FPS staff seport
February 26, 2013
One man was killed and another seriously injured in an accident on an oil and gas drilling rig in Carroll County Monday afternoon.
Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams and his department and emergency personnel were called to a Rex Energy oil and gas rig site at 1165 Brussel Rd. NE, in Washington Twp. at about 3:58 p.m.
Abdal L. Audeh, 28, of 416 Marion St., Apt. 2, Dover, was injured in the accident and pronounced dead at Aultman Hospital at 5:35 p.m.
Alex R. Cox, 20, of 46569 Davis Rd., Cadiz, received a head injury and was transported to Mercy Medical Center for treatment by EMT Ambulance.
Lt. Troy Watson of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department said Audeh and Cox were working on the rig platform together. Watson said Cox, who was conscious and talking when they arrived, told him the pair was “attaching the tongs and forgot to hook up a safety line” which he referred to as a “snub line.”
The snub line is used to prevent a long handle on the tongs from swinging completely around and striking the workers.
“This is apparently what happened which resulted in Audeh being struck in the back by the tong handle,” Watson wrote in his report.
Cox was apparently able to fall backwards which prevented the handle from striking him.
Stark County Coroner Dr. P.S. Murthy was to perform an autopsy Tuesday.
The FPS attempted to contact Rex Energy officials at the Carrollton office, but the messages left on voicemail were not returned.
Monday’s accident was the first major incident involving a drilling rig since drilling in the Utica Shale began in Carroll County. |
