JUNE 10, 2015
PORT LAVACA, TEXAS
A 21-year-old Victoria man died Wednesday morning of
chemical exposure at the Ineos Nitriles plant near Port Lavaca.
The victim was James Wade Gutierrez, who was pronounced dead
at 5:34 a.m. at Citizens Medical Center, said Victoria County Justice of the
Peace Mary Ann Rivera.
Rivera ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of
Gutierrez's death.
A caller summoning help from the Calhoun County Sheriff's
Office said Gutierrez was exposed to cyanide, said Calhoun County Sheriff
George Aleman.
Emergency medical personnel responded to the plant off state
Highway 185 about 4:30 a.m., Aleman said.
Gutierrez was taken to Citizens Medical Center, where he
died from injuries suffered from the chemical exposure. However, the
circumstances of the fatality are under review, according to an Ineos Nitriles
news release.
Gutierrez worked for Zachry Industrial, a San Antonio-based
company, which was contracted by Ineos Nitriles, said Zachry Industrial
spokesman A.J. Rodriguez.
"We express our condolences to his family,"
Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez would not say how long Gutierrez worked for Zachry
Industrial or provide more information about circumstances that led to
Gutierrez's death.
In a news release, Ineos Nitriles officials said "It is
with great sadness that Ineos Nitriles confirms a contractor fatality at its Green
Lake site. ... Ineos Nitriles expresses its deepest condolences to the
deceased's family and commits to cooperating with any investigations concerning
the incident."
The company has contacted the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, said Ineos Nitriles spokesman Charles Saunders.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has
started investigating the death, agency spokeswoman Diana Petterson wrote in an
email Wednesday.