This aerial photo taken from video provided by KTRK-TV shows damage to buildings after an explosion in Houston on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. A large explosion left rubble scattered in the area, damaged nearby homes and was felt for miles away. A fire continues to burn and people have been told to avoid the area. (KTRK-TV via AP)That Was Fast! Lawsuit Filed 8 Hours After Industrial Explosion in Houston
The explosion happened just after 4 a.m., and Houston resident Sophia S. Navarro filed her lawsuit about 12:15 p.m. against Watson Grinding & Manufacturing Co.
January 24, 2020 at 03:24 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Texas Lawyer
That was fast.
Just eight hours after an industrial explosion rocked a Houston neighborhood on Friday, a resident has filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the manufacturing plant that caused the blast.
The explosion happened just after 4 a.m., and Sophia S. Navarro filed her lawsuit about 12:15 p.m. against Watson Grinding & Manufacturing Co.
"Defendants went beyond failing to heed the warnings, they intentionally refused to take action to prevent damage to their facility and the surrounding area," alleged the petition.
The purpose of filing the lawsuit so quickly was to get a court order requiring Watson to preserve evidence, explained plaintiffs attorney Eric Dick of The Dick Law Firm in Houston. He secured a temporary restraining order on Friday that sets a hearing Feb. 7 on the plaintiff's request for a preliminary injunction.
He noted that he's represented Navarro in the past, which is why she called him when the blast hit her home.
"She was hysterical about her house being severely damaged. The walls were shaking, and it felt the house was caving in," said Dick, the board president of the Harris County Department of Education. "I hope there are not as many explosions that continue to happen in Houston. I find it dangerous to the residents of Houston, and being an elected official, I find it disheartening we've had another explosion. I think the safety of the residents is priority No. 1
Click2Houston.com reported that two people died, one was hospitalized and at least 18 visited hospitals for treatment for injuries. Firefighters had searched about 190 homes and found significant damage, like homes moved off their foundations. Debris from the explosion spread at least a quarter-mile from the blast site, said the article.
Navarro claimed in the petition that the massive chemical explosion at the Houston-based manufacturing company significantly damaged her home. Windows were blown out, glass was strewn inside, doors were damaged, walls cracked and foundation fractured, among other things.
She alleged that Watson failed to heed the warnings from past explosions in Houston that have happened so many times that other industries, businesses and governmental agencies have put precautionary measures in place.
Navarro is suing the company for negligence, gross negligence, negligence per se, and for injunctive relief to require Watson to preserve evidence involved in the explosion. She seeks to recover economic and actual damages, as well as exemplary damages and attorney fees.
No one from Watson's media team immediately returned an email seeking comment.
|Read the lawsuit:
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