Fatal Colorado Drilling Rig Accident Report Released

State investigators say a high-pressure valve blew off a pipe, killing a worker on a drilling rig in western Colorado earlier this month.

The accident report filed with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission says the valve struck 34-year-old Shane Hill, of Grand Junction, while he was working on a rig north of Parachute on Oct. 21.

Hill was struck in the back of the head, and his body was thrown about six feet from the pipe. The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports the valve on the standpipe had been repaired earlier in the day.

Hill was employed by Cyclone Drilling, which was drilling for WPX Energy.