10:06am: Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval

Third victim in Barbour County explosion in fair condition

ARDEN, W.Va. — The third victim in last month’s fatal industrial explosion at a Barbour County tank odorant site is now listed in “fair” condition at Ruby Memorial Hospital.

Rex Bennett, 55, was the only person to survive an explosion that occurred while he, Midland Resources Recovery President Jan Strmen, and fellow employee Justin Marsh were working to decommission a tank.

Strmen, 72, was the Canadian owner of the company.

Marsh, 19, lived in Philippi and worked at the Rt. 119 site near Arden.

HealthNet flew Bennett to Ruby Memorial Hospital following the explosion late in the morning on May 24. He was out of surgery late that evening, according to the Barbour County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigations by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Barbour County Sheriff’s Department remain ongoing.





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