herring Gas employees were at fault.

“Specifically, we believe that the propane tank was improperly inspected, installed, as well as the propane gas improperly installed … the night before the incident,” lead attorney Ben Wilson said at the time of filing.

Attorney Douglas Mercier added that the suit results to “negligence and recklessness on behalf of the named defendants … This type of thing does not occur by nature … but by human failure.”

Now, a year later, a settlement has been reached between the Jordan family and Herring Gas.

“It’s sad. Just an incredible family across the board that was forever changed,” said Wilson.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the cause of the explosion as “undetermined.” However, Morgan & Morgan Law Firm was able to probe deeper into the propane tank itself.

“We ultimately determined that the cylinder ruptured,” Wilson said. “It was well over 70 years old and due to corrosion, wall thinning, and an increased rise in the pressure due to temperature changes. What we ultimately believed and evidence showed was an overfilling of the cylinder that had occurred the night before.”

Attorneys also discovered that the tank was improperly identified as an ASME tank when it was installed, rather than correctly as a DOT cylinder.

Though the family continues to mourn lost loved ones, Wilson hopes everyone can learn from all of it.

“I think there will be some good that comes out of this, even if it just saves one person. So, I think that’s one of the upsides here. You know, how do we prevent this from happening in the future and making sure that there are things that are implemented and steps that are taken in the future to prevent this and hopefully, that’s going to stick,” Wilson said.

The attorney said he hopes to see better training and standards followed in the future due to this incident. The settlement amount remains confidential at this time.