Oklahoma welding explosion rocks town; 1 dead

2010-01-12 05:16:36 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Employment Law, Justice News Flash)

Legal news for Oklahoma employment attorneys. A welding explosion emits two-mile long shockwave, killing one and injuring two.

OSHA alerts Oklahoma employment lawyers- A Seminole County explosion killed a worker who was working on a tanker truck.

Seminole County, OK—A tanker truck explosion released a shockwave that was felt at least a mile-and-a-half away, which also left a Seminole man dead. The man was killed while trying to thaw a valve with a propane heater torch on Wednesday, January 6, 2010 around 9:00 a.m., at Tiger Tank Trucks near Seminole, as reported by Ada Evening News.

According to Seminole fire officials, Richard Basque, 52, was reportedly using a propane heater torch to thaw out a valve located on the back of a tanker truck, which was carrying crude oil. The officials also reported, “From what we understand its pretty well a common practice that these valves will stick because of the crude oil or low temperatures it will actually freeze it shut.” The tanker truck was apparently empty at the time, but the torch flame somehow ignited the explosion from the fumes coming from inside of the truck. The intense blast killed Basque, and injured two others. The two injured victims were transported via personal vehicle to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries before rescue teams arrived at the scene. The extent of their injuries were not reported. The explosion emitted a shockwave that was felt for up to two miles away, which also damaged the building and blew out windows of neighboring businesses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) http://www.osha.gov/ are investigating the fatal workplace accident.

Legal News Reporter: Nicole Howley-Legal news for Oklahoma employment lawyers.