Two Lawsuits Filed after Plant Explosion Destroys Single Mother’s Home and Leaves a Man Permanently Blind with Severe Burns Across Body

A single mom, who with her young son “lost all their worldly possessions” in the fertilizer plant explosion that devastated West, Texas, is among the first people to sue the plant’s owner. Andrea Jones Gutierrez filed a lawsuit against Adair Grain on Monday. She is seeking up to $1 million.

A fire at the West Fertilizer plant last week caused an explosion that killed 14 people, injured 200 others, and destroyed at least 75 homes, according to officials. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the accident.

Gutierrez lived in the building next to the West Fertilizer plant with her 14-year-old son, who was at church at the time of the explosion. If Gutierrez had not walked out of her apartment complex when she first heard explosions outside, she would not be here today, according to her attorney. Two other people who lived in the same apartment complex as Gutierrez died. Everything she and her son owned was completely destroyed, and the family has suffered significant emotional injuries, according to the lawyer representing Gutierrez.

The company “was negligent in the operation of its facility, creating an unreasonably dangerous condition, which led to the fire and explosion,” said a lawsuit filed Friday by insurance companies on behalf of individuals, two churches, and businesses including a Chevrolet car dealer and a bakery.

Daniel Keeney, a spokesman for Adair Grain Inc and for its owner, Donald Adair, declined on Tuesday to comment on the lawsuits. “Our focus is on the fact-finding and on assisting the investigating agencies in any way we can,” Keeney said.

Abraham Watkins represents a victim of the Waco fertilizer explosion as well. The injured individual and his girlfriend were visiting a friend in the apartment complex nearest the plant when the explosion occurred. He absorbed the full impact of the blast, which left him completely blind and severely burned across his face, chest, arms, and hands.

Our law firm recommends that you speak to an attorney now if you were injured by the plant explosion on April 17th. “Victims need to seek legal representation to be compensated for their losses at an early stage because of the possibility of limited insurance proceeds” stated firm attorney Mo Aziz.

If you or someone you know have been seriously injured as a result of the fertilizer plant explosion in Waco, contact the attorneys at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211.