In the ongoing legal saga involving PEMEX and a hazardous gas release at the Deer Park refinery, prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee has stepped in to represent clients who bore the brunt of a hydrogen sulfide leak last October. According to Click2Houston, Buzbee has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three residents injured during the incident which led to two fatalities, and the lack of a functioning emergency alert system in Deer Park that contributed to the confusion and harm.
The suit criticizes PEMEX for failing to inform workers of the impending danger, or to provide adequate safety equipment, consequently resulting in significant orthopedic and exposure-related injuries as a group of workers tried to escape the toxic gas cloud. "They are all lucky to have lived," the lawsuit states, marked by a sense of fortunate fate amidst reckless abandon. Meanwhile, Harris County reports confirmed that 35 workers were treated at the site immediately following the leak, with others hospitalized for their injuries, as per Click2Houston.
Buzbee's lawsuit against PEMEX extends beyond these immediate concerns, suggesting systemic lapses in the company's responsibility to protect its workforce. The Houston Chronicle detailed that the lawsuit accuses PEMEX of not only failing to protect workers but also alleges a delay in sounding the plant-wide alarm, taking nearly half an hour to alert onsite contractors after releasing the dangerous gas.
This legal action consolidates complaints from eight workers and contractors affected by that October leak, each seeking extensive damages for medical costs and related expenses due to the company's alleged negligence. According to statements acquired by the Houston Chronicle, the plaintiffs experienced severe injuries, including broken bones and major exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas; one of the workers, Durville Prelow, learned of the hazardous exposure only after returning home and witnessing the incident unfold through the news. "After leaving the job site and returning home, he watched the news and learned for the first time that he had been exposed to deadly levels of hydrogen sulfide gas," the complaint read, \
The lawsuit inclusion of Shell as a defendant, despite the company no longer owning a stake in the Deer Park facility at the time of the leak, stems from allegations of unresolved safety issues from when Shell was involved. While Shell's representatives have not provided a comment, PEMEX has similarly kept silent in response to the lawsuit.
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