Houston Trial Lawyer Blog : Houston Business Litigation Lawyer & Attorney : Arnold & Itkin Law Firm : Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Accident Claims

At approximately 8:45 a.m. this morning, a massive explosion issuing from the American Acryl plant in Pasadena, TX, rocked the residents of the Houston suburbs of Pasadena, Clear Lake, Seabrook, Bacliff, Dickinson, Friendswood, La Marque, League City, San Leon and Texas City.

Officials in Pasadena and Seabrook ordered residents to remain indoors after it was discovered that the explosion was caused by a tank of toluene – a toxic petroleum byproduct used in the manufacturing of paint, adhesives, and many common household items such as hand lotion and baby diapers.

Although there were some reports of minor burns, at this time it appears as though there were no significant injuries. Company officials said they have accounted for all their employees, although two employees were taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital Southeast as a precaution due to breathing problems. One has since been released.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, toluene is a central nervous system depressant that can cause severe neurological harm. Although it is colorless, the chemical does have a distinctive, acrid smell. In low to moderate levels, toluene exposure can cause tiredness, confusion, weakness, memory loss, nausea, intoxication, loss of appetite, loss of hearing and color vision loss. These symptoms usually disappear soon after the exposure ends. Higher levels of toluene exposure can affect the kidneys, while prolonged, excessive exposure can cause unconsciousness and even death.

Persons in Seabrook reported a chemical smell permeating the air around 9:40 a.m.

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Kurt Arnold represented a widow and her family after her husband was tragically killed in a work place accident at a Southeast Texas Plant. The case was filed in Harris County and the case was ultimately compelled to arbitration due to an arbitration clause in the deceased's employment agreement. After several depositions and just a few weeks before arbitration, the case was successfully resolved on behalf of the family for more than twelve times the special damages in the case.

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Arnold & Itkin LLP attorneys Jeff Seely and Michael Pierce recovered $650,000 on behalf of a Wood Group service technician who was injured in an industrial accident when a third party failed to properly hang a blowout preventer on a land rig. His job was to cut through the casing to allow the rig to be moved. Because it was not secured properly, the 15 ton blowout preventer swung, pinned him up against the wall, and injured his back. The case was pending in Harris County.

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BP plans to start restoring a gasonline-producing unit at its Texas City refinery to production after a 3 year shutdown. The plant has been restoring units to production since its shutdown in 2005 after a hurricane and an earlier explosion that killed 15 workers.

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When an industrial accident causes serious injury or death, there are many tangible and intangible costs that can take a toll on the immediate and future well-being of the victim and their family. The immediate impact of a serious injury is obvious— the lost work and wages, the costs of hospitalization, and the suffering.  Even rehabilitation costs that may continue into the future are a recognized cost of an injury.  Sadly, some of the long term costs of an injury cannot be known by anyone who has not experienced a life changing injury or death of a loved one before.

Experienced personal injury attorneys have helped many clients with life-changing injuries who live every day with the ongoing costs that usually accompany such an injury.  With this experience and long term perspective, a good attorney will understand the importance of adequately providing a way to pay for these ongoing costs of injury that an injured worker or their family may live with for many years.  With this comprehensive understanding of the real, long-term costs of catastrophic injury an experienced attorney can help injured workers and their families recover physically, financially, and emotionally.

Consider these costs that could result from serious injury or death from an industrial accident:

• Hospitalization
• Long Term Rehabilitation
• In-Home Care
• Lost Wages and Earning Capacity
• Future physical or emotional health complications associated with the injury
• Medication
• Emotional and financial counseling for the worker and his family
• Vocational Rehabilitation

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured on the job, seek help from experienced counsel who can help you understand the long-term costs of your injury.  Contact the experienced industrial accident lawyers at Arnold & Itkin LLP for a free initial consultation.

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The Houston Chronicle reported today that in a filing made by lawyers for victims of the March 2005 explosion at BP's Texas City refinery, victims challenged a proposed $50 million criminal fine saying that medical bills surpassed $100 million for just 29 of the people hurt in the explosion.  Documents filed in response to a request last month by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal said, "The punishment fails to fit the crime".

Last month Rosenthal asked lawyers for both sides to compile a summary of last wages as well as past and future medical bills for the 15 people killed in the accident and others who were injured.  She requested the information to help her determine whether the $50 million fine is "unreasonably low".

The victims' filing said lost wages and past and future medical bills for 29 people reached $102.1 million-- more than twice the proposed fine.  It noted medical losses ranging from $249,512 for a person who was 65 to more than $30 million for two people who were 32 and 44.

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LyondellBasell Industries said a coker unit at its Houston refinery would remain shutdown through the third quarter.  The unit was taken offline for planned maintenance that was expected to be complete in mid-September.  Work on the coker was delayed following a deadly crane collapse on July 18 that killed four people.

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Houston attorneys Kurt Arnold & Cory Itkin of Arnold & Itkin LLP filed suit on behalf of an electrician injured at the MEMC Pasadena Inc. plant in Pasadena, Texas.  As a result of Defendant's negligence, Plaintiff was exposed to silicon tetraflouride while working and had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment.  The injured worker has continued to vomit, suffer dizzy spells, and suffer anxiety attacks from his exposure months after the accident.  The accident happened in Pasadena, Texas and the suit was filed in Harris County.

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