Callahan & Blaine

According to a recent article in the Seattle Times, truck driver Charles McDonald was transferring 8,000 gallons of propane from his tanker truck to a storage tank at the Atlas Castings & Technology foundry when something went horribly wrong. The propane ignited causing a workplace explosion and fire. Fire department spokesman Dan Crotty reported that “There was a leak, and the propane found an ignition source.”  Responders to the scene described it as “hellish,” covered with the pieces of the burned tanker truck and articles of McDonald’s clothing.

The explosion blew the tanker section of the truck into nearby power lines, taking them down and cutting power for area businesses and residents. The truck’s axle was thrown onto an overpass of nearby Highway 16. McDonald was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and died from his injuries a few days later.

While the precise cause of the explosion is under investigation, fire officials speculated that the blast may have been caused a by a leak in the system combined with nearby welding or an open furnace. A spokesman for McDonald’s employer, IXL Transportation Services, stated that McDonald had been trained on the transfer procedure, which is highly regulated. Tanker truck drivers are required by the U.S. Department of Transportation to undergo training every three years.

Gene Wendt of Northwest Consulting, a training firm for propane tanker drivers, reported that there are several possible points of failure in a propane transfer, including, tank fittings, hose couplings or the hoses themselves. Once the system is breached, any open flame could ignite the leaking propane and cause an explosion.

At Callahan & Blaine, California’s premier litigation firm, our attorneys are practiced at negotiating and litigating complex personal injury cases like this one. Our firm recently negotiated a $28 million settlement in a similar workplace personal injury case, where a man was left blind and brain damaged as a result of an accident caused by negligent maintenance practices by a trucking company.

Callahan & Blaine uses its 25 years of experience to accomplish record breaking jury verdicts and settlements. If you or someone you know has been catastrophically injured or killed in an accident, contact Callahan & Blaine for expert personal injury representation.