Quinton gas well drilling company knew rig was unsafe before blowout, fire that killed five, amended

Quinton gas well drilling company knew rig was unsafe before blowout, fire that killed five, amended lawsuit claims


A “cascade of errors and multiple departures from safe drilling practices” primed the gas well near Quinton for a blowout, with vital safety equipment known to be in disrepair that could have prevented the deaths of five workers, according to a recent court filing.

More than 1,000 alarms allegedly were triggered on the rig during a 10-hour period in January, with nearly 100 of them indicating a problem with control of the well. But the alarms purportedly had been disabled, and no one heard them.

A lawsuit, amended for a second time Dec. 4, alleges that the drilling company didn’t act upon its own documents that indicated a crucial safety device to close the well in an emergency was in “severe disrepair.”

Two related lawsuits were updated in October, centering on accusations that the well operator disregarded “proven and successful” drilling programs in favor of a more lucrative but risky plan.

Read more: https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/courts/quinton-gas-well-drilling-company-knew-rig-was-unsafe-before/article_6e30897c-eecb-5d2c-b46f-98d741f9d529.html