(Houston, TX) Houston attorneys Benny Agosto, Jr. and Ben Agosto III of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner have filed a lawsuit in Harris County, Texas against K-Solv Group, LLC and K-Solv Chemicals, LLC on behalf of Antonio Alvarez, a commercial truck driver, for the injuries he sustained during the K-Solv facility fire in Channelview, Texas on April 7, 2021. The K-Solv facility is owned and operated by K-Solv Chemicals, LLC and/or K-Solv Group.
On Wednesday, April 7, 2021, Antonio Alvarez, as a commercial truck driver for L&B Transport, reported to the K-Solv facility to drop off and/or retrieve product. At the start of his project, the K-Solv facility was undergoing normal operation, which included the transfer of toluene and naphtha into a storage vessel. At approximately 4:00 pm, while Mr. Alvarez was performing his work as an invitee at the facility, the toluene and naphtha mixture contacted an ignition source at the facility, resulting in a series of explosions, followed by a massive fire.
Frightened by his proximity to the fire and fearing for his life, Mr. Alvarez began to escape the area and fell and stumbled during the process as he was trying to reach the boundary closest to the nearby channel. As sequential explosions rang out, Mr. Alvarez made it to a high fence that he and other facility contractors squeezed and pressed against, while trying to scale it to escape the facility. A small vessel was docked in the channel on the other side of the fence that they were trying to reach and board for safety. He and the others eventually located a ladder and climbed over the fence. Mr. Alvarez was able to escape the facility and successfully board the vessel but not without sustaining substantial injuries and trauma as a result of the chaos and destruction following the fire.
During the weekend of April 10–11, 2021, Mr. Alvarez was hospitalized to treat the injuries he sustained, including injuries to his lungs, neck, shoulders, and back, at the K-Solv facility fire. He faces a long road to recovery, and his life will never be the same.
The lawsuit asserts negligence allegations against the Defendants for failure to create and/or enforce safety rules and guidelines, provide a safe work site, recognize and remediate hazards, provide timely assistance or to ensure other protections were in place, warn of a known hazard, provide adequate equipment and competent personnel, and institute precautionary measures to protect individuals working on the premises and work site, properly train and screen contractors at the facility, and maintain a safe work environment for contractors, including Mr. Alvarez, at the facility. For questions regarding the lawsuit or interview requests, please contact Madison Kauffman at [email protected] or 713-222-7211 or Benny Agosto, Jr. at [email protected].