Brookshire Grocery Company Gets Sued For 2017 Ammonia Leak

Six new injured workers have added their claims to a lawsuit alleging they have sustained severe respiratory injuries from a large ammonia leak at the warehouse of the Brookshire Grocery Company in Tyler, Texas.
The plaintiffs were working at the warehouse on September 1, 2017 when at least 1,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia was released. Anhydrous ammonia is a clear, colorless and pungent gas that is toxic and corrosive to tissue on contact. Severe, permanent injury or death can result from acute exposures. Often, lung injuries or their severity is not immediately recognized.
A roof sensor read exposure levels between 92.489 parts per million (ppm) and 132.035 ppm during the incident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined Brookshire’s more than $63,000 for the leak. It reported that ammonia alarms in many of the warehouse buildings were not operational and did not alert employees to the ammonia leak. Employees only became aware of the leak by a text message from a colleague who was arriving to work.
The six additional workers filed their claims on July 10, 2019 in the District Court of Smith County, Texas. The lawsuit alleges claims against Brookshire Grocery Company of negligence, premises defect and gross negligence. The leak occurred when a flange on a high-pressure liquid supply line failed.
The lawsuit asserts that Brookshire failed to alert employees in the main building to the ammonia release. Nor did it tell employees where the leak occurred. As a result, many employees exited the building in the direction of the leak, making their injuries and suffering even worse.
The employees include an unloading supervisor, four checkers, a member of the sanitation crew and an inventory specialist. Their injuries include, but are not limited to, irreparable lung damage, decreased lung and pulmonary function, and a high likelihood of developing long-term debilitating lung diseases.
All Plaintiffs are represented by the Justin Hill Law Firm out of San Antonio, and Humphrey, Farrington & McClain, an Independence, Missouri firm that has received large verdicts throughout the United States for workers exposed to chemicals in their workplace. Anyone with information regarding the Brookshire Grocery ammonia leak is encouraged to contact these firms immediately. The phone number for the Justin Hill Law Firm is (210) 960-3939 and Humphrey, Farrington & McClain’s is (816) 836-5050.