A local man has initiated legal proceedings against a Gainesville-based oil field equipment supplier, claiming injury after falling from a cement pump truck that allegedly lacked adequate guardrails.
According to a news release, the Houston-based Potts Law Firm is representing the plaintiff, Scott Calcote, in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Orteq Energy Technologies, LLC. The lawsuit contends that the company manufactured and sold a custom cement pump truck for oil and gas well cementing that was dangerous and defective in its design, violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. The lawsuit was filed on November 27 in the 142nd District Court of Midland County.
"Oil field workers must do their jobs in one of the most dangerous work environments in the world and have so many risks to deal with already," said Derek Potts, national managing partner of Potts Law Firm. "To have unsafe equipment on top of the regular hazards they encounter on a daily basis is clearly unacceptable."
According to the news release, Calcote and his crew arrived at a wellhead in Midland County in January to begin wall cementing operations. Calcote was standing on the cement pump truck awaiting these operations when he fell approximately 10 feet off the truck, suffering severe head trauma. The lawsuit alleges that the truck was "unreasonably dangerous" due to its lack of guardrails and claims Calcote suffered a traumatic brain injury necessitating emergency brain surgery. It further states that the accident has left Calcote permanently disabled.