Deadly CNG accident could have been avoided

12 days ago, a Broken Arrow man, 45 year old Wesley Little, was killed while working on a truck powered by compressed natural gas.

Since then, an investigator for a non-profit group which advocates for CNG-powered vehicles has been looking into what went wrong.

Little, the owner of CNG Oklahoma, was apparently trying to remove a solenoid valve from a CNG tank on one of the company's trucks.

But, investigator John Dimmick says, "It seems that he was using some other techniques not in the factory service manual" to vent and remove the valve.

The force of the explosion killed Little and tossed his body 25-feet.

Dimmick says most accidents involving CNG happen while tanks are being serviced. A tragedy easily avoided if, says Dimmick, "you make sure that the cylinder is empty before you take the valve out."

Overall, Dimmick says CNG vehicles are less likely to explode and much less likely  to catch fire than those powered by gasoline.