Hearing from victims: Pemex Oil Refinery gas leak aftermath
DEER PARK, Texas - For the first time since the gas leak exposure, FOX 26 spoke with the victims of the recent Pemex oil refinery gas leak, revealing the personal impacts of a community in distress.
Francisco Hernandez was one of the many to be affected by the gas leak and he has experience working at a refinery, so when he noticed the air started to smell like rotten eggs he knew it was a serious situation.
RELATED: Pemex Deer Park reports Hydrogen Sulfide release, 2 killed, dozens affected
Lawyers like Miriah Soliz of The Soliz Law Firm outline a grim reality: "Unfortunately, there were many victims of this gas leak, and it wasn’t only limited to the people inside the vicinity, inside the refinery, but outside the refinery where the exposure was also happening," Soliz said.
Two employees have been confirmed dead, with 35 others exposed to the toxic gas. The incident's reach was far enough to affect people like Hernandez, who was preparing for soccer practice a mere two miles from the site of the gas leak.
"I was getting everything ready for soccer practice and I started noticing a bad smell, so I kind of got worried," Hernandez recounts. "I noticed a cloud across from me and I realized it was something more serious, and I started hearing the sirens, so I knew it was bad."
Despite initial thoughts of a deceiving illness, the real culprit of Hernandez's dizziness and vomiting was the chemical exposure.
"While I was driving I was feeling more dizzier, when I got home I started throwing up, and I thought ‘nah it’s something else, maybe I’m getting sick’," Hernandez said.
After arriving at the hospital, what followed were hours of monitoring, a steroid shot, and ongoing symptoms such as debilitating fatigue and relentless coughing.
Soliz told FOX 26 that this is not the first or only client that she is representing concerning a chemical explosion at Deer Park.
"I have many clients who were experiencing vomiting, nausea, sore throats, and even being hospitalized due to the refinery chemical leak. The company needs to take responsibility for that, and we’ll make sure that they do," Soliz said.
As the community of Deer Park continues to reel from the effects of the chemical leak, all eyes turn to Pemex for answers. The Mexico-based company has yet to release details on how the disaster unfolded.