Widow of worker killed in York Co. plant accident says response was inadequate
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/29/4577685/widow-of-resolute-forest-worker.html#storylink=cpy
CATAWBA — The widow of the man killed at an accident at Resolute Forest Products plant is expected to allege today that response to the incident was inadequate, her attorney says.
Jessica Storey, wife of Samir Storey, has scheduled a 11 a.m. news conference in Charlotte today to discuss the accident.
Samir Storey, 39, died Jan. 22 when he was trapped in a “fume” tank at the Catawba plant, formerly owned by Bowater.
Samir, an employee of Trades International, was cleaning the 10-foot by 40-tank, which is used to store odorless chemical fumes. The fumes are then burned in the plant’s power boilers.
Attorney Christopher Chestnut said Jessica Storey learned of the early-morning accident from a cousin.
Jessica Storey drove 45 minutes from her Monroe, N.C., home to the Catawba plant. Chestnut said she called 911 on the way to the plant.
According to eyewitness accounts, Chestnut said, the men were cleaning the tank when “gas poured into the tank.” Chestnut said two people were pulled to safety but Samir Storey was trapped.
On the day of the accident, emergency officials speculated that while three employees were working on the tank, some kind of chemical might have leaked in, said Cotton Howell, director of York County Emergency Management.
When Jessica Storey arrived a the plant, she was denied entry, Chestnut said, and scuffled with plant security, suffering bruises on her arms. According to a York County Sheriff’s report, deputies were called to the scene because family members had “bypassed” the security gate.
When Jessica Storey reached the accident site, she took photos of the area on her cell phone, Chestnut said. A Resolute Forest Products employee grabbed the phone and deleted the photos, Chestnut said.
Debbie Johnston, a spokeswoman for Resolute Forest Products, said the company is cooperating with state OSHA and local officials investigating the accident. A cause of the accident has not been determined yet, she said.
http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/29/4577685/widow-of-resolute-forest-worker.html
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Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/01/29/4577685/widow-of-resolute-forest-worker.html#storylink=cpy