Pemex Deer Park Injury Lawyers

Were You Injured from the Pemex Hydrogen Sulfide Release?

After a tragic and preventable accident like the massive release of chemicals at the Pemex refinery on October 10 in Deer Park, you and your family deserve answers — and accountability.

This catastrophic hydrogen sulfide release comes just weeks after our law firm reached a settlement with Shell in connection with the May 2023 explosion at its neighboring Deer Park plant, which injured over 30 contractors. 

At Zehl & Associates, we are here to empower you with all the information you need to determine your next steps and secure your future.  

Everybody has a right to be safe at work. You also have the right to top-rated personal injury lawyers when a company’s reckless actions cause you harm. Our team of undefeated Chemical Plant Injury Lawyers don’t just win for our clients and their families — we set records.  

• Our Texas Refinery Lawyers are committed to securing the maximum compensation possible for you and your family  
• Our track record of historic, record-setting victories speaks for itself  
• Our clients are like our family — we make sure to get you the best medical care and we are there for you and your loved ones around the clock.  

If you or a loved one were injured in the Pemex Deer Park chemical release, contact us for a free consultation at 1-888-603-3636. 

We’ll answer your questions, explain your options, and provide you with the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.    

The Pemex Chemical Release: An Overview 

Two workers were tragically killed and at least 35 people were injured in the October 10 refinery accident, a hydrogen sulfide chemical release event that not only impacted nearly three dozen employees at the Pemex Deer Park refinery, located at 5900 Highway 225, around 4:40 p.m., but many residents of the Deer Park community as well.

At least 13 workers and six community members received treatment at the hospital, including those suffering serious injuries related to hydrogen sulfide exposure such as headache, nausea, eye irritation, and shortness of breath. 

Possible injuries involved may include: 

• Respiratory problems
• Cardiovascular problems
• Neurological problems
• Shock
• Convulsions
• Memory loss
• Cognitive decline
• Impaired motor function
• Bronchitis
• Persistent coughing
• Difficulty breathing
• Chronic eye irritation
• Loss of vision
• Loss of smell
• Irregular heartbeat
• Increased blood pressure
• Coma
• Wrongful death

Our Clients Receive the Best Medical Care & We Assist Your Family With Necessary Bills and Expenses While Your Case is Pending 

Chemical exposure injuries often require extensive medical treatment, leave victims partially or permanently disabled, and rob them of the ability to provide for themselves and their families. 

Our Undefeated Houston Refinery Attorneys understand the far-reaching consequences and can help fight for you. We make sure our clients have access to the best doctors and medical providers in the country.  

Scared about bills piling up? We make sure you’re able to pay the bills while your case is pending. And once your case is resolved, you’ll have access to the best financial advisors to safeguard your settlement. Our attorneys and staff will always be there for you. 

I Was in the Pemex Chemical Release Accident. What Should I Do? 

If you were injured, your physical, emotional, and financial future are at stake – and you need to take action to protect it quickly. 

Following an accident of this magnitude, especially if you are an employee or contractor at the plant, there are important steps you need to take in order to protect yourself should you decide to file a lawsuit and hold those responsible for your injuries fully accountable. 

Seek Immediate Medical Attention:  Many injuries, especially toxic chemical exposures, aren’t immediately apparent, especially if you’re in shock and your adrenaline is running high. A visit to the emergency room or your own doctor ensures that any injuries you did suffer are documented and treated right away. If you wait to seek treatment, your employer will use that fact against you to deny and discount the severity of your injuries.

Insist on the Medical Care of Your Choice: Even if you don’t think your injuries are severe, a visit to the E.R. ensures the injury is documented promptly. If you do require additional treatment, you have the right to demand follow-up medical care with the healthcare provider of YOUR CHOICE.  If you work at Pemex, you are under no obligation to see doctors and specialists chosen and paid for by your employer or their insurance company. 

