A Medley business owner faces manslaughter charges for an explosion that killed 2 men
Slipshod safety and unlicensed welding work at a Medley business led to the deaths of two customers in a February explosion, an arrest warrant affidavit says.
Those deaths account for the two counts of manslaughter on which Jean Paul Lauries-Martinez was booked into jail Wednesday morning. Lauries-Martinez, 42, owns Laurie’s Trailer Repair & General Welding, 11350 NW South River Dr., where an explosion the morning of Feb. 21 killed Elias Gross and Vincent Williams.
READ MORE: Two dead, two trauma-alert patients after an explosion and fire at a Miami-Dade business
The good friends and co-workers at Miami business Family Fuel brought a company tanker into Laurie’s around 8:30 that morning. Lauries told investigators Gross and Williams wanted a hole in the cargo tank repaired and two exhaust pipes put on the truck.
The affidavit from Miami-Dade Det. Danny Morales says Lauries told investigators he “smelled the liquid that was within the vehicle and determined it to be diesel fuel, rather than gasoline. Mr. Lauries stated that when he opened the gas valve, that he did not see any liquid come out of the valves, concluding that the tank was empty.”
But the affidavit also says there were four hazmat signs on the tank with “1203,” numbers for gasoline. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Arson Investigators collected samples, one from inside the tank and “one from liquid seeping from the valves.” The affidavit says testing by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives showed the samples “contained a heavy petroleum distillate, which is an ignitable liquid.”
Also, the affidavit says, the welder assigned the work, Ibo Fernandez, told investigators that Lauries didn’t vent or purge the tank before telling him to weld. Nor did Fernandez see Lauries confirm via testing what liquid was in the fuel tank.
Instead, Fernandez said, he was “told by his boss to begin welding and, after two or three points, the explosion occurred, resulting in the death of [Gross and Williams].”
Two days later, Fernandez told Morales, Lauries called him “to make sure that their statements were the same.” And, Fernandez said, “the statement Mr. Lauries wanted him to say to authorities was not an accurate one.”
But, Morales wrote, nobody at the yard should’ve been doing that welding work.
Federal regulations say any facility performing a repair or change of a cargo tank has to hold a National Board Certificate of Authorization “R” stamp. Lauries’ business doesn’t have that stamp.
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 2:59 PM.
