Texas Explosion Lawyer

Dubbed as “one of the most powerful explosions ever examined” by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the fatal blast that killed four workers at a production site in Jacksonville, Florida, most likely resulted from an overheated chemical reactor.

A team of CSB investigators who surveyed remnants of the Dec. 19 explosion at T2 Laboratories said the reactor was being used to mix chemicals to produce methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl, an additive widely used to boost the octane rating of gasoline.

The reactor vessel ruptured during the first step of the production process, when a mix of organic materials reacted with metallic sodium. After the rupture, the reactor’s flammable contents mixed with the air, producing large amounts of thermal energy that contributed to the explosion.

The blast was so powerful, according to authorities, that it also injured a dozen others off-site, some as far as 750 feet away from the reactor. Media accounts described the explosion as a “sharp, explosive blast, like a gunshot, followed by black smoke and a hellish inferno.” An injured worker remains hospitalized.

To learn more, contact the Texas Explosion Lawyers at Williams Kherkher at 1.800.220.9341.