Update: Was There an Explosion at Invista’s Chemical Plant in Victoria, Texas?

Shortly before 9 a.m. this morning, loud noises disrupted work in a nitric acid unit at the Invista Chemical Plant in Victoria, Texas.  However, right now it is unclear if an explosion took place. According to Amy Hodges, the plant’s spokeswoman, no fire broke out and no one was seriously hurt.   That said, we have received information that indicates otherwise.  An employee of Willbros Downstream, whose name will remain anonymous, was working on-site at the time and told us that he witnessed an explosion approximately 50 feet from him and his crew.  The worker also said the blast blew out a high pressure tower directly beside them, and they felt fortunate to be alive. The worker’s account of this morning’s accident is a far cry from the spin the company is putting on the event.  As of now, Invista’s stance is that over-pressurization on a piece of equipment during routine maintenance caused a loud noise, not an explosion.   Considering this chemical plant received a re-certification of the highest safety rating from OSHA just one year ago, there should be a lot of nervous Invista executives at this moment.  That is especially true when you factor in that this plant experienced a power outage last month because a faulty guy wire contacted the facility’s main power supply. Chemical plant explosions are taken very seriously, so you can expect a detailed investigation to be launched into this incident, regardless of Invista’s statements. Once the investigation is complete, we shall see who was right:  the worker that contacted us privately, or the company that ran the chemical plant.  Of course, does it really matter? Whether this incident is deemed to be an explosion or not, if you were injured in this chemical plant accident, it is in your best interests to contact our industrial explosion attorneys immediately.  They have the knowledge and expertise to help you determine if pursuing a personal injury claim is the right move to make.