In Lexington, NC tragedy, welder won't be charged in fatal explosion

According to the Lexington Dispatch, charges won't be filed against the welder whose work on an underground storage tank caused an explosion that killed a man.

John Clark, 41, was called in May to provide an estimate on the cost to remove pipes from an underground storage tank in the parking lot of Gary's Lounge on U.S. 17, where a gas station had been in the 1970s. Clark showed up at the bar on May 20, but he wasn't hired.

He was supposed to return May 22 to speak with lounge owner Rich Hinman, but Clark went out to the pipes in the parking lot to check out the potential work site. Clark then started welding, which caused an explosion that launched large chunks of asphalt into the air. One of the large pieces fell onto the roof of a car in heavy rush hour traffic, killing the driver, Junius Stith, 52, and seriously injuring a female passenger.

It's a dangerous profession -- to welders and to others -- as this story shows. Be careful what you weld, and when.