West Texas Jury Awards $11M in Oilfield Accident

A West Texas jury has awarded $11 million to a man who was injured by a pipe casing that fell from an oilfield elevator.

The verdict in favor of Eliazar Trevino Jr. was announced Monday after a week-long civil trial in Ector County. Trevino sued M&M Elevator Company after the September 2009 accident. The casing ripped out nerves from his shoulder and neck.

The Odessa American reports that Trevino’s attorneys argued the elevator didn’t work properly and caused the casing to fall on Trevino.

Attorneys for M&M countered that oilfield workers hadn’t latched the elevator correctly and questioned why Trevino was under the elevator at all when the accident happened.