http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/falk_hazardous_materials_fire Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:24:31 -0800 pixel-app en http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12333 Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12333
Daniel Kuster, 35, and two other workers were killed Wednesday when an explosion and fire leveled the industrial warehouse and rocked the near-downtown area. Forty-six other workers were injured, including one with life-threatening injuries, Mayor Tom Barrett said.

"You shouldn't have to bury your kids," Kuster's father, Melvin, said, crying, Wednesday night.

Police Chief Nan Hegerty said investigators were still trying to determine the exact cause of the blast, which shook the surrounding area, overturned workers' cars in a parking lot and broke windows of nearby businesses and apartment buildings.

"There was a propane leak. There were employees of Falk who were investigating the leak," she said. "They began to evacuate the building, and that's when the explosion occurred. Had they not been evacuating the employees that were in that building, the death toll would have been much higher."

Hegerty said the explosion seemed to be an accident but police opened a criminal investigation, which was normal procedure. Federal agents also were investigating.

Barrett said the company has a clean safety record with the city. The last inspection was in September, "and any violations were corrected on the spot," he said.

Bob Hitt, CEO of Falk's parent company Rexnord Corp., said employees would be paid while the firm assesses the situation at the 61-acre complex.

The company held a private meeting with employees Wednesday evening to offer grief counseling and information.

Larry Thibault, 59, a warranty administrator at Falk, attended the meeting and said the company was optimistic about rebuilding, although officials didn't give a timeline for when people would return to work.

"There was an absolute commitment to bring the company back to full production as soon as they can," he said.

Police interviewed more than 500 people and firefighters searched through wreckage for hours before accounting for the more than 700 workers from the plant.

The factory, which is not far from the Milwaukee Brewers' home of Miller Park, is in the Menomonee Valley, home to several trucking companies and industrial supply firms.

Dozens of workers with injuries including broken bones, head wounds and cuts were treated at hospitals throughout Milwaukee.

The three men who died had years of experience at the plant.

Daniel Kuster was an only child, never married and had no children, said his aunt, Vicki Izydor, 36. She said he was a fork lift driver and had been with Falk for 11 years.

"I know he was very close to his parents," she said. "I couldn't even imagine to be honest what it feels like to lose your only child, and in such a tragic way."

Also among the dead were 38-year-old Curtis J. Lane, of Oconomowoc, and Thomas M. Letendre, 49, of Milwaukee.

Curtis Lane's father-in-law, William Borgiasz, said Lane was the father of two young children and his wife, Tina, operates a day care center.

"It is a big tragedy," Borgiasz said. "It is really hard to deal with. All we are going to tell them is, 'Daddy ain't coming home."]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12329 Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12329
The explosion ignited a fire at a Falk Corp. warehouse near the Potawatomi casino and about a half mile from the Miller Brewing Co., fire Lt. Brian O'Connor said.

Injured people were being taken to numerous hospitals, he said.

Falk makes large industrial gears and couplings, employing about 900 people in Wisconsin. It is a subsidiary of West Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp., a manufacturer of mechanical power transmission components with annual revenues of approximately $800 million.

Falk employee David L. Mays, 61, said the company began to evacuate workers this morning after a leak occurred in one of six large propane tanks behind a building workers call the annex. He and others were outside when the tank exploded.

"It sounded like when I was in Vietnam, incoming mortar rounds," said Mays, an Army veteran.

The concussion of the explosion knocked him down and flipped over his car, destroying it.

"But I'm OK," Mays said as a single tear rolled down his left cheek.

The explosion could be felt at the firehouse about a mile and a half away, O'Connor said. It destroyed Falk's wood frame warehouse and numerous cars and damaged several other buildings in the complex, he said. The fire spread through rubble covering several blocks.

Construction crews working on buildings in the surrounding area were sent home by their companies because of concern about smoke from the spreading fire.

Construction worker Jack Obarski, 46, of Milwaukee, said he was working when he heard a loud boom and saw smoke hundreds of feet in the air.

