Update [November 17, 2014]: One of the workers in this accident, 50-year old Roel Rodriguez, has died from his injuries. Authorities said that he died at a San Antonio hospital on Saturday, November 8.
La Salle, Texas — In South Texas, north of Laredo, there was a major oilfield accident in the small city of Cotulla. Authorities have confirmed that 5 workers were badly injured after a fire broke out at an oil rig owned by Pioneer Natural Resources last Friday, October 24, 2014.
This happened at about 6;45 p.m. last Friday evening, at a work over rig near Tilden. The workers were at the rig when a fire suddenly broke out and started to burn. Five of the workers were badly injured and required a medical helicopter to take them to a San Antonio hospital for treatment.
The workers were contracted by Pioneer Natural Resources, but it’s not clear who their specific company was. Back in 2008, Pioneer was fined for another fire that killed one of their employees. Allegedly, Pioneer Natural Resources was fined only $7,000.
This is still under investigation. So far, Pioneer has only released a statement expressing their condolences and to emphasize their concern for workplace safety.
Cotulla, TX
Commentary:
I don’t know exactly how this fire started, but I can tell you that any kind of flammable hazard on an oil rig is a major concern. A lot of accidents on rigs happen because someone wasn’t paying attention and puts their hand, foot, etc in the wrong place at the wrong time. I knew a young worker on a rig who injured his thumb because he was asked to work in a separate area of the rig – but didn’t have any training for it. As a result, his hands were in the wrong place when someone swung a pipe wrench, and he paid the price.
Now, let’s talk about this from a legal standpoint. In Texas, employers like Pioneer Natural Resources (and whoever they’ve contracted) have what’s called “workers’ compensation benefits.” I won’t get into all the specifics here, but it’s designed to take care of medical bills, lost wages, etc for injured workers when accidents like this one happen.
The downsides to workers’ comp benefits are 1) it’s really more of a bare-bones package than a comprehensive benefit system and 2) it strips away the injured workers’ rights to sue their employer. That’s right, instead of holding your employer accountable for their mistakes and wrongdoings, you have to rely on a benefits system that’s designed to protect the company, not the worker.
Fortunately, Texas has an exception to the rule. When an employer is “grossly” negligent, they can still be sued under certain circumstances. Gross negligence is a legal term for willful or wanton negligence that shocks the senses. Like I said earlier, I don’t know how this accident started or how the fire ignited. But I do know this: it’s always beneficial to have an investigation done to make sure that all avenues of legal recourse are exhausted. If you simply rely on your workers’ comp benefits (especially for something as serious as burn injuries, where the effects can be long-lasting), you’re not doing yourself any favors and you’re ultimately relying on the generosity of a system stacked against you.
— Grossman Law Offices
