Chesapeake Energy, others sued for $1 mln in fatal Texas oil-well blast (updated)

Forbes Energy Services

05/02/2020 22:39

(Adds comment from Forbes Energy Services)
    By Liz Hampton
    Feb 5 (Reuters) - Chesapeake Energy Corp  CHK.N  and three
oilfield service firms were sued by the daughter of a worker who
suffered fatal injuries when a Texas oil well exploded in flames
last month.
    The wrongful death suit seeks at least $1 million from
Chesapeake Energy, Forbes Energy Services, Eagle Pressure
Control and Halliburton Co  HAL.N . It was filed this week in
Harris County District Court by Madison Hendrix, whose father,
Brad Hendrix, died in a hospital days after the blast.  
    Hendrix alleged that Chesapeake, the well owner, and the
oilfield service companies were negligent, failed to provide a
safe work environment or adequate medical care to the workers.
    Chesapeake declined to comment and Eagle Pressure Control
did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Forbes
Energy Services said it was "beyond saddened that three
fatalities have been confirmed" and offered its "deepest
sympathy and condolences" to families affected by the incident.
    Attorneys representing Hendrix did not respond to a request
for comment. 
    Halliburton said it was not performing any services on the
rig when the well-control incident occurred. Its well-control
unit, Boots & Coots, was hired to handle the post-incident well
intervention work, a spokeswoman for the company said. 
    Brad Hendrix was a well-intervention technical adviser at
Eagle Pressure Control, according to his LinkedIn profile. He
was one of three workers fatally injured in the Jan. 29
explosion near Deanville, Texas. 
    A second Eagle Pressure Control employee, Windell
Beddingfield, died on the day of the accident, according to an
attorney for the family. His mother last week sought a temporary
restraining order against Chesapeake to require it to preserve
evidence from the blast.
    A third victim, identified by local media as Brian Maldonado
of San Diego, Texas, died in a hospital over the weekend. A
fourth worker was airlifted to a hospital and has not been
identified. 
    The companies and local officials have not officially
released the names of victims from the incident. 
    Employees of Chesapeake, Eagle Pressure Control and Forbes
Energy Services were on the site when natural gas leaked from a
well during a workover operation and exploded near Deanville,
about 75 miles (120 km) east off Austin. 
    WildHorse Resource Development Corp, which Chesapeake
acquired last year, also was named in the lawsuit. 
    
 

 (Reporting by Liz Hampton in Houston; 
Editing by Matthew Lewis and Peter Cooney)
 ((Liz.Hampton@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8522; Reuters
Messaging: Reuters Messaging: liz.hampton.reuters@reuters.net))