A 12-year-old Texas girl apparently made videos of herself while happily getting ready for cheerleading last year, not knowing within seconds of her third video, her house would explode and kill her. Her family recently shared their daughter’s last moments alive.
On February 23, 2018, Linda “Michellita” Rogers woke up before the rest of her family. She was anticipating an exciting day at the National Cheerleaders Association, ABC 8 reports. The little girl turned on her cellphone and while whispering, explained that she was getting ready for the day’s events early in the morning.
“Good morning. It’s 6:02 a.m. Friday. … I’m going to get ready. I’m going to start with hair, turn on my lamp because I don’t want to turn on all of the lights….so, yeah.”
In a second video, the little girl had on her cheerleading outfit. While talking to the camera, she explained she already had one braid done on her hair, but had a bit more to go before she was ready.
“I’ll straighten, curl it, poof it, whatever..so, yeah!.”
Michellita started a third video, where she fixed her hair during a timelapse. Then, almost instantly, a flash of light and sparks spread across the video before it faded to blackness. Within seconds, Michellita’s Dallas home blew up. She later died at the Children’s Medical Center Dallas. Her family found the girl’s cellphone undamaged, despite the explosion.
The little girl’s parents and brother survived the fiery explosion, but they didn’t escape injuries. According to the autopsy report, Michellita died because she was standing in an area in the living room with no walls to protect her. Her surviving family had walls protecting them in their bedrooms.
“Some days, I don’t feel the damage in my body,” the girl’s mother, Maria Rogers said Wednesday, according to Dallas Morning News. “I feel the pain in my heart.”
Leaking natural gas pipes from Atmos Energy caused three homes to explode in the neighborhood, one of which included the Rogers’ family residence. A preliminary report created by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that the gas company was fully aware of gas leaking in the neighborhood for almost two months.
A crack in a line behind Michellina’s home caused the explosion.
Lawyer Ted Lyon, part of the family’s legal team who filed a lawsuit against Amos, told ABC 8 that nine homes in the Dallas area have blown up due to gas explosions. He added that while several people have been killed, numerous others have been injured.
12-year-old Linda Rogers, known as Michellita, died when her house exploded this morning. She just celebrated her birthday on Jan. 31.
Live @ 10 with @CorySmithNBC5.https://t.co/LCV4ZMfwWi pic.twitter.com/aU96lxGeDf— Meredith Yeomans (@YeomansNBC5) February 24, 2018
“They are consciously not taking care of their business. The only time they take care of business is when somebody burns to death or some house explodes,” Lyon said. “They’re gambling with people’s lives.”
After Michellina’s death, Amos evacuated thousands of people and replaced close to 100 miles of old steel and piping. There is reportedly much more that needs to be replaced.
Amos’ actions to correct the situation came too late for the Rogers’ family, who referred to their little girl as a “princess.”
The family is currently seeking seeking $1 million in damages from Amos. The lawsuit is still pending.
[Feature Photo: Michellina Rogers/Screenshot YouTube]
