An Essex County jury awarded $3.5 million on March 13 to the estates of two men who died after inhaling toxic fumes at a commercial laundry, in Diaz v. Northeast Linen Supply.
According to the suit, Carlos Diaz, a maintenance worker, and Victor Diaz, a truck driver, were employed at Northeast Linen Supply in Linden. In December 2007, they were instructed to remove debris from a 15,000-gallon wastewater holding tank. Inside, they encountered sludge containing sulfuric acid, bleach and other toxins. One of the workers went in first and became dizzy, prompting the other to go in to help him. The men had been in the tank for three hours when their bodies were discovered.
