A devastating workplace accident has led to a significant legal battle in Harris County, Texas. On June 20, 2024, Alberto Rivera filed a complaint against 1776 Energy Operators, LLC in the District Court of Harris County, seeking justice for severe injuries sustained on the job.
According to the complaint, Rivera was grievously injured on August 8, 2023, while working at an oil field site in Smiley, Texas. The site was owned and operated by 1776 Energy Operators. Rivera was employed by Axis Energy Services at the time and was contracted to work at the defendant's site. The incident occurred when improperly secured drill pipes fell on Rivera, causing severe injuries to his arm and upper body. The plaintiff asserts that the accident resulted from negligence on the part of 1776 Energy Operators' employees and representatives.
Rivera's petition outlines several key points of negligence: failure to properly secure equipment, inadequate training of operators, and improper placement of machinery. Specifically, it states that "the lay down machine being placed in the wrong location and untrained operators contributed to the accident." Furthermore, Rivera alleges that the defendant failed to warn workers about potential hazards and did not ensure a safe working environment.
The lawsuit accuses 1776 Energy Operators of multiple breaches including negligence per se, gross negligence, breach of contract, reckless conduct, premises liability, and vicarious liability under respondeat superior. It highlights that "Defendant knew or should have known that not having the lay down machine in the proper location and not having operators properly trained would create a hazardous condition."
Rivera is seeking compensation for various damages including physical pain and suffering (both past and future), mental anguish (both past and future), medical expenses (both past and future), loss of wage-earning capacity (both past and future), physical impairment, disfigurement (both past and future), property damage, loss of use of property, pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest as well as exemplary damages due to gross negligence.
The case is represented by Craig Henderson from DeSouza Injury Lawyers based in San Antonio. The presiding judge for this case is yet to be named but it has been filed under Case ID: 2024-38938 in the 333rd Judicial District Court.