Covington resident sues chemical company after reported explosion at NKY plastics plant
A Covington resident is suing a Minnesota-based chemical company months after a reported explosion at the company's plant in Fort Wright, documents filed Wednesday in federal court say.
Larry Clark is accusing Interplastic Corp. of negligence, claiming it allowed chemicals to be released into the surrounding neighborhood and into his home, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
The lawsuit stems from a Jan. 10 incident at the plant that resulted in a shelter-in-place order being issued for residents within 1,000 feet of the facility.
Emergency crews from Fort Wright and several other surrounding agencies responded to the plant after an explosion was reported involving a storage vessel housing polyester resin, according to officials with the city of Fort Wright.
The complaint says Clark, who lives near the plastics resin plant at 3535 Latonia Ave., suffered injuries to his eyes and lungs as a result of chemical exposure.
An attorney for Interplastic has yet to return a message from The Enquirer seeking comment.
In court documents, attorneys for the company said Clark's claim "is nothing more than mere speculation, and does not include any detail at all concerning any of the elements of a claim for personal injury arising from chemical exposure."
Interplastic has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety.
Paul Dickman, the attorney representing Clark, previously represented residents of Covington's Latonia neighborhood in a 1997 lawsuit against Interplastic, according to documents filed in Kenton County Circuit Court.
That suit also accused the company of exposing nearby residents to concentrations of hazardous chemicals, court records show. The case was ultimately settled and Interplastic did not admit to any wrongdoing.
As part of the settlement agreement, Interplastic entered into a consent decree which requires the company to provide the Fort Wright and Covington fire departments annual access to the facility as well as safety data sheets for the chemicals used or stored there.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lawsuit: Exposure to chemicals from NKY plant injured Covington man
