It has been nearly two years since the San Bruno pipeline accident that left a wave of tragedy in the Bay Area town. As we have shared on this personal injury blog in the past, the explosion resulted in eight deaths and 38 destroyed homes.

It's also resulted in an ongoing investigation into the cause of the California accident and a class-action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. While the massive civil lawsuit is still pending and the trial won't take place until later this year, there is a development. PG&E thinks that they know the root of the damage that allowed the blast to occur.

The Huffington Post reports that PG&E blames a test on its pipes that occurred in 1956 for damaging the area that exploded on Sept. 9, 2010. Of course, there were missed opportunities and habits that contributed to the danger of the pipeline since that long-gone decade.

PG&E is quoted in The San Francisco Chronicle as saying, "It was our pipeline that ruptured and exploded because of a defective 4-foot piece of pipe that should never have been put in service. While we cannot undo that, we have accepted responsibility and acknowledged our liability to those injured."

Though the company says it has acknowledged its liability to the victims, it's likely that those victims won't feel that is truly the case until they have had the thorough chance to be heard during their trial. It will be up to them to determine whether PG&E has sufficiently taken responsibility for its actions, or inaction, with regards to the maintenance and safety procedures surrounding the defective pipeline.

Source: The Huffington Post, "PG&E San Bruno Blast Source Revealed: Company Says 1956 Test Caused Deadly Explosion," Aaron Sankin, June 27, 2012