Industrial Disasters

Tennessee officials have cited Accurate Energetic Systems — a contractor that produces munitions for the Department of Defense — after a blast at its Tennessee plant that killed 16 workers. State inspectors and subsequent reporting identified numerous safety violations at the facility; plaintiffs and some local reports have gone further, alleging as many as 100 violations, including roughly 32 characterized as serious. Families of victims have moved quickly to sue, seeking about $150 million in damages and filing wrongful-death actions on behalf of victims, including a suit brought for a young daughter. Attorneys involved in the litigation and local commentators say the investigative findings point to egregious safety errors and management failures that contributed to the catastrophe.