GARYVILLE, La. (WGNO) — Less than a week after the fire at the Marathon refinery, a local attorney says people who live around the plant should consider suing.
Metairie attorney Mike Brandner knew offering a helping hand to the nearby communities was a must.
“For decades, we’ve had all these refineries expose us to all these chemicals and they are doing it because they know they can. We are representing the people surrounding that area that really don’t have a voice,” says Brandner.
He adds it’s important to put the company on notice early rather than later.
“They are under a duty to preserve all evidence and that’s important for us because we have to prove what caused the explosion and whether or not they did something wrong and it led to the explosion,” says Brandner.
He also expressed the potential dangers posed to people exposed to a refinery fire or a chemical leak.
“Some people may not even realize they are being affected by the chemicals but later on down the road, they realize they are. Document it, we have to prove the chemicals caused the injury,” says Brandner.
Lastly, Brandner emphasizes that elected officials must address safety concerns posed by plants in the area.
“At some point and time, people’s health and quality of life overwhelming exceed what they’re doing as far as money. There needs to be more protection for the people and less of the protection of the money,” says Brandner.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Brander said that anyone interested in meeting with him can visit the Mike Brander Law website.
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