TEXAS CITY, Texas – Accountability and answers— it’s the reason behind a petition filed on behalf of the family who lost their dad in Monday’s explosion at the Marathon Petroleum Refinery in Texas City.
Scott Higgins was the rock of his family.
“My dad protected me,” Alyssa Higgins said. “He protected my sister. He protected my family.”
Alyssa and her sister, Samantha Higgins, say now they only have their memories.
“I will never get to hug my dad again,” Alyssa said.
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On Monday, the explosion in the northwest corner of Marathon’s refinery rocked the city as the air filled with thick black smoke.
Higgins’ family says the 55-year-old machinist, who was working in the ultra-former unit where the explosion happened, died in the blaze. His body was unrecognizable.
“He spent years preparing us for, what at the time and was always supposed to just be, a very real possibility that working for Marathon would kill him,” Samantha said. “He did that because he was aware of the state of things in that refinery.”
Tony Buzbee, the family’s attorney, filed a petition seeking the depositions of Marathon and two other companies.
“The medical examiner says he died of burns and of smoke inhalation,” Buzbee said. “Burns and smoke inhalation - that’s probably the first straight answer this family has gotten since this happened.”
They want to know what exactly went wrong.
“We want to know the why and the who,” he said.
KPRC 2 reached out to Marathon about the petition and heard from a spokesperson who said they were working on the request. They previously stated an investigation was underway.