The wife of a Weston man killed in fatal crash in Monongalia County is suing for wrongful death. This woman’s husband was killed last July when he and a coworker were ejected from their vehicle. Now his widow is suing her husband’s employer, Nabors Well Services for negligence and wrongful death.
She said Nabors knew her husband and coworker had worked more than 30 hours in a 48-hour span. The wife of the deceased is also is suing the driver of the vehicle for negligence causing wrongful death. The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries. Federal laws regulate how many miles a truck driver can travel per day, per week and on consecutive days. All too often, however, truck drivers push these limits to increase profits or because they are pressured by their employers.
The Nabors companies own and operate approximately 521 land drilling and approximately 607 land workover and well-servicing rigs in North America. Nabors Industries is an oilfield service company involved in every phase of oil and gas drilling and production. Nabors advertises that they promote safety in the workplace and full compliance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which it operates.
Gas Well Drilling Operations are riddled with risks to Workers:
Oil and gas workers face many risks inherent to their job which may include: explosions, workplace injuries, truck accidents, serious and catastrophic injuries, exposure to hazardous chemicals, industrial accidents involving heavy tools and complex equipment, contaminated air and water, hazardous driving conditions, fires, burns, malfunctioning equipment, and safety violations. Driving to and from the drilling site has become a major risk factor: one-third of all serious accidents and fatalities linked to fracking occur from trucking accidents.
Giving the many dangers, some of which may be unmanageable by these companies, the greatest attention needs to be giving to ensuring that safety regulations are consistently followed to maximize safety for their employees.
Hazards of Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving (driving 30 hours in 48 definitely qualifies) is a known hazard and is preventable. We all know how dangerous driving under the influence or texting while driving is, but driving while drowsy can be equally dangerous. Sleepiness can cause slower reaction times, blurred vision, lapses in judgment, and delays in processing information.
No employee should be put in a position of driving with such sleep deprivation which causes his reaction ability to be about equal with a person who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Individual people are irreplaceable to their families and loved ones, but the rest of the family will need to attempt to build a new life without the love and financial support of this accident victim. This wife was correct in filing a wrongful death suit. Companies must be held accountable for maintaining as safe as possible work environments for their employees and should be heavily penalized when they don’t.
Submitted by the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC, West Virginia Injury Lawyers. Free books for WV accident victims — Call us today: 304-594-1800 for your free copy of Righting the Wrong: WV Serious Injury Guide; Collision Care: WV Auto Injury Guide; or Beside Still Waters: WV Fatal Injury Guide for Families. We are glad to answer your questions.