ROANE COUNTY MAN DIES AT LOGAN DRILLING SITE

(11/03/2005)

Albert Murphy, 19, of Left Hand in Roane County, drowned yesterday after getting trapped under a plastic liner in a natural gas drilling pit in Logan County. According to the sheriff's department, Murphy was performing maintenance on the rig when he slipped into the basin. He died at the scene near Chapmanville. Murphy was employed by Indiana, Pennsylvania-based contractor SW Jack Drilling. The site, at Garrett's Fork along US Rt 119, is owned by Denver-based Energy Corporation of America. A spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection says the agency found no environmental violations on the site, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate further. Another Roane County man, John Matics, 27, of Spencer died October 23 from injuries he received October 18 at a well site near Matewan. Matics was working on a service rig in Mingo County when he was struck in the head by a high pressure gas line, according to a state medical examiner's findings. Matics was a tool pusher for Viking Well Service of Sissonville.

Hur Herald ®from Sunny Cal The information on these pages, to the extent the law allows, remains the exclusive property of Bob Weaver and Dianne Weaver The Hur Herald. All information may be freely used but must not be sold or used in any type of commercial endeavor, or used on any web site without the express permission of the owners ©Bob and Dianne Weaver, The Hur Herald, 1999, 2000, 2001