A wrongful death lawsuit filed in Adams County earlier this month alleges Kurtis Williams — a contract worker from Texas — died after breathing toxic fumes at the Commerce City refinery owned by Suncor Energy last year.
The case comes as Suncor faces continued scrutiny for its poor workplace safety record. The allegations have also led local climate groups to call for regulators to close the refinery due to repeated air quality violations.
On Tuesday, Cultivando, a local environmental justice group, held a press conference outside the state health department, demanding officials revoke the facility’s operating permit pending a full investigation into Williams’ death.
“This is about real lives,” said Guadalupe Solis, the director of environmental justice programs for Cultivando. “Suncor has poisoned the air we breathe and jeopardized the health of our children, and now, with the death of Kurtis Williams, they have shown that even the lives of their own workers are expendable.”
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred after a deep cold snap in late 2022, which triggered equipment malfunctions and closed the facility for nearly three months. Williams, a 32-year-old working for industrial cleaning company HPC Industries, was sent to assist Suncor as it restarted operations.
Suncor alerted the surrounding community of a vapor release at the refinery on February 21, 2023, but the company said the leak was contained within hours and caused no injuries. The lawsuit, however, alleges Williams was ordered to respond to the incident even though it was outside the scope of his work contract.
The lawsuit claims Williams inhaled dangerous vapors in the process, including hydrogen sulfide, a highly toxic gas common at oil refineries. It further alleges he underwent a health screening for respiratory distress afterward, but supervisors ordered him back to work.
“Mr. Williams was found deceased, alone, in his hotel room by his co-workers on or about February 28, 2023,” the lawsuit states. “Neither Suncor nor HPC initially informed the authorities that Mr. Williams had been exposed to toxins.”
An autopsy later revealed toxicology results consistent with hydrogen sulfide exposure, according to the lawsuit.
If Williams died due to an accident at the refinery, it could renew concerns about the company’s ability to protect workers. After a string of 12 deaths at Suncor’s Canadian facilities between 2014 and 2022, investors demanded the highly profitable company overhaul its board and management structure. U.S. regulators also fined the company after a fire triggered by the cold snap in late 2022 injured two workers at the Colorado refinery.
The company later hired a new CEO, who has claimed that 2023 was Suncor’s best year ever for worker safety.
The case was filed on behalf of Williams’ family to demand unspecified damages from Suncor Energy and HPC. It also seeks restitution from Honeywell — the manufacturer of an air quality monitor Williams allegedly wore at the time — and United Rentals — the company providing the equipment. The suit claims the device failed to alert Williams. None of the companies responded to a request for comment from CPR News.
Initial attempts to contact Williams's family were also unsuccessful. The environmental activists behind the event on Tuesday acknowledged they did not speak to any of his relatives before organizing the demonstration.
An obituary published in 2023 reveals Williams left behind a young daughter and was especially close to his mother, who he’d talk to for hours even when work took him far from Texas.
He also loved to cook and often posted his dishes on social media.
- Two Suncor employees were burned in a flash fire at the Commerce City refinery. That incident and others are raising questions about worker safety
- Suncor has shut down Colorado’s only refinery. That’s raising concerns about air quality and higher gas prices
- Suncor repeatedly broke federal air pollution rules at Commerce City refinery, environmental groups allege in new lawsuit
