Oil-field worker hurt when pipe hits leg

VERNAL — An oil-field worker was seriously injured Friday in an industrial accident.

The Vernal man, 38, was part of a roustabout crew working on a pipeline, Uintah County Sheriff's Cpl. Brian Fletcher said.

Fletcher said the crew was using a piece of heavy equipment with a boom to move 50-foot sections of pipe. At some point, the tongs on the boom disengaged, dropping a section of pipe to the ground. The pipe bounced and struck the man, shattering his right leg, Fletcher said.

A medical helicopter airlifted the man to University Hospital. The man never lost consciousness, Fletcher said.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

— Geoff Liesik