Archive for February 9th, 2011

1 worker unaccounted for in Mont Belvieu, Texas gas plant explosion

Tuesday February 8, 2011: A midday fire caused an explosion at Enterprise Products‘ west storage facility 35 miles east of Houston in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The fire burned well into the night Tuesday and company officials are uncertain how long the fire will continue to burn. It could not be ruled out that the fire was being fueled by gas products stored underground: if that is true the fire could be kept burning indefinitely. Fortunately no injuries are known at this time. The fire caused a plume of smoke long enough to be detected on the National Weather Service radar. A contract worker who may have been in the vicinity of the explosion has not yet been accounted for.

The Enterprise Products plant processes and stores liquids that are separated from natural gas. At the moment emergency workers are not trying to extinguish the flames, rather they are concentrating on keeping nearby parts of the plant as cool as possible. Enterprise Products spokesman Rick Rainey says that nothing burning at the Mont Belvieu plant is toxic. Rainey said that 8-10 workers are typically in the facility and all of them got out safely, except for the one contract worker who hasn’t been located. The man is a maintenance worker for Turner Industries and still had not been found as of 7:45PM Tuesday. Rainey said that the company are in touch with the man’s family but no further details were released.

Click here for Channel 2’s report of the Mont Belvieu, Texas Enterprise Products gas plant explosion

Click here for the Houston Chronicle’s report of the Mont Belvieu, Texas plant explosion

Click here for Fox News Houston’s story on the Mont Belvieu, Texas gas plant explosion at Enterprise Products

If you or a family member have been injured at work, such as in a plant explosion, call Houston-based personal injury attorneys Smith & Hassler for a free consultation regarding your legal rights. Smith & Hassler has represented hard-working Texans injured on the job for more than 20-years, including workers injured in the Texas City, Texas BP plant explosion in 2005.

Woman killed, 2 injured in car crash near Greenway Plaza, Houston

February 8, 2011: Two women were injured and sent to hospital and another woman died in a car crash Tuesday evening. The driver apparently lost control of her car around 7:00PM along Westpark near Buffalo Speedway in Houston according to the police.  The three women, all of whom were elderly, were in a Lexus sedan. The driver crashed through two gates at a senior living center, traveled across Westpark and went off the road, ultimately landing in a ditch after striking a fence. Witnesses told police that it appeared the Lexus was traveling at 70MPH when it left the roadway and crashed through the senior center. The women in the car were taken to Memorial Hermann Medical Center where the back seat passenger was pronounced dead. Police plan to question the driver to see if she has a medical condition that would explain her sudden loss of control of the vehicle.

If you are searching for a Houston personal injury attorney to represent you, call Smith & Hassler at 713 739 1250 or 1-800-WIN-WIN1 and ask to speak directly to an attorney for a free consultation. Houston personal injury lawyers Smith & Hassler have more than 20-years in Houston representing injured Texans and their loved ones.