HOUSTON, Texas — Nearly a week after a deadly explosion in northwest Houston, a Watson Grinding and Manufacturing employee who was injured during the blast is suing the company for gross negligence.
Sean Rangel says the company didn’t do enough to prevent the explosion from happening.
Rangel is slowly recovering from the injuries he suffered on Jan. 24 when he was pulling up to work at the facility.
“As I was about 50 yards away I seen my friend, Franky, at the door,” Rangel said. “The door opened and I turned right to reverse into my spot and then I saw a flash of light in my truck.”
At first, Rangel thought he had been in an accident.
The pictures of his mangled pickup show the extent of the damage.
When he looked back at the building there was nothing left.
“I’ve seen smoke, I’ve seen debris, I’ve seen metal flying everywhere,” Rangel said.
He immediately knew his friend, Frank Flores, was gone and at that moment he feared there would be more explosions. Flores and Gerardo Castorena were killed during the blast.
“There was no looking for him. I knew. If the wall is made out of concrete and it’s not there, I knew he would not have been there,” Rangel said.
Rangel said he has worked at Watson since 2013 and claims to have witnessed other instances where safety hazards were not addressed.
He filed a lawsuit against the company for negligence and is seeking $1 million in damages.
Almost a week after the explosion, he is dealing with cuts to his eye, glass embedded in his ears and can still hear ringing.
“My head is pounding,” Rangel said. “I can’t sleep. I see Franky every time I close my eyes and I think that could have been me with him.”
Rangel said, it’s the emotional trauma of seeing his friend get killed that’s harder to deal with.
“That was his last second. Seeing someone for one second then the next second you look back everything is gone; that sticks with me,” he said.
On Tuesday, Watson issued a statement stating they were evaluating options around how to support the community.
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