MILTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Last September, the series of natural gas explosions that rocked the Merrimack Valley left many people across Massachusetts on edge, afraid it could happen to them. People like Jerry Good.
Good’s family has lived in a two-unit home on a busy stretch of Adams Street in Milton for more than 60 years. Last summer, two separate car crashes struck a utility pole outside the house. Jerry believes the crashes ruptured a gas line.
On a visit to his home last fall, the smell of gas was easily noticeable in the ambient air directly in front of the home.
When he saw what had happened in the Merrimack Valley, Jerry’s concerns began to grow, especially because his 91-year-old father was receiving hospice care in his bedroom, just feet from the leak.
“He wants to go naturally, of natural causes,” Jerry said. “He’s on that path to do so. It’s his journey. What I don’t want to interrupt his journey is a natural gas explosion.”
As soon as Jerry noticed the smell, he says he called National Grid. Technicians came out immediately and confirmed there was a leak. However, they labeled it a Grade 2 leak, meaning it must be repaired within a year. If a leak is identified as Grade 1, it requires an immediate fix. Jerry was not happy.
“My father in hospice is 91,” he said. “He cannot evacuate very quickly.”
Jerry is a longtime Boston concierge, used to solving other people’s problems. But after several calls to the gas company over the next few months and no solution, he found himself with a problem he couldn’t solve on his own. So he called Solve It 7.
We spoke to a representative from National Grid who looked into the case. They confirmed it was a Grade 2 leak and said the Good family was not in any immediate danger. Still, they agreed that because of Jerry’s father’s health situation, they would try to get a repair crew out to fix it as soon as possible. A short time later, a full crew came to repair the leak.
“I’d have to say about 30 different people [came out],” Jerry says. “Six or seven different trucks, police details.”
Jerry is thankful to Solve It 7 for providing his father some much-needed peace of mind in his final days.
“Your contribution from your team, really making those phone calls, talking with them…finally made them realize that this is something that has to be fixed,” he says.
A spokesperson for National Grid said they were pleased the situation was resolved for the Good family. Jerry says his dad is still in hospice car as of this writing.
“Now that this has been fixed and there’s no gas leak, I think he can rest,” Jerry says. “Knowing that his family is going to be OK.”
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