2nd Wrongful Death Claim Filed Over Fatal Explosion

A second wrongful death claim has been filed in the wake of the explosion last year that killed two Rocketdyne physicists at the company’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory west of Chatsworth.

The lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court seeks unspecified damages from Rocketdyne and five other defendants for the death of Larry Pugh, 51, who died along with Otto K. Heiney in the blast July 26, 1994.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Pugh’s widow, Antoinette J. Pugh, and two children, also names Rocketdyne’s corporate parent, Rockwell International; Rockwell CEO Donald R. Beall; Rocketdyne President Paul B. Smith, and J. F. Weber, former manager of energetic chemistry and propellants at Rocketdyne.

The suit also named Hercules Inc., which allegedly produced the nitrocellulose in the chemical mixture that exploded.

Rockwell headquarters is in Seal Beach, allowing lawyers for the Pughs to file in Orange County.

The complaint is nearly identical to one filed Tuesday by the Heiney family in federal district court in Los Angeles.

Rocketdyne officials had said the fatal blast occurred during a research experiment, but the lawsuits contend that the men perished as a result of an illegal hazardous waste disposal operation.

That allegation also is at the heart of a criminal probe made public two weeks ago when investigators from the FBI and other agencies served a search warrant and seized documents at Rocketdyne headquarters in Canoga Park.

Rocketdyne officials have declined comment on the criminal probe, and federal authorities would not discuss when or whether charges will be filed.

Rocketdyne spokesman Paul Sewell Wednesday called the fatal explosion “a tragedy for everyone at Rocketdyne,” but said company officials have not seen the Pugh lawsuit. Hercules officials could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this year, state job safety officials sought more than $200,000 in penalties against Rocketdyne for alleged violations of explosive safety rules. The company has appealed.