Rig accidents fatal to Logansport man; another injured

By Vickie Welborn • vwelborn@gannett.com • September 14, 2009

MANSFIELD — Two natural gas rig accidents in less than 12 hours in DeSoto Parish have left one man dead and another seriously injured, authorities said.
The fatality occurred around 6 a.m. today at a rig site on Hall Road in Logansport. Bobby Dickerson, 60, died at the scene when a piece of pipe being pulled from the ground kicked back and crushed him against a guardrail before knocking him about 20 to 25 feet to the ground, DeSoto sheriff’s Cpl. Adam Ewing said.

“The pipe jammed under a piece of iron and they just kept pulling and it started to bend. Before they realized it, it came loose … and kicked back,” Ewing said.

A similar scenario played out at a Trinidad rig Sunday night on Paradise Road northeast of Mansfield, leaving an unidentified man with a serious head injury. Around 7:30 p.m., workers were pulling pipe when another piece of the pipe “got jammed for a second and when it came loose it came up and hit the guy in the forehead,” DeSoto sheriff’s patrol Sgt. Falik Webster said.
The injury left the man unconscious at the scene. Life Air was unable to fly because of the weather, so DeSoto EMS took him to LSU Hospital in Shreveport.


Webster said he did not get the hurt man’s name, but he checked on him later Sunday night and learned he was in critical condition.


The fatality is the second to occur in the parish since the Haynesville Shale natural gas exploration began last year. Several other injuries have been reported.

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Very dangerous jobs, everyone Keep these men and their families in your prayers. I sometimes think drilling companies need to slow down just a bit. But they are at the mercy of the E&P guys.
Very sad news to hear.
It is sad to hear bad news like this, but I disagree with Jay, while accidents do happen, the concentration of rigs is not the problem. Its just simple odds. The odds are the same, its just there are so many more people here working, and the news coverage is better.
It is dangerous work and my prayers go out to those families also. But I know of an experienced driller who has rode the ups and downs of the oil field since the 80s and is now sitting at the house because a Canadian company bought out the company he worked for. Traveled hours to work, lived away from home, and now that they're practically drilling in the back yard, he's laid off.
There are a lot of tool pushers working as roughnecks now. If we don't see a better regulatory environment and higher prices it will only get worse.
Well thanks -- you go Electro! I understand there's a couple of Canadian drilling companies in the area. I sure would hate to see workers crossing our northern border do to the oilfield what workers from across our southern border have done to the construction industry ;>)
At least canadians speak English.
I have no proof, but I think CHk has an interest in Trinidad as well.
My prayers go out for the family...

This is a very dangerous occupation...
I get whizzed up when I'm working with 300-900# gas. And our equipment is like Tinker toys compared to rig work. May God bless and keep these workers safe.
The potential for injuries in the oil and gas fields are too numerous to name...high line pressure, falls, hit by falling objects, explosions, slips, trips and falls...even when on break you have to be aware of your surroundings and what could occur.

I applied for a safety job for one of Encana's subs a few weeks ago...
There is no telling how many accidents occour annually is this line of work. My son in law had is primary hand crushed on a rig drilling in the sligo field last fall.

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