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SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Boiler explosion at Valero Texas City refinery leads to wrongful death suit

GALVESTON - The widow of a Texas City man killed in an explosion at Valero's Texas City refinery two years ago has filed suit against a host of companies.

Laura Parker Manis is suing Halgo Power Inc., Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group Inc. and several other entities in response to the Dec. 4, 2009, death of Tommy D. Manis.

Court papers were filed Nov. 30 in Galveston County District Court.

This is the second lawsuit filed on Tommy D. Manis's behalf as his parents, the executors of his estate, were the first to pursue legal action against the same respondents in late December 2009.

According to Laura Parker Manis's original petition, Tommy D. Manis and one of his co-workers were attempting to restart a B-28 boiler at the Valero refinery when the boiler exploded and fatally injured the decedent.

The suit alleges the Babcock & Wilcox group of respondents designed, manufactured and installed the boiler on specifications produced by defendant Foster Wheeler USA Corp. and with detailed engineering work completed by defendant Jacobs Engineering Inc.

It further lists Horizon Consultants Inc. as the designer of the software logic for the boiler's burner management systems and provider of related component parts, software and consulting service; and John Zink Co. LLC as the designer, builder and supplier of the boiler's burner.

Fisher Controls International LLC is implicated as responsible for the control valves while Honeywell International, Inc. is believed to have handled the burner's management system.

Lastly, Halgo is tagged with manufacturing and installing the boiler and related materials at the refinery, and is alleged to have performed repairs on said boiler after an incident in March 2009.

The complaint states "the plaintiff suffered serious, disabling and permanent injuries that ultimately caused his death."

Laura Parker Manis consequently seeks more than $75,000 in damages.

She is represented by Brent Coon & Associates.

The case has been assigned to Galveston County 212th District Court Judge Susan Criss.

Case No. 11-cv-1900

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