BEAUMONT, Texas — A 66-year-old Beaumont man has died in what is being described as “a railcar accident” at an ExxonMobil plant in Beaumont on Friday.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said it has ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death for Richard Garza, a contractor at the plant. No other information on the nature of the accident has been reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Railroad Administration, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
Reuters reports the accident at the lube oil Blending & Packaging Plant adjacent to the ExxonMobil Beaumont refinery occured shortly after midnight on Friday morning. The plant was shut down as a result but was scheduled to resume operation Friday night.
ExxonMobil says it operates four integrated facilities over 2,770 acres in Beaumont, with a workforce of 2,255 employees and 4,109 contractors as of January 2021. The facility there dates to 1903.
Sad indeed, 66 years old and didn’t make it to retirement.