Five workers injured in an explosion at a Texas Gulf Coast refinery filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages Thursday against Valero Energy Corp., alleging the company’s negligence led to catastrophic safety failures.
The lawsuit, filed in Texas District Court for Bexar County, claims San Antonio-based Valero failed to properly maintain aging equipment. It also alleges the company ignored warnings about dangerous conditions before the Jan. 26,th 2025 blast rocked the refinery, located in Three Rivers, a town in South Texas, halfway between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Valero did not respond to requests for comment by publication time, and neither did W. Lamar DeLong and Ryan Zehl, attorneys for the plaintiffs.
Plaintiffs Justin Marsalia and John Gross suffered third degree burns as a result of the flash fire that ensued from the explosion, and were hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, according to court documents.
Plaintiffs Barry Wade, Jazreth Carroll, and Juan Soto also suffered varying degrees of mental and physical injuries as a result of Valero’s alleged negligence.
The lawsuit, filed by Zehl & Associates, based in Houston, alleges the five workers sustained injuries when Valero’s refinery operator opened a pressure valve near multiple potential ignition sources causing an explosion and flash fire.
The Valero Three Rivers Refinery, with 290 employees, processes 100,000 barrels of oil daily and produces gasoline, distillates and aromatics, according to the company’s website.
“As a result of Defendant’s negligence and gross negligence, Plaintiffs have undergone substantial, reasonable and necessary medical treatment for these injuries,” W. Lamar DeLong, attorney for the plaintiffs, wrote in the lawsuit. “In all likelihood, Plaintiffs will continue to require substantial, reasonable and necessary medical treatment on a continuing basis.”
It was reportedly the second fire at the Three Rivers Refinery in January. The first one occurred on New Year’s Day, but no injuries were reported in that incident, according to the Oil & Gas Journal.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs alleged their injuries were caused by Valero’s “negligent, careless, and reckless disregard of safety.”
The lawsuit claims Valero failed to maintain the work site and failed to safely operate the equipment, and failed to warn plaintiffs of a hazard “Valero was aware of or should have been aware of.”
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering mental anguish and punitive damages. They are requesting a jury trial.
This was allegedly a preventable disaster caused by Valero’s gross negligence, according to the lawsuit.
“Plaintiffs allege that these acts and omissions, when viewed objectively from Valero’s standpoint, involved an extreme degree of risk, considering the probability and magnitude of the potential harm to Plaintiffs and others. Defendants had actual, subjective awareness of the risks of their conduct, but still proceeded with conscious indifference to the rights, safety, or welfare of Plaintiffs and others,” according to court documents..
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