THREE RIVERS – A group of five men, who claim they were injured in a refinery explosion, have filed a lawsuit against Valero Energy Corporation and are seeking over $1 million in damages, according to a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed in a Bexar County District Court on Feb. 13, stated the five men were injured at Valero’s Three River Oil Refinery, located in Three Rivers, Texas, on Jan. 26. Three Rivers is about 70 miles south of downtown San Antonio.
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“On or about January 26, 2025, Plaintiffs were working at the Valero Three Rivers Refinery in or near the FCC Unit of the refinery. There was an explosion and flash fire due to Valero’s refinery operator opening the bleeder valve in the immediate vicinity of multiple potential ignition sources,” the lawsuit states.
KSAT reached out via email to a Valero media spokesperson for a comment on the lawsuit Friday and Tuesday and has not heard back.
This story will be updated when they respond.
According to the lawsuit, the five plaintiffs are Justin Marsalia, John Gross, Wade Carroll, Juan Soto and Barry Wade.
Lamar DeLong, a Houston lawyer with Zehl & Associates who is representing them, stated they were part of a decontamination crew that provides chemical cleaning for refineries and under contract with Valero.
DeLong told KSAT that before the explosion, his clients were setting up their equipment, as they couldn’t decontaminate yet because Valero was “behind schedule” on clearing the area and removing chemicals and gas in their flowlines.
Then, at some point, as Valero started releasing chemicals and venting flammable gas into an active unit for his clients to begin their work, an ignition source was detected, triggering the explosion, DeLong said.
Marsalia and Gross suffered third-degree burns and were transported and hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in San Antonio, DeLong said.
“One of our clients was hospitalized in the burn unit for 11 days. He suffered third-degree burns on his legs, upper chest, neck, and arms,” DeLong said. “The other individual that was burned suffered some third-degree burns and was hospitalized for 4 days and they are both back home now.”
The other three men, Carroll, Soto, and Wade, suffered “orthopedic” injuries, he said, including neck, back and other injuries.
They also suffered mentally from the incident, DeLong said.
The five men have not returned to work since the explosion, their attorney said.
They claim Valero failed to maintain a safe workplace and violated safety protocols, the lawsuit states.
Due to their injuries, the five men are seeking damages over $1 million. Additionally, they are seeking punitive damages for gross negligence from Valero.
Those damages include compensation for past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, mental anguish, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and physical impairment.
