Grain Dust Explosion Case Offers 'Absurd' Challenge — and 'Extraordinary' Opportunity

Litigation attorney Dan Small authored an article for Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly detailing his unexpected involvement early in his career with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a month-long trial concerning the dangers of grain dust. He describes the hazardous nature of grain dust when suspended in the air, which can be more explosive than coal dust, a fact that played a pivotal role in the trial. Mr. Small also highlights the need for meticulously cleaning grain elevators to prevent dust-induced explosions and reflects on one such explosion in 1977 that claimed 36 lives and triggered his first significant case.

READ: Grain Dust Explosion Case Offers 'Absurd' Challenge — and 'Extraordinary' Opportunity