Four Killed in Crane Accident at Texas Refinery

July 21, 2008 • Four contract workers were killed when a 2,500-ton mobile crane fell at a Houston, Texas, oil refinery on July 18. According to weekend news reports, a 30-story crawler crane hit another crane on the way down, injuring seven others in the process.

Killed in the accident were Marion “Scooter” Odom III, 41, Highlands, Texas; John D. Henry, 33, and Daniel “DJ” Johnson, 30, Dayton, Texas; and Rocky Strength, 30, Santa Fe, Texas, according to a press release on the website of Deep South Crane & Rigging, of Baton Rouge, La., which provided the crane. “Our thoughts and prayers are focused on our deceased co-workers, their families and friends, and the extended Deep South Crane and Rigging family,” stated company spokesperson Margaret Landry.

 

The crane, with a 420-foot boom, fell over at the LyondellBasell refinery in southeast Houston about 1:20 p.m., toppling over the second crane and an air-conditioned tent where workers were eating lunch. The refinery has 3,000 employees and 1,600 contract workers, according to news reports.

 

The 300-foot tall crane had been assembled during the last month in preparation for a job removing the roof on the plant's coker unit. According to The Associated Press, the mobile crane was brought in from a Citgo refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas. It successfully lifted 800,000 pounds during a test run the week before the accident.

 

Landry said the company is “fully engaged and cooperating with OSHA” in its investigation. “We wish we had all of the answers on what happened and why • but we do not • and speculating on [a] cause would not resolve anything. But we are actively working to find those answers … Our common goal is to identify the root cause, correct any issue that may be found, and ensure that this type of tragic accident does not occur again.”

 

Deep South, which manufactures the massive mobile cranes specifically for the petrochemical industry, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. A family-owned business with offices in Lake Charles, La., and Houston and Beaumont, Texas, the company also offers crane rental and transport services. “We're a smaller company. We treat our employees like family,” Landry is quoted as saying in news reports. “Our focus right now really and truly is with the families of the people we lost, the people who were injured and the investigation.”