BAYTOWN, Texas – A law firm was able to secure over $28 million on behalf of five plant workers who were injured in an explosion at ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant on July 31, 2019, according to a release.
The explosion was caused after a line ruptured due to build up of an industrial byproduct, popcorn polymer. The impact from the explosion destroyed the tower and created a fireball approximately 900 feet tall.
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The law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner claim that ExxonMobil had knowledge for decades that popcorn polymer was an extremely hazardous substance that could lead to a large plant explosion and that the company did nothing to implement safety practices to avoid such an event.
ExxonMobil was also accused by the firm that it withheld knowledge of those risks and never warned any of the plant workers who have filed lawsuits against the company for injuries suffered in the explosion, including the workers represented by the firm.
During the trial and three-and-a-half years of litigation, ExxonMobil denied all allegations. The company also disputed the injuries that each plant worker suffered in the explosion, according to the release.
After three weeks of trial, the jury returned a verdict finding ExxonMobil 100% responsible for the explosion and awarded $28,951,000 in damages to compensate the plant workers for their injuries.
READ: Multiple lawsuits filed after workers injured during fire at ExxonMobil’s Baytown plant
Over the past 10 years, it was noted that OSHA has fined ExxonMobil’s Baytown complex for eight safety violations, seven of which were classified as serious, the release reads.
READ: What we know about history of ExxonMobil Baytown plant
Other injuries at the Baytown complex reported from lawsuits filed in Harris County against the company over the last decade range from Benzene exposure to electrocutions, as well as several others suffering multiple injuries during explosions and fire evacuations.
KPRC 2 has reached out to ExxonMobil for comment.
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