Aug. 15—Three men who tried to help co-workers during the January 2021 Foundation Food Group nitrogen leak have filed a lawsuit against the gas company alleging mental and physical pain from the experience.
Attorney Matt Cook filed the lawsuit July 8 on behalf of Jason Adams, Cristian Faur and Ryan Cook in Gwinnett County State Court.
The Jan. 28, 2021, nitrogen leak at Foundation Food Group killed six people and sent roughly a dozen to the hospital. Foundation Food Group was acquired by Gold Creek Foods in October 2021.
Lawyers in the cases have said the leak occurred after Messer Gas LLC installed a liquid nitrogen immersion spiral freezer at the Memorial Park Drive plant in December 2020.
The lawyers have pointed to the "bubbler tube," a device intended to detect when the liquid nitrogen might overflow, as the reason for the spill. Court documents show one of the bubbler tube's support brackets is missing, which is what the attorneys believe caused it to get damaged and displaced.
Cook said the three in this newest lawsuit attempted to help rescue people from the leak, describing them as "real heroes in the moment."
Cook said Adams collapsed after the leak and was on a respirator for several days. Adams has not returned to work and has been diagnosed with a brain injury from oxygen deprivation, Cook said.
Due to the trauma from the leak, Faur moved on to another job, Cook said.
"Ryan Cook, who had been in the industry for decades, has totally left the industry all together and started another job just because of the trauma and horror of it all," attorney Matt Cook said.
The lawsuit claims damages from medical expenses, lost wages and mental/physical pain and suffering.
Cook did not have a specific number regarding damages or expenses incurred.
Messer sent a statement to The Times:
"Messer continues to cooperate fully with the investigating authorities, and we remain committed to understanding what happened, learning from the investigation findings, and doing our part to help prevent an incident like this from happening again."
Eight lawsuits were previously filed, including six wrongful death cases and some personal injuries suffered by survivors. According to a motion filed in Gwinnett County, at least five of the lawsuits have been settled, but attorneys have declined to discuss specifics.
Dispute over proposed settlement
There is a dispute, however, on one case related to Ximena Sophia Vera, a now 5-year-old who lost both of her parents, Nelly Perez-Rafael, 28, of Gainesville, and Edgar Vera-Garcia, 28, of Gainesville.