Three employees in Texas met a tragic end on Wednesday evening after inhaling lethal hydrogen sulfide gas at their workplace. The workers were discovered unconscious in a manhole and were later declared dead by the authorities. Trinity County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeremy Carroll reported that the men were unresponsive upon the arrival of law enforcement, and a potent gas smell was detected from the manhole.
The unfortunate incident took place while the workers were maintaining a lift station, a structure that pushes sewage through pipes. Carroll explained that the men were not assigned to deal with any subterranean problems, but were merely working on the motor for the lift station. The deadly gas was not due to a leak, but was a byproduct of active sewage.
The sequence of events began when one of the workers entered the manhole to stop sewage from overflowing into their work area. After he fell unconscious, a second worker went in to help him, only to experience the same outcome. The third worker, in a bid to save his colleagues, also fell victim to the toxic gas. Carroll pointed out that the worker’s gas meter alarm was activated, signaling the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas.
The retrieval of the bodies was not concluded until after 6:30 p.m. Carroll extended his sympathies and assured that the community would stand by the families of the deceased. “We will be praying for them and our community is going to back them, and if there is anything they need, we will be happy to help,” he stated.
Frédéric Dugré, the president and CEO of H2O Innovation, the company that employed two of the victims and a contractor, released a statement expressing his sorrow over the incident. He characterized the deceased as valued team members and their sudden death as a significant loss to their families, friends, and colleagues. Dugré also underscored the company’s dedication to safety and training, and vowed to support the families of the victims and the rest of their team.
Once authorities confirmed that the toxic gas was confined to the manhole, a shelter-in-place order for the nearby neighborhood was lifted. The focus then shifted to the recovery of the bodies. Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace explained that water levels had to be lowered underground to allow first responders safe access to the bodies.