Circle K Will Not Be Fined After Gas Mix-Up Damages Several Vehicles
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- There will be no fines issued for a gas station in Boulder, following a mix-up with its fuel transfers. The State of Colorado said it was likely a learning experience.
"The one that made this particular incident probably more serious than most is the products were all mixed. In other words, they dropped regular unleaded into the diesel compartment, or diesel underground storage tank, they dropped diesel, I believe into the regular unleaded storage tank and then regular unleaded into the premium," said Scott Simmons, Supervisor of the Colorado Oil and Public Safety Division.
Simmons has been supervising quality at Colorado gas stations for the last 27 years. He normally sees this kind of incident six times a year but not to this extent.
"It's a little unusual. Typically the transport driver will notice that they have made a mistake and they will stop deliveries and they will notify the store manager who will then shut the products down," he said.
This never happened. The pumps stayed open for hours with the mix-up. The state says it has only received four official complaints from customers, but that Circle K claims it had heard from about 30 customers as of Friday afternoon.
"They had multiple complaints from people throughout the day, they didn't shut the pumps off until almost 5 o'clock at night and I've talked to people who called and complained before I pumped my gas," said Stephanie Abaramovici, one of the victims.
Abramovici created a Facebook page to connect the victims. It has over 60 members who have been working through Travelers Insurance.
Abramovici says all of the victims will be compensated for damages to their vehicles but many have told CBS4 they have lost time at work and deserve compensation for lost wages.
"I am shocked at how disruptive this has been," she said.
CBS4 confirmed that another one of the victims was the Boulder Fire Department. It filled up an engine at Circle K with what it thought was diesel. Now, the fire department is working through the claim process.
The state says Circle K won't face any fines but Simmons hopes it creates awareness.
"We're here to make sure that fuel quality is what it's supposed to be and then so when mix-ups do occur you can imagine, if we weren't here doing what we do, there could be more of that," said Simmons.
If you believe you are a victim of this incident and have yet to take action, you can contact Travelers Insurance as well as the Facebook page created for victims.