Company settles with families of three victims

Attorneys for the families of three men killed in a 2001 explosion at a plant in Augusta announced Tuesday that they reached a settlement with a company sued for liability in the men's deaths.

ADVERTISEMENT

Have a thought? Go to the Forums or Chat.

Subscribe  E-mail this story  Write a letter to the Editor  Printer-friendly version  Get news on your PDA  Get e-mail headlines

In front of U.S. District Court Judge Dudley Bowen Jr., attorneys for the families of Heinrich Kohl, 25; John Rowland, 35; and George Sanders, 42, told of the agreement with BP Amoco Chemical Co.

Attorneys on both sides refused to discuss the terms of the settlement, and they would not disclose any monetary amount.

"It's not a public matter," said Eric Sharon, a defense attorney for BP Amoco Chemical.

"Our clients are satisfied," said plaintiffs' attorney Jane Brown.

Officials spent most of Monday selecting a jury for the case, which was expected to go to trial. Before jurors heard opening statements, plaintiffs' attorneys told the judge that Mr. Sanders' family had agreed to settle.

After opening statements were heard and the first witness was called, and the court reconvened after a lunch recess, settlements with Mr. Kohl's and Mr. Rowland's families were announced.

"There's something almost magical about seating a jury in the box," Judge Bowen said before he discharged the jury.

"It would not have been settled had we not seated a jury," he said.

At the time of the explosion, the plant on Tobacco Road - now owned by Solvay SA - was owned by Amoco Performance Products Inc., a subsidiary of BP Amoco Chemical.

On March 13, 2001, the three men were opening a waste-collection drum when the door blew off. The plaintiffs' attorneys argued that the chemical company was responsible for testing the reactive characteristics of the plastic that the plant manufactured, called Amodel.

They argued that BP Amoco failed to tell design engineers that the chemical could react under certain conditions and could develop dangerous pressure levels in closed containers - which resulted in the explosion that killed the men.

Defense attorneys argued that the company was a subsidiary, but a legally separate entity.

Reach Jeremy Craig at (706) 823-3409 or jeremy.craig@augustachronicle.com.

BP Amoco Explosion

 • Plant blast remembered
 • Hazard research advised
 • BP Amoco settles for $119,000
 • Plant blast victim's family files lawsuit
 • Polymer facility contests charges
 • OSHA wants fines for BP
 • Quilts keep family's memories alive
 • BP Amoco issues blast conclusions
 • Victims' families sue parts manufacturers
 • 2nd BP Amoco blast impels safety review - 3/27/01
 • Bad gauge blamed for plant blast - 3/23/01
 • Blast inquiry focuses on tank - 3/14/01
 • Tragedy: Counselors visit plant - 3/13/01
 • Worker was 'tremendous family man' - 3/14/01
 • 42-year-old had almost 15 years at facility - 3/14/01
 • Explosion victim's life just began - 3/14/01
 • 13 accidents logged within past 10 years - 3/14/01
 • BP Amoco sale of Augusta plant remains planned - 3/14/01
 • Accident renews focus on school location - 3/14/01
 • 3 die in explosion - 3/13/01
 • Public meetings - 1/21/00
 • Previous accident - 3/30/00
 • Plant for sale - 4/28/00
 • Plant sale update - 12/20/00
 • Plant safe for a year - 2/6/00
 • Public meetings - 1/21/00
 • Some schools now close to hazards -1/30/99
 • Hearings: School chief calls plant scare minor -1/12/99
 • Hearings slated for new school -1/11/99

--From the Wednesday, January 26, 2005 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle