Lafayette man dies in industrial accident at Belle Rose plant

ASSUMPTION PARISH, LA. (KLFY) -- A 60-year-old Lafayette man died and two others were injured Sunday afternoon during an industrial accident at a plant in Belle Rose. The incident occurred around 3:40 p.m. in Assumption Parish. The accident happened while workers were performing a pressure test on a brine well that was not in service. Paul Leblanc, director of the Assumption Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said a fitting failed during the test, causing a high-pressure hose to break loose and strike the crew. The Assumption Parish Coroner identified the man who died at the scene as 60-year-old Keith Foreman of Lafayette. The coroner's office stated that the official cause of death is pending an autopsy. Two other people sustained injuries when the hose broke loose, including one contractor and one plant employee. Emergency responders airlifted both individuals to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Their current conditions have not been released. Multiple agencies are now looking into the circumstances of the equipment failure. The Louisiana State Police Hazardous Materials Unit is investigating the accident and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been notified. Authorities said safety protocols will be reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation. Further details regarding the cause of death will be released following the completion of the autopsy. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.