Roosevelt man injured in drilling rig accident

Wed, 01/25/2012 - 10:39am

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VERNAL -- A Roosevelt man has serious injuries after his hand was caught between moving pipes at an eastern Utah drilling rig.

Uintah County Undersheriff John Laursen tells the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/zksaJo ) the man was working on a rig operated by XTO Energy about noon on Monday when the accident happened about 60 miles from Vernal.

Officials say his gloved hand was caught between two sections of drilling pipe that were being fed down a well bore. The man was whipped around the pipe and hit other parts of the machinery.

He was able to get to a coworker's truck and meet up with emergency personnel near Ouray. The man was flown to the hospital and remained there Tuesday.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating the accident.

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