Disasters / Emergencies, Small Law Firms

Another Day, Another Law Firm Bombing

We're sad to report this news, but law firm bombings seem to be en vogue right now.

onAugust 3, 2015 at 10:51 AMAugust 3, 2015 at 8:23 PM

We’re sad to report this news, but law firm bombings seem to be en vogue right now. For lawyers, last month started and ended with a bang, for lack of a better term.

In the first week of July, an attorney in Canada was very seriously injured and her office was destroyed after a disgruntled litigant allegedly mailed a homemade bomb to her firm. On the last day of July, an unknown suspect set off a homemade bomb at the front door of a small firm in Idaho, seriously damaging the area and sending debris flying into neighboring homes.

The Idaho State Journal has more information on the frightening incident:

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From Pilot and Above The Law

A homemade bomb was detonated and caused significant damage early Friday morning at the Idaho Falls law firm of Swafford and Ward located in the 500 block of 9th Street.

Alicia Cuellar, 17, lives across the street from the law firm, and she said that just before the explosion, her sister heard a vehicle pull up, followed by the sound of a slamming door and then a vehicle speeding off second before the explosion.

Cuellar said the explosion shook her house and sent fire spraying across the lot, she called 911.

A teen who was attending a football campout nearby said he “heard a big boom and saw a mushroom cloud,” and when he and his friends raced over to investigate, they saw an exploded gas can. “It looked like this wasn’t an accident,” he said. According to EastIdahoNews.com, police confirmed that someone had intentionally set up a homemade bomb outside the law firm. Detectives haven’t named any suspects in the bombing yet.

Here are some pictures of the scene at Swafford & Ward, courtesy of EastIdahoNews.com:

Although lawyers frequently work at the firm at night, thankfully no one was present at the time the bomb went off, and no one was injured. We wonder why the perpetrator(s) chose to bomb this firm, and the local police are wondering the same thing. If you have any information, please contact the Idaho Falls police department at (208) 529-1200.