Settlement for Oilfield Worker Severely Burned During Pipeline Cleaning Explosion

On August 19th, 2013, Jerry Justice was working as a vacuum truck driver and sent to remote location outside of Meeteetse, Wyoming, to assist Saga Petroleum in evacuating natural gas liquids from a pipeline. On the day he was injured, Saga Petroleum was running a “pig” through the natural gas pipeline when the pig became lodged at a valve junction. Due to inadequate planning, improper equipment and unsafe actions at the worksite, the job site filled with volatile gas vapors. The natural gas vapors ignited engulfing the worksite in a fireball, which severely burned Jerry Justice. Jerry suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his hands, arms, head and neck. He also suffered severe emotional trauma and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of the explosion. Grant Lawson and The Spence Law Firm represented Jerry and filed suit against defendants Saga Petroleum and Bower Petroleum in the Fifth Judicial District Court for the District of Park County in September of 2014. After nearly two years of litigation, Mr. Justice’s case was successfully resolved prior to trial for a confidential amount.

Due to the dangerous nature of oil and gas operations, oil and gas operators and service companies have a responsibility to promote safety in the workplace. The failure to promote safety and enforce safety can lead to devastating results. The Spence Law Firm has a team of investigators and trial lawyers with decades of experience representing injured workers in serious burn injury cases. To learn more, contact us today.