This past summer, multiple workers experienced injuries and four died as a result of an explosion that rocked Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station located in Apollo Beach. The accident occurred while the workers attempted to clear molten slag from a clogged tank. The slag erupted from the tank, killing and injuring the crew.
Prior to the accident, the plant faced an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) because of several other incidents. This includes another explosion twenty years ago that left several workers injured or burned and two other incidents in 1999 and 2014 that left multiple employees dead because of similar incidents. The inspection has not be resolved yet.
Very little information has come from Tampa Electric’s parent companies TECO and Erma Inc. The companies have, so far, refused to release much information about the incident. Tampa Electric, meanwhile, has a history of hiring outside help to conduct the equipment’s routine cleaning and maintenance procedures. Union officials claim this was to save money and, by bringing in outside help unfamiliar with the equipment and location, subjected their employees to increased risks at the plant.
Premises Liability Litigation
Victims and surviving family members should seek legal help as they go forward filing personal injury claims. The potentially complicated fight can take many years to resolve, so having the best team possible can help accelerate that.
Other companies have faced litigation as a result of accidents that caused injury or death to workers and serve as examples for what victims and surviving loved ones can expect to face. As an example, the Kleen Energy Plant in Middletown, Connecticut experienced an explosion in 2010 wherein six workers perished and approximately 60 more were injured while performing debris cleaning duties for natural gas pipes. The gas reached an igniting source and exploded. During arbitration procedures, the arbitrator awarded almost $35 million to employees and families, as well as compensation to homeowners in the surrounding area for damage to their property, because the company hired to perform the cleaning and maintenance had full liability.
Even with that ruling, the insurance company pushed back, refusing to pay the ordered restitution on the grounds that the company itself breached the insurance contract. The legal battle continues today.
Get Experience Help
If you experienced an injury while working on a job site or if you are the surviving loved one of a person killed during an accident on the job site, you are likely owed monetary compensation, which could include payment for lost income and other support from the injured or deceased person or to cover ongoing medical or funeral expenses. You face a potentially long road, so give yourself the best possible start by meeting with lawyers that have experience with personal injury claims stemming from workplace accidents or disasters. Your efforts in bringing a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the company could reveal other negligent practices that threaten other workers still employed at the site.
Contact a Tampa Power Plant Accident Attorney Today
The Tampa personal injury lawyers at Fiol & Morros Law Group can help you understand just how such a company violated your rights or the rights of your deceased family. They can help you discover how much money you deserve and how to go about filing the claims correctly. For more information or to schedule a free consultation contact Fiol & Morros Law Group today.