HEAD INJURIES ARE ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF WORKER DEATHS or injuries AT OILFIELD SITES: Texas-Man dies at Goliad County oil well site in Victoria, texas WHEN A PRY BAR STRIKES HIS HEAD
December 12th, 2014
A 46-year-old man died Thursday after a pry bar struck his head
at an oil well site in Goliad County, near Fannin.
Rogelio Ballez Duenez, of Rosharon, was found dead just after
5:30 p.m. at RBC Energy Services, 2235 Farm to Market Road 2987 (2235 FM 2987),
Victoria, Texas 77905, said Sgt. John Pape, an investigator with the Goliad
County Sheriff's Office.
RBC Energy Services, LLC, is a full service oil and gas waste
disposal company whose management has over 30 years of experience. They specialize in deep well injection of
“dirty” fluids and solids, such as drilling fluids, produced sand, tank sludge,
workover waste, drilled cuttings and other exempt non-hazardous oil and gas
waste regulated by The Railroad Commission of Texas. RBC maintains its unloading, tank rinse-out
and disposal facility at 50 FM 2987, Fannin, Texas 77960, located off US
Highway 59 between Victoria and Goliad.
Although there are no witnesses to the death, through
reconstructing the scene, Pape thinks Duenez was removing a piece of pipe from
a pumping unit using a large pry bar.
"Because the pipe in question was under pressure, it
released violently, striking the pry bar that he was using and forcing the pry
bar back against his head," Pape said. "He suffered massive head
trauma and died instantly."
Duenez, a Mexican national in the country legally, was taken to
Central Texas Autopsy in Lockhart.
Justice of the Peace of Precinct 1 Susan Moore ordered the
autopsy.
Duenez's co-workers discovered his body. They searched for him
after they had not seen him for about 20 minutes.
Pape said Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be
notified.
"We certainly don't expect anything other than what was at
the scene," he said. "At this time, there is no indication of foul
play. It was an industrial accident."