ELIZABETH -- As he reached to turn on a light switch in the Point Pleasant Beach house he was renting in 2015, Kurt Wagner saw a spark, and then the small cottage exploded.
Wagner, who authorities say suffered burns on 40 to 50 percent of his body, is now suing the owner of the cottage for injuries and property he lost in the blast that destroyed the home.
"He had third-degree burns on his arms, legs and back," said Wagner's attorney, Barry Epstein. Wagner, who worked as a commercial fisherman, now lives in Westfield, and the suit was filed in Superior Court in Union County.
Wagner spent 31 days in the burn unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Epstein said. He said Wagner missed work and was unable to return to the commercial fishing job he held prior to the explosion.
Epstein said Wagner had just returned to the Crooks Lane cottage after a three-day fishing trip. He awoke shortly before 2 a.m. to the smell of gas and went to turn on a light in the bathroom of the cottage.
"He saw spark and there was an explosion," Epstein said.
Wagner is suing the owner of the cottage, Audrey Lynch, who resides in a house on the same property.
Lynch said the litigation involves her insurance company and referred questions to the insurer. However, that company is not named as a defendant.
When police and firefighters arrived at the scene of the explosion, Wagner was outside and conscious, authorities said.
Epstein said a utility company determined there were no leaks from the gas line in the street to the Lynch's house. However, Epstein said questions remain about the gas line to the cottage behind Lynch's house.
Jersey Central Power & Light is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The company, when contacted, did not immediately respond to questions about the suit.
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