Explosion During Tank Cleaning at Polar Service Center Injures 2 in MT
Two men who were cleaning a tanker truck at Polar Service Center in Lockwood, Montana were injured in an explosion on May 9, 2019. Jarred Berns, 44, of Billings and Josiah Coulimore, 23, both suffered second and third-degree burns to their hands, arms and faces. They were initially taken to a hospital in Billings, Montana and then transferred to the University of Utah Burn Center in Salt Lake City.
Polar Service provides commercial parts and repair services for the tank trailer and tank truck industry, according to its website. It has 28 locations around the country.
Video footage of the blast, which occurred around 3:30 that afternoon, showed the force of the explosion lifting the tanker about a foot off the ground, according to a report in the Billings Gazette. Coulimore, who was atop the tanker and wearing a safety harness, was blown back six to 10 feet.
Previous Safety Violations
Polar Services has had safety violations and explosions at its other locations. An explosion at the company’s facility in Commerce City, Colorado after welding sparks ignited residual vapor in a tanker, tore a hole in the roof. Witnesses interviewed in news reports of that explosion recalled a similar incident in the 1990s. And that same location was fined for machinery safety violations in 2014, according to records from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). And just last month, OSHA fined the company’s plant in Port Allen, Louisiana more than $35,000 for safety violations including failure to safeguard against the risk of amputation.
The explosion lawyers at Pritzker Hageman represent people nationwide who have been injured in explosions. To contact them for a free consultation about your injury, call 1 (888) 377-8900, send a text to 612-261-0856, or use the contact form below.
