Watson Explosion Damages Houston

It only took slightly more than eight hours for a lawyer to file a $1-million-plus lawsuit on behalf of a homeowner living near a massive factory explosion Friday morning in Houston that caused two fatalities on site and extensive damage in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The filing by attorney Eric Dick of The Dick Law Firm in Houston on behalf of Sophia Navarro alleges damages by the defendant, Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, and requests both a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction to protect evidence.

“Plaintiff's home was severely damaged by the explosion,” the lawsuit claims. “Most of plaintiff's windows were blown out and glass strewn inside and outside the home making the home dangerous and uninhabitable.”

The petition also alleges that the blast damaged Navarro's doors, walls, fixtures and roof. The foundation of the house was “fractured,” the lawsuit states.

The explosion occurred at about 4 a.m. Friday. Dick filed the lawsuit in Harris County district court at 12:15 p.m. the same day.

In a press conference after the blast, Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said that of the 199 homes in the West Branch and Carverdale neighborhoods surrounding the plant, 190 had to be accessed by city officials as to inhabitability.

“A lot of these homes will not be livable for several weeks,” he said. “The closer to the blast the worse the damage.”