Wednesday night a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas caught fire and exploded. The damage from the blast is astounding, leveling numerous blocks of homes and buildings near the plant. The intensity of the blast resulted from the fact that fertilizer is highly explosive under certain conditions and unfortunately those conditions were met Wednesday night. Officials have said the death toll stands at 12 and over 200 have been injured but they fear the death toll may be significantly higher.
As more has become known about the plant and its history a disturbing number of safety violations and lapses have come to light. These include a $10,000 fine from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the owners of the plant saying that it did not handle flammable materials, and the lack of fire sprinklers and other fire and explosion mitigation measures. Also the state has said that the plant was to get reauthorized by state regulatory agencies in 2004 but failed to do so.
At Ben Bronston and Associates, our attorneys have experience helping people injured in industrial accidents get the legal representation they need to recover for their injuries and to hold those responsible accountable. While a great deal of investigating remains to be done in this case, at least some degree of corporate negligence on the part of the plant operators is coming into view. Whether someone is a worker or just lives nearby, that person has a right to be protected from the negligence of those operating a plant as well as a right to be compensated for harm resulting from that negligence. If you have been injured or a loved one has been injured or lost their life as a result of the West, TX plant explosion or any other explosion or industrial accident we at Ben Bronston and Associates are ready to help you get the legal representation and recovery you deserve.
