Father Files Lawsuit Over Son’s Oilfield Death

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — The father of a Montana man who was crushed to death in a North Dakota oil field accident in January 2013 has filed a lawsuit against the owners of the drilling rig and the well site, alleging the companies failed to provide for the safety of subcontractors.

The Missoulian reports (http://bit.ly/1gq9BcZ ) Randall Winter filed a lawsuit on Monday against Pioneer Drilling Services Ltd of San Antonio, Texas, and Whiting Petroleum Corp. of Denver over the death of his son, 22-year-old Kyle Winter of Kalispell, who worked for Heller Casing.

The lawsuit alleges Pioneer Drilling did not allow Heller Casing employees to use the appropriate equipment to suspend a large wrench called a "power tong" above a well that was being cased with steel pipe near Watford City, N.D. The "power tong" fell on Winter, killing him.