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Chemtool Fire Lawsuit
Chicago Trial Lawyers at the Helm: Decisive Legal Action Unfolds
An early morning explosion in the village of Rockton, Illinois, has upset the lives and livelihoods of area residents. Meyers & Flowers, top Chicago trial lawyers, are taking decisive legal action to secure the rights of residents, workers, and businesses affected by the blast and its aftermath.
Rockton, Illinois, Chemtool Fire & Chemical Plant Explosion
On Monday, June 14, 2021, a “cataclysmic explosion” rocked a chemical manufacturing plant located in the Rockton village of Winnebago County, Illinois. The resultant fire rapidly spread throughout the facility, effectively leveling it while spouting smoke, soot, and synthetic chemicals into the surrounding sky.
Residents who were ordered to evacuate report seeing large pieces of debris and factory coming down around them and that the air smelled of chemicals, some of them worried they’d even have a safe home to go back to. The incident was so significant that smoke from the scene registered on weather radars and was visible for miles.
If you live or work in the area and were affected by these events or exposed to potentially toxic chemicals from the Chemtool fire and explosion, you have legal recourse available.
We are Filing Individual Lawsuits Against Chemtool
Chicago-area lawyer Peter Flowers also filed a civil suit on behalf of two Rockton residents for at least $50,000 each, claiming safety concerns with their young child.
“The potential of people having medical conditions in the future,” Flowers said. “Potentially even the property values diminishing. Those are three of many legal damages that people are entitled to, as a result of, as Kevin points out, nothing they did themselves, the conduct of someone else.”
You have rights. We will fight for them.
Meyers & Flowers is filing claims on behalf of people, businesses, and organizations residing or located within a 10-mile radius of the recent and devastating Chemtool fire in Rockton, Illinois.
Residents, businesses, community centers, and other social establishments may all have grounds to pursue legal recourse, and persons close to the explosion may be entitled to financial compensation.
Individuals close to the explosion may be entitled to financial compensation for property damage and potential health effects from the chemicals.
About the Chemical Plant
Chemtool Incorporated is reportedly the nation’s largest manufacturer of grease in America. Their plant in Rockton manufactured grease and other lubricants, and the company is a subsidiary of Lubrizol Corporation, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The manufacturing plant has reportedly been a supportive community partner since its arrival.
Scope & Severity of the Chemtool Fire
- The Rockton Fire Department ordered a mandatory evacuation for all residents and businesses within a one-mile radius of the chemical plant.
- Residents were advised to wear masks and seek shelter at a nearby school.
- Gov. Pritzker deployed the National Guard to respond to the fire and its aftermath.
- The Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois’ Emergency Management Agency dispatched crews to the site to assist local authorities.
- Police alerts rated the fire severe, and the fire department responded to at least one other fire caused by debris drifting from the Chemtool plant.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is estimated that more than 1,000 people were affected by the explosion, fire, debris, smoke, and aftermath. Conditions and circumstances for which you may be able to seek damages or recourse would vary from person to person. However, Meyers & Flowers can help you understand if you have a case relating to any of the following:
Property Damage
Residents may have had property damage to their homes.
Emotional Trauma
Persons in the area at the time of the explosion or after it may have suffered extreme emotional trauma. The thought of being unable to return to a safe home can be devastating.
Financial Loss
Nearby business owners may be financially impacted by patron’s perceptions of the area being dangerous.
Chemical Exposure
Anyone nearby may have been exposed to dangerous particulate chemicals that they may have breathed in.
According to officials, toxic compounds such as lead, nitrogen, and sulfuric acid made it harder to control the fire. In addition, exposed chemicals traveled by air and smoke, potentially affecting residents’ health and safety. The cause of the fire and the exact chemical content of the smoke and debris are as yet unknown.
How Meyers & Flowers Can Help You
Meyers & Flowers has a decades-long history of seeking justice for people of all walks of life and socio-economic conditions who have been affected by corporate negligence and dangerous situations. We are ready to provide you with information about your legal recourse and moving forward with a case against the concerned companies.
If you or a loved one experienced the Chemtool fire and explosion and we’re physically, financially, or significantly emotionally impacted by it, we can help. We are relentless in getting justice served for the injured. We are nationally recognized for winning high-value awards and settlements on behalf of our clients.
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