n 2005, a catastrophic explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City, Texas, owned by the British industrial giant BP, killed 15 refinery workers and injured 170 more. The blast was felt up to five miles away. Later investigation showed that alarms and gauges that should have warned of overfilled equipment did not work properly.

Twenty-year-old Eva Rowe lost both parents in the blast. While BP tried to settle all claims stemming from the explosion confidentially to avoid publicity, Rowe refused to accept justice in secret. On the day jury selection was due to begin, the corporation agreed to a remarkable public settlement. BP admitted that it had been negligent, apologized to Rowe and the other families and injury victims, and donated more than $32 million to medical and safety-oriented institutions and to two of the family’s favorite organizations. The first donation went to the Blocker Burn Unit in Galveston, where nearly two dozen BP victims were being treated.

BP also agreed to release internal documents from the case, so that the public could see the evidence of the corporation’s negligence and the energy industry could analyze how future refinery explosions could be prevented. The lessons learned from those records will set new industry standards and prevent future accidents.

Asbestos