Woods County, OK — Police have identified Charles Dobbs and Wayne Loebig as two men who were injured in an oilfield accident in Woods County, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. The accident took place at Felderhoff Rig 24, which is located on County Road 470 and operated by Felderhoff Drilling Company.
The accidnt took place at about 9:30 in the morning. Reports say that the two men were working with a forklift operator. They asked the man to lower a pipe he was moving. The strap holding the pipe in place slipped off, the pipe fell and struck both men in the head.
Both men suffered serious injuries and were taken to OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
The accident is being investigated, although it’s not clear if the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified of what’s happened.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Reports say that a strap holding the pipe involved in this accident in place slipped, causing the pipe to fall on the two victims. In any accident like this, really any accident that involves machinery or equipment, I’d check to make sure none of it was defective or had failed to work the way it was supposed to. If an accident is caused because of a defective piece of equipment, then it’s very possible that liability for the will ultimately fall on the manufacturer. Obviously, a little more investigation will be needed to see if that’s the case here. OSHA will undoubtedly be looking into this. However, their investigations routinely last for up to six months before they’re completed. With that in mind, an independent investigation may be the way to go.
— Grossman Law Offices
