Eagle Ford Shale Brings Injuries and Potential for New Wealth
The Eagle Ford shale is arguably the most important economic variable in South Texas. However, worker safety may be compromised in the pursuit of profits. Learn more about potential accidents and what injured workers are entitled to after an accident.

February 04, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Eagle Ford Shale Brings Injuries and Potential for New Wealth

The Eagle Ford Shale that stretches across South Central Texas has been a boom to some and a nightmare to others. The Eagle Ford Shale spans an area from Karnes City, Texas in Wilson County down highway 181 to Kenedy, Texas in Karnes County; as well as across highway 72 through Three Rivers, Texas and Beeville, Texas as well as the surrounding areas. It is arguably the most abundant pocket of untapped oil and natural gas in the U.S., and scores of oil companies are sending equipment and workers to cash in. Much of this is due to hydraulic fracturing, also known as "hydro-fracking". Through this process, mining companies are now able to tap resources previously inaccessible through traditional methods.

2011 may have been a down year for the national economy, but in Karnes County, business is booming. Hotels, restaurants, and mobile home parks have sprung up overnight. The roads and highways are congested and some are crumbling under the weight of the 18 wheelers that now crowd the once quiet countryside. To the landowners that have now received thousands if not millions of dollars the inconvenience of the traffic and lines at the local establishments are a small price to pay for their new wealth. However, to those who were not fortunate enough to be business owners or land owners the change in their lifestyle is often distressing.

Analysts believe that Eagle Ford has huge economic potential, even though drilling is in its early stages. The Texas Railroad Commission reports that drilling permits have skyrocketed in the last two years, from 94 in 2009 to more than 1,200 in 2010.

This means that jobs are plentiful for entry level workers and truck drivers. According to a report by the Houston Chronicle, roustabouts (entry-level drilling workers) can make $12 to $17 an hour, and truck drivers can earn $13 to $18 an hour. While the drilling rush has created jobs and new wealth in an economically depressed region, a number of serious accidents have occurred.

There are three common locations or causes of injuries in the area of the Eagle Ford Shale. The most common injuries are car accidents and trucking accidents. Because of the dramatic increase in traffic on roads that were never intended to carry the volume of traffic now seen in Kenedy, Karnes Three Rivers and other cities in South Central Texas, there is a need for all drivers to be extra careful.

Also, many of the truckers are new hires with very limited experience driving the big rigs used by the oil and gas companies. Another source of serious injuries is in the laying and burying of the gas lines. The oil and gas workers responsible for site preparation as well as the laying of the gas lines are always subject to being injured by someone else's negligence. Finally, workers on the drilling rigs often work long hours in blazing sun with tons of equipment and materials being moved around as quickly as possible. There is also the risk of fires and explosions that can happen if safety protocols are not followed.

In September, two workers were injured in an oil rig explosion. More than 40 barrels of hot oil were being transferred from a truck into a well as part of a pipeline cleaning process. The backflow set the truck (which was carrying the oil as well as two propane tanks) on fire and ignited the explosion. The driver and another worker suffered second and third-degree burns. Also in September, a worker was killed in a separate explosion on Santa Verta Ranch near Raymondville when a team was working on a well head that was leaking natural gas.

In addition to the potential for burns, workers are also at risk of suffering broken bones, crush injuries, and back injuries while working with heavy powerful drilling equipment.

While developing the Eagle Ford Shale may be South Texas' most important economic generator in the new decade, worker safety cannot be compromised. Companies that own oil rigs and conduct hydro-fracking operations have an obligation to maintain safe working conditions.

If you have been injured in an oil or gas rig accident, an attorney can advise you on how to obtain workers' compensation benefits, or if a personal injury lawsuit would be appropriate.

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