BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – A Bellevue BP emptied its tanks after drivers reported car breakdowns from water-tainted gas. KMTV spoke with a law expert about who could be responsible for the costly vehicle repairs.
- A Bellevue BP is testing its fuel after drivers say water-tainted gas caused their cars to break down.
- The gas station is now installing an automatic system to detect water in its underground tanks.
- KMTV spoke with a law expert about what drivers should do if this happened to them.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A Bellevue BP has emptied its tanks and sent its fuel off for testing after drivers reported their cars were filled with water-tainted gas.
Now, those drivers want answers on who is responsible for their vehicle repairs.
KMTV spoke with three drivers last week who said their cars broke down after filling their tanks at the Bellevue BP.
KMTV talked with the owner of the gas station, who denied an on-camera interview but told us he sent his fuel to be tested.
To find out who is responsible for the damage done to the vehicles, KMTV paid a visit to Kenndra Fershee, associate dean for academic affairs and a professor of law at Creighton University. Fershee said people impacted should contact an attorney.
She said in some cases the gas station may not be directly liable, but the station is typically what is called the "first responsible party." This means drivers should start there to recoup lost money. If the owner wants to fight the claim, they need to prove someone else allowed water into the tanks.
"As the owner of the station and the seller of the product, they have to take responsibility for the fact that they didn’t catch there was water," Fershee said.
Recent cases show that gas station insurance companies will compensate drivers for damages, but Fershee said drivers should still contact a lawyer to make sure all damages are covered.
"There are potential trickle-down effects that could impact people economically, all of those could be compensatory damages, someone didn’t make or lost money as a result of their lack of transportation is all part of the damages they may have suffered," Fershee said.
Fire Marshal Don Gifford said the station passed its last inspection. Gifford also said the station is installing an automatic tank gauging system, which is a tool that detects if there is water in the tanks.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
