Dusty Day and Shawn Kuhleman Leave Loving Families Behind
A pair of devoted family men, Dusty Day and Shawn Kuhleman, were contractors working at the La Porte LyondellBasell chemical plant on Tuesday evening, July 28, 2021, when indescribable tragedy struck. A great deal about what happened at the La Porte chemical plant remains unknown two days after a catastrophic event that resulted in the leak of 100,000 pounds of deadly acetic acid.
In addition to Dusty Day and Shawn Kuhleman losing their lives in the La Porte chemical plant accident, 42 other people at the facility were injured, 30 of those workers transported to area hospitals. On Thursday, two workers remained hospitalized.
Dusty Day is described by his family as being a “small town guy” from Davidson, Oklahoma. He leaves behind his wife, Jennifer. Jennifer described Dusty Day as man who loved his work and was dedicated to the petrochemical and refining industry. She noted that Dusty did most of his work in and around the Houston area.
Those close to Dusty Day remarked that he was a devoted husband, a hard worker, and an Army Veteran. Dusty is also a beloved son, brother, uncle, and “dog dad.” He also leaves behind many friends, people who remain at a loss for words to describe the tragic La Porte chemical plant accident.
Shawn Kuhleman was the other contractor who lost his life in the La Porte LyondellBasell chemical plant accident on Tuesday. He was a 32-year-old from Arlington. Kuhleman was married and is the father of two boys. The ages of his sons have not been released to the media or the public.
Details remain rather unclear about what happened on Tuesday at the Houston area chemical plant that resulted in the deaths of two men and injure to nearly four dozen other workers. At the time of the deadly chemical plant accident, the facility was partially shut for maintenance work.
At approximately 7:30 on Tuesday evening, a cap burst on a pressurized line that contained acetic acid. The line may have also contained other chemicals in some sort of mixture with the acetic acid. (As was noted, their remains a lack of clarity surrounding a good many details about what occurred at the La Porte chemical plant.)
When the cap burst on the pressurized line, chemicals spilled into the facility resulting in the creation of a vapor cloud. The vapor cloud formed instantaneously and began spreading throughout the building. The incident left workers running for their very lives away from the vapor cloud. Despite their best efforts, and as has been discussed, two men lost their lives and 40 others were injured.
The exact cause of the La Porte chemical plant accident has not yet been identified. Officials from a number of different agencies are involved in the investigation of what went wrong at the facility. LyondellBasell had been tight-lipped about the events at the La Porte chemical plant.
Residents in the area around the facility are concerned about may happen in the future. Many of these people work at the plant or have family members working at the facility. Beyond concern about getting harmed at the plant itself, these people are also concerned about another mass casualty event at the facility that might extend into the community as well. In this case, the deadly gas leak was contained inside the premises and did not extent beyond the facility itself.
Concerned that those impacted by the La Porte chemical plant accident need to get accurate information about the incident, Jimmy Doan, the President of local Doan Law Firm, maintains a hotline for injured workers and family members.
“We are keeping our La Porte chemical plant accident hotline staffed around the clock, 24 hours a day,” Jimmy Doan explained. “Our caring, experienced team is available to those harmed by this tragic event in our community any time.”
There is no cost for a consultation with a LaPorte LyondellBasell chemical plant accident lawyer. Jimmy and his team are available to meet with people impacted by this tragic event at their homes or any where else that is convenient. This includes a virtual consultation online.
The Doan Law Firm is located in Houston at:
Doan Law Firm
LaPorte LyondellBasell Chemical Plant Accident Lawyer
1 Riverway
Suite 2500
Houston, Texas 77056
(832) 835-0000