Watson Grinding Explosion Update

Another 500 residents filed lawsuits against Watson Grinding & Manufacturing, a company behind an early-morning explosion in January that killed two employees and destroyed hundreds of nearby homes.

New lawsuits have been filed as a significant deadline: after July 8—next Wednesday—residents will no longer be able to file a lawsuit against Watson Grinding and its associated company Watson Valve. The counsel for those businesses did not respond to a request for comments.

According to Hon Eric Dick, many of the plaintiffs include adults and their unnamed children, who claim that the January 28 blast entirely or partially damaged their homes or businesses. Attorney Dick now represents more than 400 people affected by the explosion.

Among them are some residents who live on Bridgeland Lane, one of the explosion's hardest-hit areas. The blast moved some of the walls in their house inches from where they were initially, and they installed wooden frames in their kitchen to prevent the ceiling from caving in. Some residents are still living in the house.

Researchers believe that an outdoor tank of 2,000 gallons of chemical propylene was responsible for the blast, which occurred just after 4 a.m. It's Friday. Early attention was paid to the possibility of a leak in the pipe between the tank and the plant as the blow's cause.

The Houston Field Division of the Office of Alcohol, Tobacco, Weapons, and Explosives has not yet finished its blast investigation, which was supposed to occur within 60 days. The Office said the pandemic led to the delay.

Propylene is created by processing various natural gases and has various industrial applications, including film, fiber, and plastic packaging.

Five months after the blast, many are among the hundreds in the neighborhood still struggling to recover, as they are still weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. Dumpsters even line the area as labor crews demolish houses and try to rebuild them. However, several people remain displaced.

New cases are brought against Watson Grinding & Manufacturing and Watson Valve Services, who have filed for bankruptcy and face thousands of individual lawsuits.

A federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings said that his attention would be on the victims of life-changing upheaval.

The suits also mention several other third-party firms that lawyers say were partially responsible for selling or repairing propylene gas and equipment used in storage or pipes.