By Erwin Seba
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Three workers filed a lawsuit in a Houston court on Monday against Mexican national oil company Pemex over injuries they allegedly suffered during a release of hydrogen sulfide at a refinery in Deer Park, Texas, on Thursday.
Two contractors were killed and 35 people were treated for exposure to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas Thursday afternoon, according to law enforcement officials.
A Pemex spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Sergio Antonio Olvera, Jonathan Martinez and Yoselyn Soto were working at the Pemex refinery in the Houston suburb of Deer Park when the gas was released, according to a lawsuit filed in court Monday.
“Plaintiffs subsequently suffered injuries as a result of the leak,” the lawsuit states. “The defendants committed acts and omissions at the time and on the occasion in question that jointly and severally constituted negligence.”
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking damages in excess of $1 million.
The lawsuit was filed in Harris County District Court in Houston by attorney Muhammad Aziz.
Geoffrey Adkinson, a spokesman for Aziz’s law firm, said one of the plaintiffs remains bedridden and all three are experiencing vomiting and respiratory symptoms.
In a statement on Monday, Pemex said the gas was released while maintenance was being carried out on an amine regeneration unit at the refinery on Thursday. Within three hours the gas evolution was stopped.
Hydrogen sulfide is a gas produced during refining. It can cause death if a heavy concentration is inhaled.
