Lawsuit Filed in New Hampshire 2012 Keg Explosion Death

The sister of a man who was killed in a keg explosion at a New Hampshire brewery two years ago has filed a federal lawsuit against three companies involved in the manufacture and distribution of the keg.

The Portsmouth Herald reports M. Christina Kettering says the keg was negligently designed and didn’t feature adequate safety warnings. She also says a device installed in the keg to prevent overpressurization failed to work as designed.

Benjamin Harris of Newington was emptying a plastic keg with pressurized air at Portsmouth’s Redhook Ale Brewery when it blew apart in April 2012, killing him.

Keg maker Plastic Kegs of America, distributor Satellite Logistics Group, and safety device maker Medway Plastics Corporation deny the allegations. They suggest Harris, or others are to blame.