Gas industry truck drivers are injured in three-vehicle pileup

Pennsylvania’s booming natural gas industry brings an increased number of workers in hazardous occupations. Workers on drilling rigs routinely work on heavy machinery and equipment and in other dangerous situations. The dangers do not end on the rig, however. Truck drivers associated with the Marcellus Shale formation are at risk of serious injury in truck accidents.

Earlier this week, three truck drivers carrying potentially hazardous loads in Canton Township were involved in a multi-truck crash. Two drivers were driving fracking water tankers. They were stopped at a red light when a third vehicle, a larger tanker truck, rear-ended them. One of the trucks rolled and landed on its side in a parking lot.

Authorities who responded to the crash discovered that fracking fuel and diesel fuel spilled on the highway. In addition, up to 1,300 gallons of diesel fuel may have spilled into a nearby creek. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has responded.

Two drivers were sent to the hospital as a result of the crash. One had a head injury and the other was taken to the hospital for an evaluation.

Head injuries are just some of the risks faced by workers in the natural gas industry. Workers can be exposed to toxic fumes, suffer injuries in falls, or receive back injuries, muscle injuries, broken bones and amputations. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help injured workers preserve and enforce their rights to workers’ compensation benefits.

Source: Action News 4, “3 tanker trucks crash in Canton Township, spilling fracking water, diesel fuel,” Jackie Schafer, April 21, 2014