4 workers injured in 2011 Regina refinery blast launch lawsuit
Five scaffolders and their family members affected by an explosion and fire at Regina's Co-Op Refinery complex three years ago have launched a $2.2 million lawsuit against the company.
The suit names the Federated Co-operative Refinery (FCL) along with the Co-Op Refinery Complex, a subsidiary of FCL. It also names four other companies involved in the refinery upgrade taking place at the time of the blast: Dkyway Canada Limited, SkyHigh Canada, Worley Parsons and Cold Worley Parsons.
"Given the nature of the work site and the elements involved, the Plaintiffs' injuries were foreseeable, and the Defendants failure to ensure the well-being of the Plaintiffs was negligent," says the statement of claim document.
"As a result the of the Defendants' negligence in failing to ensure that the Co-op Refineries refinery was safe and met the minimum safety standards, and addressing the concerns of the Plaintiffs and other workers at the work site, their failure is the proximate cause of the Plaintiffs' injuries," it continues.
The cause of the refinery explosion was corrosion within some pipes at the plant. It caused about $100 million in damage.
The Plaintiffs Kimberly Janvier, Irene Rombault, Shawn Farrel and Sylvan Blake were all assembling scaffolding a few feet away from the point of the explosion.
They all suffered severe physical and emotional injuries, which the law suit claims had a large impact on their family members.
Aaron Baynes, who is also one of the plaintiffs, is the common-law partner of Janvier, and was also working at the refinery at the time of the explosion.
He was the first person to arrive at the scene of the blast and managed to pull Janvier to safety. The claim states Baynes has suffered extreme mental distress from witnessing Janvier's suffering and the possibility of her death.
Nine family members are also included in the lawsuit claiming they suffered emotional distress after seeing the burned bodies of their loved ones.
The suit is asking for $500,000 for each plaintiff who experienced injuries in the explosion and $25,000 for each of the nine family members.