QUAKER CITY, IA — One person was hurt in an explosion in Quaker City, Iowa on Friday, October 24th, 2014. The article from The Coshocton Tribune said that the accident happened at 11:41 on Friday night.
Police said one person sustained burns when an explosion happened at an oil fracking site located outside Quaker city. The report said that the site is operated by Eclipse Resources. It is not clear what caused the explosion.
The worker was taken by EMS to Akron Children’s Hospital where he was being treated for burns.
The investigation is ongoing.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
With this accident, the thing I’m most curious about is how many different companies and contractors were working at the site. What significance do these questions hold? Well, if it was only one company operating at the site, then this would probably be just a work accident, and workers’ compensation may be the only solution. However, rarely do oil, gas and fracking sites operate without contractors and subcontracting companies. If one of these companies happened to cause the explosion, and the victim was working for another company, this would may not be as simple as a work accident. This would be a regular negligence claim against a company, and the victim would be no different than if he were hurt by a companies actions while walking down the street. The main difference? Workers’ compensation strips employees of their ability to sue in exchange for a quick no-fight benefits package. The problem being, companies know that employees cannot fight for more compensation, so they’re usually very low ball figures. If another company caused this accident, then the victim would have all these rights restored.
— Grossman Law Offices