Sons of Man Who Died at Sewage Plant Sue West Palm Beach

The sons of a water treatment plant worker are suing the city of West Palm Beach after their father drowned in sewage.

The lawsuit filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court on Monday seeks unspecified damages of more than $15,000 for the death of 48-year-old Herminio Padilla Jr.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Palm Beach County, Lake Worth, Riviera Beach and Palm Beach, which participate in running the East Central Regional Water Reclamation Facility where Padilla died Jan. 17.

Padilla was reported missing and plant operators spent hours draining the tank and underground pipes before they found his body. It wasn't clear how he fell into the tank.

The Palm Beach Post reports the lawsuit claims the city had multiple warnings the plant's walkways were in dangerous disrepair.