The plant primarily burns coal. WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7 | Ryan Zehl is the lawyer responsible for this website. Principal Office: Houston Texas. Unit 2, where the explosion took place, was slated for a 2021 retirement. 
If the federal court accepts the plea agreement, the money paid out to the families will count as full restitution made by the company. The Big Bend Power Station electrical plant has four large, coal-fired furnaces. Are you struggling to make ends meet? Its not entirely clear what transpired last Thursday, as no other workers were in the vicinity to witness the accident. 
The Riverview man's wife asked that his name not be released. A 30-year veteran of TECO and a Tampa contractor were killed in an accident Thursday at the Big Bend Power Plant in Apollo Beach. APOLLO BEACH, Fla It's been nearly five years since five workers lost their lives and another was seriously burned by molten slag in a terrible industrial explosion at the Tampa Electric Company's Big Bend Power Station electrical power plant. "This is a very complex investigation, and we are going to look at the root cause of what happened here, to make sure not only does it not happen here, but to make sure that the whole industry can benefit from whatever knowledge we gain," she said. 100+ workers injured in the BP Texas City refinery explosion; 65 workers injured in the Williams Geismar plant explosion; 5 workers injured during the explosion aboard the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig; 100 workers injured during the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion. However, it could take six months or more for their probe to yield any answers. The explosion happened when the workers were trying to unclog a blockage in a tank where molten coal slag falls into cooling tanks after being burned to generate electricity. What you need to know to prepare and stay informed during a storm. Every one of our lawyers is a Houston personal injury attorney whos undefeated in the courtroom and has recovered some of the largest verdicts and settlements in history. 
"This employee who we lost yesterday - he's worked at Tampa Electric for three decades," said Jacobs. Support WUSF now by giving monthly, or make a one-time donation online. Testing sites, vaccine locations, cases, and coverage from WUSF. "I want to thank our dedicated employees at Big Bend, and throughout the company, for their efforts to honor the memories of those lost and injured, as well as their commitment to provide our customers with safe, reliable electricity while maintaining a safety-first mindset every minute of every day. Two investigators from the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) arrived on Friday to investigate the Big Bend plant explosion. Tampa Electric spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs says there were no witnesses, other than the workers who were injured. Weve won over $1 Billion for our clients, recovered some of the largest verdicts and settlement in history, and obtained record-setting victories against the biggest trucking, oil and gas, maritime and petrochemical companies in the world. Reward increased to $10K for information that leads to find deadly shooter in Winter Haven, 10 Weather: More heat, late-day downpours again Friday, 10 Weather: Late afternoon downpours push towards the coast Friday, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, TECO gets state approval to convert coal generator to natural gas system, TECO continues down energy-efficient path, to shut down coal unit. The Tampa Electric family is in mourning today, and our hearts and prayers go out to the folks who were affected by this.". In 2018, TECO announced Big Bend would be getting upgrades as part of the company's commitment to clean energy. However, Randy Barnett, a program manager at safety training company NTT, told the Tampa Bay Times that steam explosions can occur if slag is not properly controlled and comes into contact with much cooler water. If you're interested in joining our team, you can apply for a position here. "All of us at Tampa Electric hold the families of our late colleagues and coworkers in our hearts. Steve Newborn is a WUSF reporter and producer at WUSF covering environmental issues and politics in the Tampa Bay area. According to court documents, TECO has negotiated with each of the workers' families and privately settled with them in civil court. And, it's been just about as long since TECO was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Zehl & Associates is always looking for smart, hardworking and talented personal injury attorneys and staff to join our team. All four were transferred toTampa General Hospital, two via airlift. While one of the injured workers was a Gaffin contractor,the remaining workers were employed by Houston, Texas-based BRACE Industrial Group. Four workers were tragically killed as a result of a plant explosion at Tampa Electrics Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida on Thursday, June 29, 2017. 
