The pregnant widow of an electrician killed when a chemical storage tank failed at a Longview pulp mill has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging the company
The pregnant widow of an electrician killed when a chemical storage tank failed at a Longview pulp mill has filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging the company kept the corroded tank in service despite repeated warnings it was likely to fail.
Mackenzie Ammons filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Cowlitz County Superior Court against Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company LLC.
The company operates the mill where 11 workers died May 26 after a tank holding white liquor collapsed.
Her husband, Jared Ammons, had gone to work early that morning so he could leave in time for an ultrasound appointment, which would have been the couple’s first chance to see their unborn child. Mackenzie Ammons, who is due in December, said her husband kissed her goodbye before making the five-minute drive to the mill. He never returned home.
"We had found out the week before that I was pregnant," Mackenzie said. "He was excited to see his baby for the first time."
The lawsuit alleges that a large tank suffered a catastrophic failure and released roughly 900,000 gallons of white liquor, a highly alkaline chemical solution used in paper production that can dissolve human skin, flesh and muscle upon contact.
The wave of caustic liquid crossed a courtyard and crashed into the electrical maintenance shop, where Ammons and seven coworkers were inside, the lawsuit said. It alleges the chemical blasted through walls, doors and windows with such force that the workers had no time to escape.
Eight workers in the electrical maintenance shop were killed. Two workers in a mechanical maintenance shop and another worker in the courtyard also died. Two employees who managed to escape still suffered serious chemical burns.
"It's been very hard to try to grieve while also being pregnant. It adds a lot of extra emotions to everything," Mackenzie said.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Simeon Osborn of Osborn Machler & Neff, alleges Nippon Dynawave had been warned three times between July 2025 and February 2026 that the tank’s steel walls had been severely corroded and had fallen below the minimum safe thickness.
Applied Technical Services, the inspection contractor, told the company the tank was “not fit for continued service” unless it was repaired. The contractor warned of a high likelihood of failure, according to the complaint.
Despite those warnings, the lawsuit alleges, the company did not take the tank out of service, repair it, reduce its use, or warn workers of the danger.
"This was not an accident. This was going to happen. They had three different warnings from three different sources, with all of those warnings saying this tank is not fit for service," Osborn said. "They didn't fix it because it cost a lot of money, and it was profits over people. Those 11 people that went to work that day paid for Nippon's greed with their lives."
The disaster remains under investigation by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries.
Nippon Dynawave said it could not comment on the allegations because of the active litigation.
“We are aware of the complaint filed,” the company said in a written statement to KOMO News. “NDP remains committed to approaching this difficult time with compassion and respect for those affected and for the Longview community.”
The lawsuit does not specify a dollar amount in damages. Ammons is seeking general damages to be proven at trial, attorney fees, and other relief the court finds appropriate.
"It makes me sad and mad because it was preventable," Mackenzie said. "My husband should still be here if they had fixed what needed to be fixed, and Jared would still be here and be able to see his baby be born and watch the other kids grow up."
