Los Angeles Injury Attorney Blog

The Los Angeles Times reported three men were rushed to the hospital early Friday morning after fumes overcame three men cleaning a large cylindrical blood storage tank at Baxter International Inc., in Atwater Village. Firefighters were called to the plant shortly before 4 a.m., and found an unconscious man lying near the large 4-foot-tall, 5-foot-wide tank. Two other men lying in the tank were also unconscious. All three men were rushed to the hospital, where one of them later died.

Authorities said the men were cleaning the tank with a detergent when they were over come by ethanol fumes early Friday morning. The ethanol was used as a separating agent for blood plasma, which the tank was used to store. According to reports, the worker who collapsed outside the tank had called 911 and tried to rescue his co-workers before he was also overcome by fumes.

A hazardous material team was dispatched to the plant to investigate. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal-OSHA, is investigating. According to the Times, the Atwater Village Baxter plant had a good safety record, although two other Baxter-owned facilities in California have reported injury accidents in the last 10 years.

Workplace Industrial Accident Liability

Every year, thousands of workers are seriously injured or killed in workplace accidents. Exposure to toxic fumes and chemicals can cause permanent brain damage, which may result in permanent physical or mental disability. Depending on the unique circumstances of the accident, the survivors of this incident and the family members of the victim may have legal rights. If the Biotech company is responsible for the incident, the company may be liable for the medical expenses of the sickened workers as well as the wrongful death of the man who lost his life. While this accident remains under investigation, the family members of the men involved in this accident would be well-advised to contact a California workplace injury attorney about the incident and their legal rights.