"Stuff was just flying up in the air," Obarski said as he headed home.

Gillen Co. had several workers driving piles nearby. Edward C. Crockett Jr., 41, of Milwaukee, said he felt the ground shake and saw debris fly into the air.

"I felt it and you knew something wasn't right. I thought it was train engine," said Crockett, who motioned to nearby train tracks that run through the industrial area.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12332 Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/12332
The fiery blast at the Falk Corp. factory flipped cars, hurled debris into the air and forced the evacuation of dozens of workers at the plant, which makes large industrial gears and couplings. Burning rubble was spread over several blocks.

"It sounded like when I was in Vietnam, incoming mortar rounds," said worker David L. Mays, 61, who said the blast knocked him down and turned over his car. "But I'm OK," he said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Fire officials had not determined the cause of the blast, but Mays said the company began to evacuate workers after a leak occurred in one of six large propane tanks. He said he and others were outside when one of the tanks blew up.

Firefighters searched through wreckage for hours before accounting for the plant's more than 700 workers.

"Had they not been evacuating the employees that were in that building, the death toll would have been much higher," Police Chief Nan Hegerty said.

Company spokeswoman Linda Mayer said she did not know how many people were in the plant at the time.

Machinist Jim McGraw, 53, said a co-worker warned him about a minute before the blast that he could smell gas, but McGraw did not think much about it because the building normally smells of solvents and other chemicals. Then the explosion knocked him down.

"I didn't know what it was at first, just a loud bang," McGraw said.

He looked around and saw co-workers with blood on their faces. He grabbed a rag and tied it around his arm, which had a puncture wound. McGraw was taken to a hospital, where doctors pulled a piece of a glass from his skull.

One of those killed, Curtis J. Lane, was the father of two children, ages 2 and 4. His wife operates a day care center.

"It is a big tragedy," said Lane's father-in-law, William Borgiasz. "It is really hard to deal with. All we are going to tell them is, 'Daddy ain't coming home.'"

As many as 120 firefighters and paramedics responded to the fire, along with hazardous materials crews. The flames were largely extinguished within three hours.

The explosion destroyed Falk's warehouse and numerous cars and damaged several other buildings in the complex, fire Lt. Brian O'Connor said, adding that the blast could be felt at a firehouse about a mile and a half away.

Mayor Tom Barrett said the company had a clean safety record. The factory was last inspected in September and "any violations were corrected on the spot," he said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent a team to investigate.

The dead were identified as Lane, 38, of Oconomowoc; Thomas M. Letendre, 49, of Milwaukee; and Daniel T. Kuster, 35, of Mayville.

Construction crews working on buildings in the surrounding area were sent home because of smoke from the fire.]]> http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/falk_hazardous_materials_fire Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/falk_hazardous_materials_fire Representing Victims of Hazardous Materials Fire in Wisconsin On December 6, 2006 an explosion occurred at an industrial complex near downtown Milwaukee injuring 30 people as debris was sent into the sky, a fire official said. The explosion set fire to a Falk Corp. warehouse and could be felt a mile and a half away, fire Lt. Brian O'Connor said. Construction workers, working at nearby sites said they heard a loud boom and saw black smoke and flames shooting from the buildings.

Construction crews working on buildings at adjacent areas are being sent home by their companies because of worry about smoke from the spreading fire. The blast ruined Falk's wood frame warehouse and numerous cars, along with several other buildings in the complex, O'Connor said. The fire spread through rubble covering several blocks. It was not immediately known what caused the blast.

Falk constructs large industrial gears and couplings, employing more than 700 people in Wisconsin. It is a subsidiary of West Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp., a manufacturer of mechanical power transmission components with annual revenues of approximately $800 million. One Falk employee said the company started to evacuate workers this morning after a leak occurred in one of six large propane tanks behind a building workers annex. He and others were outside when the tank exploded.

Legal Rights for Victims of Hazardous Materials Fire in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
If you or a loved one suffered serious illnesses and/ or injuries as a result of this toxic explosion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified pollutants attorney.]]>