San Antonio, TX — Three workers suffered burns to their hands and faces following a fire that broke out at the Capitol Aggregates coal mill in San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday, February 24, 2015. The mill is located in the 11500 block of Nacogdoches Road.
The accident took place around 2:00 in the afternoon. The fire at the mill was caused by an explosion, although what caused that explosion is still unknown. Firefighters were called to the scene of the accident, but the fire had been put out by the time they arrived at the scene.
The three employees injured in the accident were taken to a local hospital. Their names have not been released. Police are continuing to investigate the accident.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
How an accident like this is handled really depends on exactly how it happened. Usually, a work accident is going to be handled through an employer’s workers comp policy. The injured worker will become eligible for benefits that can be used for medical bills or lost wages. In most accidents, that’s the end of the story. Being eligible for those benefits means that the employee isn’t able to file a claim against the employer. However, in Texas and certain other states, there’s something that says that a claim can be brought against an employer if the accident happened due to their gross negligence. Gross negligence is typically defined by an employer knowing that their employees safety was put at risk by something at the job, and then intentionally ignoring it. Was something like that involved here? We don’t know. There’s little doubt that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will get involved here, so hopefully we’ll know more about what happened here in the coming weeks.
— Grossman Law Offices
