A Colorado oilfield worker remains on life support, following a tank battery explosion in Weld County that left him severely burned and injured on Saturday.
Element Services LLC Contracted to Perform Maintenance on Mallard Exploration Site
The 23-year-old Loveland man was one of three contractors from Element Services LLC assigned to work at a Mallard Exploration tank battery just east of Briggsdale on October 27th.
Nearby residents heard a blast that shook their homes shortly before 9:00 a.m., followed by a plume of black smoke, which rose from the site.
Emergency crews arriving on scene discovered the tank battery engulfed in flames and debris scattered across the area.
Contractor Sustained Burns to 65% of His Body, 2 Others Suffered Minor Injuries
A helicopter transferred the most severely injured worker to North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, where he is being treated for second- and third-degree burns to 65% of his body.
He has been in a medically-induced coma since Saturday and faces several surgeries in the coming weeks.
His fellow contractors suffered minor injuries in the blast. It appears, however, that one of those workers was able to carry their badly-burned comrade to safety, likely saving his life.
Burned Worker Worried About On-the-Job Dangers
According to his girlfriend, the hospitalized man had worked for Element Services for about 2 years and often logged 18-hour shifts.
In an interview with Denver7 News, she noted he sometimes worried about on-the-job dangers.
Officially, the cause of the explosion remains under investigation. It seems, however, that the hospitalized contractor was working on a tank when a spark from a power tool ignited stray oil inside.
According to the Weld County Sheriff’s Department, he was using old equipment at the time.
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