Windell Beddingfield, 38, of Lindale Texas, died at the scene of an oil well blowout on January 29, 2020. Brian Maldonado, 25, of San Diego, Texas, and Brad Hendrix have also died of injuries from that blast that took place at the Chesapeake Energy site on County Road 127 near Deanville in Burleson County, Texas.
The incident is the deadliest oilfield accident since January 2018, when an Oklahoma explosion at a Patterson-UTI Energy rig killed five.
Employees of Chesapeake contractors C.C. Forbes and Eagle Pressure Control were performing maintenance on the well at about 3:30p.m. that Wednesday when the blowout occurred. First responders and oilfield emergency response specialist Boots & Coots reported to the location.
Three other employees received severe burns as a result of the blowout. Emergency personnel airlifted them to hospitals in Austin and Houston. One of those men died due to his injuries on Thursday evening, January 30.
The oil well fire burned through Wednesday night and well into the day on Thursday. Chesapeake Energy has said that the fire is contained. They , and that their own air quality monitors don’t show any danger to the public or environment. Currently, there have been no independent air quality tests to verify their claim.
Local investigators are working to find the cause, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is also investigating the accident. Burleson County Sheriff’s Office said they would not release the victim’s names, as that was the purview of Chesapeake Energy. At the time of publication, the firm has not released any further details.
Beddingfield’s mother is seeking legal action in relation to this incident. Windell Beddingfield worked for Eagle Pressure Control. Hendrix’s family has also filed a wrongful death suit against Chesapeake Energy, Forbes Energy Services, Eagle Pressure Control and Halliburton.
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