Oklahoma Oil Rig Explosion Wrongful Death Trial Underway

The wrongful death trial against an oilfield equipment contractor in connection with an explosion and fire last year that killed five men in southeastern Oklahoma began in mid-January.

Attorneys for the families of Parker Waldridge of Crescent; Matt Smith of McAlester; Roger Cunningham from Seminole; Josh Ray of Fort Worth, Texas; and Cody Risk of Wellington, Colorado, said in opening statements on Jan. 14 that National Oilwell Varco is primarily to blame for the men’s deaths when the rig exploded in Quinton, which is about 125 miles east of Oklahoma City.

The attorneys for the families say NOV was primarily responsible because it failed to provide proper oversight of the operation and now “refuses any responsibility for this incident.”

Houston-based NOV argues that another company working at the site, Red Mountain Operating, LLC, was at fault and that the company’s employee on site had no responsibilities at the time of the fire and explosion.

The families have reached settlements with Red Mountain Operating; Red Mountain Energy LLC; Patterson-UTI Drilling Company LLC; Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.

The Jan. 22, 2018, explosion was the deadliest drilling accident since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, killing 11 people.