Driller blames employer for work injury

CHARLESTON -- A drilling company worker is suing his employer after a work place accident left him injured.

William E. Feathers filed on lawsuit July 17 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Top Drilling Corporation, Viking Energy Corporation and Jane Doe Corporation, citing negligence and product liability.

The lawsuit states Feathers was severely injured Aug. 5, 2013, when he tried to separate a stuck winch line and its clamp from the drum body. The complaint states Feathers was instructed to do work he was not trained for, that no one trained any employees on safety methods with the equipment, that Feathers was not provided the proper safety equipment, that parts were broken or worn out and that no one told Feathers he could be in danger.

While Top Drilling and Viking Energy are being sued on allegations of negligence, the manufacturer of the winch, called in court documents a Jane Doe Corporation, is being sued on a complaint of product liability with the lawsuit stating the equipment was poorly manufactured and defective.

Feathers is seeking damages to be determined by a jury, pre and post judgement interest and court costs.

He is represented by Frank E. Simmerman Jr. of the Simmerman Law Office in Clarksburg. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie L. Webster.

Kanawha Circuit Court Case 14-C-1279