A Houston personal injury and wrongful death firm has filed a lawsuit against Chevron Corporation and several other companies over the death of an oilfield worker who was crushed by a hydraulic catwalk at a drilling site near Jal, New Mexico. The suit, filed in Harris County, Texas, alleges that the worker died on May 16, 2026, when the catwalk activated without warning, leaving him no opportunity to escape. He is survived by his spouse and four minor children.
The lawsuit names five defendants: Chevron Corporation, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., Patterson-UTI Drilling Company, LLC, Signal Safety Services, Inc., and Ally Consulting, LLC. According to the petition, Forum Energy Technologies manufactured the hydraulic catwalk, which was defectively designed. Chevron, as site operator, and Ally Consulting, which placed a superintendent on location, allegedly failed to maintain a safe worksite. Signal Safety Services provided wellsite safety consultants. The petition also claims that Patterson-UTI, the worker’s employer, acted with gross negligence and intentional conduct that contributed to his death.
Jal is located in Lea County on the Texas border, within the Permian Basin, described as one of the most dangerous oilfield corridors in the country. According to CDC data, nearly 40 percent of all oilfield fatalities nationwide occur in the Permian, and oilfield workers face a fatality rate roughly seven times the national average across all occupations. Struck-by and caught-between accidents, which include crush injuries from mechanized equipment like hydraulic catwalks, remain among the leading causes of these deaths.
“A wife lost her husband and four children lost their father because of the unsafe actions taken by people out there,” said Matt Greenberg, co-founding attorney at Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers. “Cases like this one aren’t usually about one single company, or even a single mistake. Our job is to find out exactly where the system broke down and to make sure this family is not left to carry the cost of it alone.”
The firm has experience litigating catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims against oilfield operators, drilling contractors, and equipment manufacturers, including a $20 million result in an oilfield burn injury case. The allegations are from the petition filed with the court and are not findings of fact; a Texas court will decide the merits of the case.
This lawsuit underscores the persistent dangers in the oilfield industry, where fatal accidents from equipment malfunctions continue to claim lives. The implications extend beyond this single incident, raising questions about safety protocols and accountability among operators, contractors, and manufacturers in the Permian Basin.
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