Make a Record of the Incident: As soon as you are able, write down or record everything you remember about the incident that resulted in your injury, including the names and phone numbers of anyone else who witnessed the incident. 

Preserve Physical Evidence: Preserve the clothing you were wearing and any other physical evidence in your position. Don’t wash any of these items. Store them in a clean plastic bag as soon as possible. 

Don’t Sign Anything or Make a Recorded Statement: Whatever you do, do not give Pemex, Shell, or their insurers a recorded statement, sign ANY paperwork, or accept any money from the company (other than your regular paycheck) before speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer who has successfully represented injured workers, both in and out of the courtroom. 

Comply with All Medical Advice: Missing doctors’ appointments and failing to follow medical advice will only provide the responsible party with an excuse to downplay your injuries and deny your valid claims. Also, make sure to keep a written record of your care, including co-pays and the cost of any prescription medications and medical supplies related to your treatment. 

No matter how much they promise to “make things right” and “take care of you,” the companies and their insurers are only interested in avoiding responsibility for your injuries, blaming you and your co-workers, and limiting your financial recovery to workers compensation. 

That’s why it’s crucial that you contact a knowledgeable attorney who has the experience and resources to take on the biggest companies in the world, knows how to locate and preserve evidence you need to prove who was at fault, and won’t hesitate to go to trial if the companies refuse to fully compensate you and your family for all your injuries and damages. 

Why Choose Zehl & Associates to Fight For You 

In addition to ensuring that victims of senseless tragedies receive the maximum compensation possible, our refinery accident and chemical release lawyers make sure that: 

• You’re able to see the best doctors and medical providers for your injuries 
• You’re able to pay your medical bills and necessary living expenses while your case is pending, and 
• You have access to the best tax and financial professionals after your case has been resolved, so that you’re able to continue caring and providing for yourself and your family for the rest of your life 

Whether you are an injured worker or community member, your best option is talk to our experienced attorneys and determine your best course of action, including if you have grounds to file a lawsuit directly against the companies involved or any other third parties or individuals that contributed to or caused you harm.

Once hired, we do everything it takes to recover the maximum compensation possible and stand by you and your family every step of the way.

Contact our Undefeated Houston Chemical Plant Injury Lawyers today at 1-888-603-3636.  

What Caused the Pemex Hydrogen Sulfide Release? 

Investigators are still looking into the official cause of the catastrophic chemical release at the Pemex Deer Park refinery, and suspected contributing factors are now coming to light. 

Factors believed to have played a role include:  

Negligence by companies involved, which may include Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, and Shell Oil Co., the U.S. subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the refinery emitted 43,500 pounds of hydrogen sulfide during the event, far exceeding the regulatory limit of 6.89 pounds per hour. In addition, 29,276 pounds of sulfur dioxide were released—16 times the regulatory limit of 1,770.47 pounds per hour.

History of emission standards violations: This incident is not the first time the facility has violated emission standards. In fact, there have been 14 air emission events at the Pemex refinery since 2022, highlighting a troubling pattern of disregard for safety and environmental regulations.

Open flange & potential failure of equipment: According to anonymous sources familiar with the refinery’s operations, workers were killed when they opened a line containing hydrogen sulfide. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez later confirmed that a flange may have been involved in the leak, indicating a critical equipment failure. This raises questions about aging infrastructure, poor maintenance, and a lack of proper safety procedures. A valve that should never have opened, opened—and tragically, lives were lost. These oversights point to possible failures in training, equipment monitoring, and safety protocols.

Malfunctioning H2S Monitoring System: Oil refineries are required to have 24/7 hydrogen sulfide monitoring systems to detect dangerous gas leaks and protect workers. Shockingly, the central alarm system at the Pemex facility did not activate immediately during the leak. Instead, workers’ personal H2S monitors were the first to alert them of the danger, suggesting that critical safety equipment failed when it was needed most. Tragically, those closest to the leak suffered the most significant injuries.

