Colleyville, Tex. — Colleyville police and fire responders evacuated nearby businesses and cut off access to the area after a forklift operator was injured in a sulfuric acid spill Wednesday, June 13, while trying to move a tank containing 220 gallons. The injured man was taken to Baylor Regional Medical Center with chemical burns on his extremities. Information on his condition was not available from hospital personnel, but one of the responders said he heard the man was in stable condition shortly afterwards and that his injuries were not life-threatening. “Apparently he broke the valve off the bottom of the tank while trying to slide it or lift it,” reported Colleyville Fire Marshal Rob McKeown. He said as far as he could tell there was only one sulfuric acid tank involved, but there were a lot of other containers in the warehouse area that apparently held different types of chemicals. He said none of these was damaged. Officer Raymon Cannon, public information specialist for the Colleyville police department, told Green Markets the acid made its way down the driveway into the street and storm drain, but responders were able to stop the chemical from flowing into the storm system by using absorbent material and barriers. “Had it rained recently it would have been a different story,” Cannon added. He described the building as being used in front as an office area and in the back as a warehouse.
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