O2 tank explosion

[cruiser]

I don't know, I am late to the thread. I'll back out for you.



With the seeming question of could it have a faulty tank and conjecture of how it could have "exploded," I simply stated my opinion. We tend to try to find a blame for things that happen. Usually when a catastrophic accident occurs, people look for specific reasons. There were still questions about how. Sometimes things just happen. Pardon me. Carry on.

No need to back out of the thread, Zen. I asked because I honestly didn't know. I'm following the thread for updates and thought your post may have been an update

 

[myscubastory.com]

yea looks v bad!


Regards,

 

[sharksdelight]

While I understand everyone's concerns regarding the cause of this horrible accident as it may be something to learn from and it may not be, the real concern is for the health and recovery of Rick Allen and his wife, Cindy.
Rick will be in the hospital for another couple of months and many of his friends back in N.Carolina will be there to help and be supportive. Their home and vehicles were also severely damaged.
It has occurred to me that maybe there are those of you who might be willing to donate something, anything, to helping them get back on their feet. No mention or request for this has come from Cindy, who is coping as well as she can while Rick remains under heavy sedation ,but I would be more than willing to oversee any donations made to them.
Being 3,000 miles away in San Diego, I can't, as some have already done, go to their home to help clear away the debris, but this is something I can do. If anyone would be willing to send them donations please make the checks out to World Films & Travel and in the memo line at the bottom, write Rick and Cindy Allen. My address is: 5260 Mary Fellows Ave, La Mesa, Ca. 91942 If any people deserve this help, it is Rick and Cindy so I hope this idea flies with all of you.
Steve

 

[Black Jack]

Hey Steve,

They also have the ability to accept donations on the get well site. Here is the link:

Get Well Rick

Just click on the big purple button and it goes through PayPal. Rick owned his company (Nautilus Productions) so his injury is especially difficult from a financial perspective.

Regards,

Ed

 

[sharksdelight]

You can also make donations via Paypal? That's great! So folks, whatever works for you, please donate anything you can, any way you want to.

Paypal takes a commission, I don't.

 

[alibi 2]

I won't ask any questions or wonder any what ifs like others,,,i will only offer this..thank God all are alive and doing well..His reaction at a time of shock and pain was truely heroic..

 

[cruiser]

While I understand everyone's concerns regarding the cause of this horrible accident as it may be something to learn from and it may not be, the real concern is for the health and recovery of Rick Allen and his wife, Cindy.
Rick will be in the hospital for another couple of months and many of his friends back in N.Carolina will be there to help and be supportive. Their home and vehicles were also severely damaged.
It has occurred to me that maybe there are those of you who might be willing to donate something, anything, to helping them get back on their feet. No mention or request for this has come from Cindy, who is coping as well as she can while Rick remains under heavy sedation ,but I would be more than willing to oversee any donations made to them.
Being 3,000 miles away in San Diego, I can't, as some have already done, go to their home to help clear away the debris, but this is something I can do. If anyone would be willing to send them donations please make the checks out to World Films & Travel and in the memo line at the bottom, write Rick and Cindy Allen. My address is: 5260 Mary Fellows Ave, La Mesa, Ca. 91942 If any people deserve this help, it is Rick and Cindy so I hope this idea flies with all of you.
Steve

Speaking of financial matters, does anyone know if they have homeowners and/or health insurance? I realize insurance doesn't take care of everything, there are deductibles, and it can take awhile to receive payment, but it would be somewhat of a relief to know they had coverage for a portion of the expenses.

 

[Black Jack]

Hi Cruiser,

Yes they have insurance but as we all know we don't truely get to know how good our insurance is until we get to use it. The bigger issue is that Rick is the owner of his video business and as such is essentially self employed. He will be in the hospital for several months and going through rehabilitation for a lot longer so that's why folks set up a donation fund. I'm just grateful that it's not a memorial fund!

As an update for the investigation, the investigators are bringing in experts now to try and reconstruct how the accident happened.

Ed

 

[sharksdelight]

I have received a few PMs from fellow divers saying they would be sending me donations to forward to Rick and Cindy. I want to thank them and anyone else who might be so inclined as to help out.
Steve

 

[charlesml3]

Oxygen does not explode, it is an ignitor.

Incorrect. There are three things required to support combustion:

1) Fuel
2) Oxygen
3) Ignition source

In the presence of 100% O2, damn near anything will suffice as a fuel.

In this particular case, we have both a fire and an explosion and precious few details as to which came first and how it happened. If the tank fell and cracked the valve then we have a free flow of 100% O2 in an enclosed space with plenty of fuel sources. Next we need a source of ignition. Someone suggested the pilot light on the water heater. That's plausible, but it seems unlikely.

O2 doesn't burn. It supports combustion. It's the fuel that burns. If the O2 reached the water heater, it's just going to make the LP in the water heater burn more efficiently. It's not going to "ignite the O2 and blow up the garage."

It's the explosion here that I really can't understand. All we can do here is speculate until more details come forward.

-Charles