Failure to Follow Safety Protocols: Under OSHA regulations, refineries must post warning signs in both English and Spanish to alert workers to the dangers of hydrogen sulfide. However, it remains unclear whether Pemex adhered to these regulations or others. Unclear signage, inadequate communication, and poor enforcement of safety measures may have contributed to the confusion and chaos during the leak.

Reckless Actions by Pemex in the Aftermath of the Disaster

As more details emerge, it has become apparent that Pemex’s actions after the deadly gas leak were reckless and dangerously irresponsible. The company failed to follow even basic safety protocols, putting both workers and the surrounding community at further risk.

Key failures include:

• Massive regulatory violations: Pemex released over 6,000 times the regulatory emission limit of H2S and 16 times the regulatory limit of sulfur dioxide during the leak
• Delayed communication with authorities: Pemex failed to communicate with authorities in a timely manner about the incident and air quality. As such, Deer Park emergency officials initially said the Pemex chemical leak was contained within the refinery, but later announced a shelter-in-place order for all city residents “out of precaution.
• Obstructing first responders: Pemex delayed first responders, forcing Harris County Precinct 2 to send its own pollution control air monitoring team to provide real-time data about air quality, according Commissioner Adrian Garcia. Additionally, responding firefighters and police had no access to information about the chemicals. 
• Failure to use the CAER app: Pemex failed to alert the community using the Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER) app, which quickly warns the community about a dangerous chemical release.

Both the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Marshal’s Office, as well as the U.S. Chemical and Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, are continuing to investigate the causes and consequences of this disaster.

There Have Been At Least 205 Chemical Accidents in 2024   

Gas leaks and chemical releases are among a growing, alarming trend of workplace accidents in Texas and across the U.S. in recent years. 

Since 2021, there have been more than 825 hazardous chemical incidents in the U.S, according to research from the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters, and at least 205 have occured in 2024. Worse still: Texas leads the nation in these dangerous accidents involving hazardous substances. At least 100 chemical incidents — including leaks, spills, fires, and explosions — have occurred in the Lone Star State since January 2021, including 26 this year.

These incidents have injured hundreds and killed at least 43 people, and many in part are due to the prevalence of fatigued workers covering long shifts, improper training, lack of safety protocols, and more in the petrochemical industry.  

Incidents involving Pemex since 2023 include:

• An oil spill (due to an overflow in a sump) at the Pemex facility in March 2024.
• A process line rupture that shut down Pemex crude distillation operations in October 2023, following a fluid catalytic cracker “malfunction” the very same month.
• Two fires within a three week timespan at the Pemex facility in February and March 2023, leaving at least five workers injured.
• The Shell Deer Park chemical fire that injured 15 and hospitalized 9 workers in May 2023. Zehl & Associates recently reached a confidential settlement on behalf of a number of contractors who were injured in that explosion.

Sadly, it’s our experience that these accidents are entirely preventable and the large companies involved will do everything possible to avoid paying victims and their families the compensation they are owed.   

Don’t make a mistake that could cost you and your loved ones the substantial compensation you deserve. Contact us today. 

Pemex Chemical Release Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult 

In addition to being undefeated, our attorneys have won billions — including Record-Breaking Verdicts and Settlements  — for thousands of people injured or tragically killed in the worst industrial explosions and disasters in recent history, including workers injured in the Shell Deer Park plant explosion in May 2023.

If you or a loved one were hurt in the Pemex hydrogen sulfide release in Deer Park, please call 1-888-698-9173 or Click Here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form. 

Consultations are always free, and you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Resources & Information

• Zehl & Associates Discusses Pemex’s “Series of Grievous Errors” with Channel 2
• Pemex Chemical Release: Zehl & Associates Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Injured Contractors
• Pemex Chemical Release: Lawsuit Filed
• Deadly Hydrogen Sulfide Leak at Pemex Chemical Plant Claims 2 Lives, Injures Dozens More
• Pemex Deer Park Chemical Release: Investigation Begins