$1.5 Million Settlement for Ohio Oilfield Worker Whose Leg Was Crushed by a Backing Truck

Our client was working as a derrick hand on an active oil and gas well pad in Noble County, Ohio when a commercial truck backed a 130,000-pound piece of heavy drilling equipment into the space where he was working, crushing his right leg. He was airlifted from the site and underwent surgery, followed by months of physical therapy. Our client forced himself back to the same physically demanding oilfield job about eight months after the injury and kept working through the litigation, in constant pain.

The well pad was a multi-employer worksite. The trucking company denied any responsibility and argued that our client’s own employer and coworkers were to blame for where he was standing. Because his employer was immune under Ohio workers’ compensation law, the claim proceeded against the trucking company alone. Suit was filed in Stark County Court of Common Pleas. The case settled for $1.5 million approximately one month before trial.