Deadly chemical leak in Deer Park: Lawsuit accuses Mexican energy company PEMEX of endangering refinery workers

DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) — Several workers allege in a new lawsuit that the conduct of Mexican energy company PEMEX, whose Deer Park oil refinery suffered a gas leak last week, amounts to “total and reckless disregard.”

The disaster left two contract workers dead and 35 injured.

Now some of those injured workers are filing lawsuits.

A lawsuit filed by three injured workers accuses the company of harming not only workers but also the public.

Their lawyer said the workers are still unemployed.

“Dizziness, headache, vomiting, nausea, one of them still can’t get out of bed,” Mo Aziz, with Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner said. “What we know is that there was an acute exposure. They were exposed to a large amount of gas in a very short period of time before being evacuated.”

RELATED: 13 Investigates Chemical Leak at Pemex Plant: Is Hydrogen Sulfide Exposure Putting You at Risk?

Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic byproduct of the refining process.

“The permitting process requires that hazardous substances either be removed from the system or contained,” Aziz said. “Here we know that there was a loss of containment that lasted for an extended period of time. The report they submitted to the EPA shows the release lasted more than 12 hours.”

The lawsuit accuses PEMEX of gross negligence and willful misconduct and alleges that company officials sent workers without warning to an area where there was a disproportionate risk.

“In Houston, there is a chemical plant fire, release or explosion almost every month,” Aziz said. “Every time an incident occurs, it is because procedures are not followed.”

Eyewitness News reached out to the refinery and the company that owns it has not yet received a response.

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