An oil rig worker in South Texas died last week after falling approximately 50 feet from the top of an Xcel Energy-operated oil rig in Goliad County, Texas. The Goliad County Sheriff’s Office has identified 40-year-old Scotty O’Neal Stanley as the victim of the deadly Texas oil rig accident, which occurred when Stanley slipped and fell from near the top of the rig, striking his head on the rig’s superstructure and losing consciousness. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Texas oil rig accident or oil field accident, consult our qualified lawyers at Bandas Law Firm today. Our workers’ compensation attorneys have years of experience protecting the rights of injured workers and their families throughout Texas.
According to information provided by the Goliad County Sheriff’s Office, oil worker Scotty O’Neal Stanley was working near the top of a 50-foot-tall oil rig when he slipped and fell. Stanley’s co-workers heard his hard hat hit the ground, and when they looked up to see where it fell from, they saw the oil worker dangling from his safety harness. Authorities believe that when Stanley allegedly slipped and fell, he struck his head on the rig’s superstructure and was left unconscious, but the cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Another oil rig worker reportedly lowered Stanley to the base of the rig after his fall, but he had died by the time emergency personnel arrived on the scene of the workplace accident, at about 6:06 p.m. on February 9. “The victim had a visible injury to his forehead,” reported Goliad County Sgt. John Pape in the aftermath of the tragic oil rig accident; “however, an autopsy revealed this was not a fatal injury.” Officials are reportedly waiting on additional lab tests to determine the actual cause of Scotty O’Neal Stanley’s death.
The oil and gas industry is inherently dangerous, and the majority of oilfield and oil rig workers face a risk of serious injury or death on a daily basis. That risk is intensified, however, when the proper precautions aren’t taken to protect the safety and well-being of oil rig and oil field workers. Some of the most common causes of Texas oil rig accidents are heavy equipment failure, failure to use proper safeguards, lack of proper training, unsafe working conditions, and oil worker fatigue. Falls from heights, such as was the case in Scotty O’Neal Stanley’s accident, are some of the most common causes of workplace deaths in the oil and gas and other industries.
According to statistics from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workplace deaths have declined in Texas overall in recent years, but not in the oil industry, where an average of 39 workers are killed every year. If you have lost a loved one in a fatal on-the-job accident in Corpus Christi, or elsewhere in Texas, contact our knowledgeable attorneys at Bandas Law Firm today for legal help. Our law firm is located in Corpus Christi, and our workers’ compensation lawyers can help you pursue the financial compensation you and your family deserve for your losses.
Source: http://mysoutex.com/bookmark/26461123-Worker-dies-from-fall-on-Goliad-County-oil-rig
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