Three wastewater workers are dead following a suspected hydrogen sulfide gas leak that occurred during a lift station repair at the Westwood Shores Municipal Utility District wastewater plant in Trinity County, Texas.
The August 27 incident resulted in a shelter-in-place order until local law enforcement was able to confirm what happened to the unconscious workers discovered by a recovery team.
According to reports from the scene from Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace, initial speculation is that one of the men entered a manhole following complications with a lift station motor repair that caused a sewage backup. When the worker failed to return from underground, the other two men attempted to go in and rescue him.
Two of the victims — John Nelson Sr., 52, of Cleveland, Ohio and Bradley Wrightsman, 46, of Katy, Texas, — were employed by H2O Innovation, a Quebec City-based multinational company specializing in wastewater utility maintenance and management. The third victim was Brad Hutton, 47, who worked for Hydroclear Services, which operates sewage vacuum trucks.
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“Our Dive and Technical Rescue Team quickly deployed and is currently on scene at Westwood Shores in Trinity, assisting with recovery efforts involving a manhole incident,” posted the North Montgomery County Fire Department as the incident unfolded.
The men were recovered by Montgomery County Emergency Service District (ESD) 1, according to law enforcement officials on scene.
Hydrogen sulfide is a highly flammable and toxic gas that can be fatal. Research has shown that death can occur through a single exposure if the levels are over 1,000 ppm. Repeated exposure to lower levels may result in more chronic respiratory symptoms and symptoms from upper respiratory tract and the central nervous system, such as fatigue, headache, poor memory and dizziness.
It remains unconfirmed at this time whether all men were equipped with remote gas alarms, but officials on scene told media that the contractor for Hydroclear Services had such an alarm, and was the last to enter the manhole.
In a statement to news outlet ABC123, H2O Innovation wrote that, “The deaths of these beloved members of our team have been devastating for all of us, and we are focusing on doing everything we can to support their loved ones and our team members.”
