Three workers sue Pemex for injuries at Texas refinery

By Erwin Seba

HOUSTON (Reuters) -Three workers filed a lawsuit in a Texas state court in Houston on Monday against Mexico's national oil company Pemex for injuries they allege they received in a hydrogen sulfide release at a Deer Park, Texas refinery on Thursday.

Two contractors were killed and 35 people treated for exposure to deadly hydrogen sulfide gas on Thursday afternoon, according to law enforcement officials.

Sergio Antonio Olvera, Jonathan Martinez and Yoselyn Soto were working at the Pemex refinery in the Houston suburb of Deer Park when gases including hydrogen sulfide were released late on Thursday afternoon, according to the lawsuit.

"Plaintiffs subsequently sustained injuries due to the leak," the lawsuit said. "At the time and on the occasion in question, defendants committed acts and omissions, which collectively and separately constituted negligence."

The three workers said in the lawsuit that Pemex failed to maintain, monitor, oversee the refinery and provide safe working conditions within the plant.

The plaintiffs seek damages in excess of $1 million, according to the lawsuit.

The suit was filed in the Harris County District Court in Houston by attorney Muhammad Aziz.

Aziz did not reply to phone messages left with his law firm on Monday.

The law firm of prominent Houston attorney Tony Buzbee posted a notice last week that several families of workers at the plant had retained his firm to represent them.

A spokesperson for Buzbee's firm was not immediately available on Monday afternoon.

Sources familiar with plant operations told Reuters the contractors were performing work on a sulfur recovery unit when the hydrogen sulfide release occurred.

Hydrogen sulfide is a gas produced in crude oil refining. It can cause death if a heavy concentration of the gas is inhaled.

(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by David Gregorio)