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Oklahoma Man Seriously Injured in Oil Field Accident

An Oklahoma man suffered serious injuries on the job last week when he was crushed by a platform at an oil well site in Stephens County. According to authorities, Micky Pruitt of Velma, Oklahoma, sustained “multiple-system trauma” in the oil field accident – which occurred on the afternoon of February 19 – and officials are …

An Oklahoma man suffered serious injuries on the job last week when he was crushed by a platform at an oil well site in Stephens County. According to authorities, Micky Pruitt of Velma, Oklahoma, sustained “multiple-system trauma” in the oil field accident – which occurred on the afternoon of February 19 – and officials are attributing the incident to the dangerous nature of the oil industry. Following the accident, Pruitt was airlifted to OU Medical Center, where he is currently in stable condition. If you have suffered serious on-the-job injuries in Oklahoma City, or elsewhere in Oklahoma, consult our knowledgeable attorneys at Oklahoma Legal Center for legal help. With our lawyers on your side, you can ensure that your legal rights are protected and pursue the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve for your workplace injuries.

Defective Equipment Crushed Oil Worker

According to Sheriff Wayne McKinney, Pruitt was crushed by a work-over platform, which is a device that is lowered onto an existing well in need of repair. The sheriff reported the following, “Either a chain or a cable or a something failed and the piece of the rig fell down on him and trapped him under it between the heavy piece of steel and the ground. My guys are saying it weighed somewhere between 500 and 800 pounds, so it pretty much crushed him.” It took four of McKinney’s men to lift the platform off of Pruitt, and although they worked as fast as they could, the massive weight of the machinery meant the worker’s injuries were immediately devastating.

Dangers of the Oil and Gas Industry

The Oklahoma oil field accident will be investigated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency charged with establishing and enforcing standards for workplace safety and education. In its 2012 report concerning the deadliest jobs in America, the U.S. Department of Labor ranked the oil and gas industry number one, with 14 fatalities in drilling and support operations for oil and gas wells in 2011. “It’s a dangerous job,” said McKinney. “Working with the type of equipment they do and around the stuff they work and accidents do happen and a lot of times they’re very extremely severe.”

Contact Our Attorneys Today for Legal Help

The oil and gas industry is inherently dangerous, and oil workers put their lives at risk on a daily basis just by showing up to work. Unfortunately, when adequate safety measures aren’t implemented by oil industry employers, or when heavy machinery or equipment isn’t properly manufactured or maintained, oil workers are the ones who typically pay the price. In fact, in January 2013, OSHA called for a voluntary “stand down” for all oil and gas employers in Oklahoma and four other states, in an effort to draw attention to potentially life-threatening risks on the job site. If you have been injured in a workplace accident in Oklahoma, or if you lost a loved one in a fatal on-the-job accident, contact our reputable lawyers at Oklahoma Legal Center today. Our attorneys have experience protecting the rights of injured workers throughout the state, and will work diligently to help you seek fair and timely reimbursement for your losses.

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