In addition to numerous other incidentsincluding an explosion that severely burned and injured workers almost exactly 10 years earlier, on June 26, 1997, that have taken place at the plantthe plant was under investigation by theFederal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)in connection with previous safety hazards that were discovered just weeks earlier, in May 2017. All rights reserved. The information you review on this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice.The verdicts and settlements that we have listed are simply intended to be representative of the cases that Zehl & Associates has handled for past clients; they are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome in your or any other lawsuit. They are Gary Marine Jr., 32, of Tampa; Antonio Navarrete, 21, of Wimauma; Frank Lee Jones, 55, of Tampa; and Armando J. Perez, 56, of Wimauma. We have accepted full responsibility, and we hold ourselves accountable as we continuously work to improve our safety programs and safety culture," Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of TECO, said in a statement. However, it has in recent years added natural gas- and oil-fired capabilities. The slag which can reach temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees surged from the tank, falling on workers below. Two of those workers sustained first- and second-degree burns. On June 29, 2017, five contractors and one TECO employee were trying to remove debris from one of the slag tanks when an accidental explosion happened. One man killed was nearing his 30-year anniversary at Tampa Electric. Additional locations: Dallas, TX | Midland, TX | Odessa, TX | Louisiana, Plant Explosion Lawyer Refinery & Pipeline, Railroad Crossing Accidents and Train Accidents, Longshore & Harbor Workers Compensation Act, Federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), Houston, Texas-based BRACE Industrial Group. The agreement also states TECO has been cooperating throughout the entire OSHA investigation, also agreeing to pay a $500,000 fine, the Associated Press reports. The June 29thexplosion occurred when contract workers at the coal-powered plant were attempting to clear a clogged tank containing molten slag. Three others died later after being rushed to the hospital. The unit was shut downThursdayafternoon, though two other units continued to run. The plant also is a popular tourism destination for its manatee viewing center. Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers is a Houston Personal Injury Law Firm that represents accident victims across Texas, Louisiana and the United States. WUSF 89.7 depends on donors for the funding it takes to provide you the most trusted source of news and information here in town, across our state, and around the world. Barnett added that such tragedies are almost always the result of either unsafe conditions or unsafe acts. Four other contractors, from Tampa and Wimauma, are in intensive care at Tampa General Hospital, with injuries being decribed as life-threatening. Two people died in the explosion. Let us know. The men were operating power washers when the explosion took place. 2022 Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers. Chunks of it fall into cooling tanks and the remnants, which are black and glasslike, are recycled and used in sand blasting and roofing. 
According to court documents, the electric company has previously settled with each workers' family to provide restitution. All communications are private and confidential. Those killed include a senior plant manager employed by Tampa Electric, as well as a contract worker for Gaffin Industrial Services out of Riverview, Florida. Twenty years ago almost to the day, four TECO workers were seriously injured during routine maintenance of a slag tank at a plant in Port Sutton. Example video title will go here for this video. ", RELATED: TECO gets state approval to convert coal generator to natural gas system, RELATED: TECO continues down energy-efficient path, to shut down coal unit. Fill out the form below for a free case review with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Hot slag is a molten byproduct created when coal is burned for electricity. Investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were on the scene Friday morning. All communications are private and confidential. Smoke from its towering stacks can be seen from around Tampa Bay. Hire a Houston personal injury lawyer with a proven track record. Its coal-fired Unit 1 stack would be converted to natural gas. "He's a key team member there. A contractor working on the tank, Christopher Irvin, 40, of Tampa, was also killed. On June 26, 1997, four Tampa Electric employees were injured after slag poured from a tank at the companys Port Sutton plant. By, Lake County organization offers residents a way to strengthen their homes against hurricanes, 4 cases of monkeypox reported in Hillsborough County, Biden's planned visit to Tampa and Orlando are likely off after positive COVID test, How to save money on groceries: Advice from UF/IFAS expert Dr. Maria Portelos-Rometo, The first U.S. case of polio since 2013 has been detected in New York, Former U.N. 'relief chief' shares his secret for coping with crises: a 'sunny gene', What to know about Paxlovid, the COVID drug President Biden is using to speed recovery, How a Peruvian political scandal became the viral global hit 'Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu'. He was well-liked and well-represented by his colleagues. Ourplant and refinery explosion lawyershave won Over $1 Billion and successfully represented hundreds of injured workers and their families in connection with some of the most catastrophic industrial accidents in recent history, including: If you or a loved one were injured due to a refinery, pipeline or plant explosion, contact our Experienced Plant Explosion Lawyers for a Free Consultation at 1-888-603-3636 orClick Hereto fill out our confidential contact form. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A byproduct of the furnaces was molten slag, which can reach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, TECO has submitted a plea agreement in federal court, stating the company was guilty of violating OSHA standards that resulted in the five deaths. Fill Out the Form Below for a Free Case Review with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers. For a breakdown of the fees and expenses associated with the verdicts and settlements listed on our site, please visit our Results page.
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