Holly Hill, FL — Seven people were hospitalized following a chemical leak in Holly Hill, Florida. The accident took place on Monday, January 12, 2015, at the intersection of 3rd Street and Center Avenue.
A man driving a tanker was delivering chlorine to a pool supply company, but unloaded the chemical into the wrong storage tank, instead pumping it into a container full of sulfuric acid. Authorities say this created a crude form of mustard gas, which injured several people close by.
The driver was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center. The other individuals were taken to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown.
One man affected by the gas was driving at the time. He stopped his vehicle in the middle of the road and was hit from behind.
Officials said that a rain storm which passed through soon after the accident helped to disperse the chemical cloud.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
In an accident like this, liability is going to be pretty well established. But beyond who caused the accident, we have to ask why it happened? Was the driver not properly trained? News reports say that the storage containers which held the chemicals were clearly marked. Did the driver make the mistake because he just wasn’t paying attention? If that’s the case, what was he paying attention to? The long and short of it is, folks, that accidents like this can’t be allowed to happen. When you’re dealing with chemicals that can seriously harm those around you — people, I might add, who aren’t even in close proximity to you — you have to be on top of your game. Period. I’ve had similar conversations with people when accidents like this have happened in the past, and they quickly get uncomfortable when talk turns to holding a company responsible for its mistake. Talk quickly turns to lawsuits, and people, rightly so, don’t like idea of using an accident like this as a way to make money. Yes, lawsuits are a part of the process, but anyone who would look at something like this in such simplistic terms I think is really missing the point.
Holding a company responsible for its mistakes is a way of putting them underneath a microscope. If there are problems with business practices, or incompetent employees, those problems can be examined, and fixed if they need to be. That way, these problems hopefully won’t pop up again six months or a year down the road.
— Grossman Law Offices
