RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostDustin Turner shoots his father's ashes from a cannon that his father built using welding skills and left over pipe form oil rig jobs. Most of the time, the cannon was used to celebrate, like on the Fourth of July or birthdays, but this time was different. "This is to honor a true roughneck, a man tougher than nails ... he was taken from us," said Turner. Turner shot the cannon during a memorial service for his father, Randy Hall, near their home in Mead, Colorado. Hall's family believes his death was caused from inhalation as a result of his work on an oil and gas well.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostFamily and friends of Randy Hall arrive at a small country church, near his home, in Mead, Colorado. Hall's family believes his death was caused from inhalation as a result of his work on an oil and gas well. The memorial was held on the day Randy and Becky, his wife, got married 29 years ago.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostBecky Hall said her husband, Randy Hall, came home one day suffering from a bad cough that later resulted in three broken ribs. She contends that her husband, who worked in the oil patch for decades, died at the age of 53 after inhaling sulfuric acid. "We are falling apart without him. I don't even think I will be able to keep the house," said Becky.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJacob Yzaguirre, left and Brandon Green, both of H&P Drilling, work on a rig in Weld County, Colorado.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostOil and gas crews stop to chain up their trucks on a county road near Brighton, Colorado.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostPain overcomes Jeremy Barnhart after he stands for the first time since his amputation surgery at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado. Barnhart was working in the oil fields of Wyoming, in the middle of a 12-hour shift, when he got frostbite on his feet, legs and hands. Frostbite, from the sub-freezing temperatures, resulted in his left leg being amputated at the calf. Part of his right foot was also amputated.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJeremy Barnhart lies in his hospital bed in the burn unit. The oil field worker got frostbite on his feet, legs and hands while working in sub-freezing temperatures on the oil fields.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostAfter physical therapy, Jeremy Barnhart makes his way back to the burn unit.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostDavid and Amber Scott, together with their four children, live in a 43-foot camp trailer at an RV park in Greeley, Colorado. David, 29, has worked in the oil and gas business for seven years. The family traveled from job to job in the trailer while David worked in North Dakota, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Illinois and New Mexico. This is their second stay in Colorado. David said he works an average of 50 to 70 hours per week.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostCarl Smith put up a shed at his home in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to hold his son's belongings. "How am I to know what a little girl wants of her dad's things? I couldn't make that decision for Huston," said Carl of his granddaughter. Carl's son, Matt Smith, was killed in 2014 by a fracking blast while working for Halliburton in Mead, Colorado. Now when Matt's daughter, Huston, comes to visit Carl and Debbie Smith, her grandparents, she spends a lot of time in the shed looking at her father's things. "She made it like a little fort to remember he dad in," said Carl.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostHuston Smith looks through her father's belongings in a shed at her grandparents' home Cheyenne, Wyoming. "How am I to know what a little girl wants of her dad's things? I couldn't make that decision for Huston," said Carl Smith, Huston's grandfather. Huston's father, Matt Smith, was killed in 2014 by a fracking blast while working for Halliburton in Mead, Colorado. "They called him Donkey, like from the 'Shrek' movie," said Huston, talking about her father's work friends. When Huston comes to visit her grandparents, she spends a lot of time in the shed looking at her father's things.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostCarl and Debbie Smith visit their son's headstone at a cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Their son was killed while working for Halliburton when a high-pressure water valve to erupted. "My son was murdered," said Debbie as she talked about her son being allowed to work in below-freezing temperatures that caused a valve to freeze the day he was killed.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostAn oilfield worker walks past an open door at a drill pad in Windsor, Colorado. Oil and gas companies use large walls to reduce noise and light pollution when drilling.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJim Richardson stands outside his truck in the oil fields near his home in Vernal, Utah. Richardson, who has spent much of his life in Vernal said, "The (oil) patch was my playground." Richardson's left leg was amputated after a spreader beam rolled off a forklift while he was loading his truck to move a drilling rig near Craig, Colorado. The beam hit him on the head and then crushed his leg.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post"From the ball of my foot all the way up to my thigh, it feels like my whole leg is in a vice. Then I looked down, and it's not even there ... The phantom pains are hell," said Jim Richardson. Richardson, at his apartment in Vernal, Utah, pets his dog Bear as he watches television.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJim Richardson smokes outside his apartment in Vernal, Utah. Richardson, who is mostly homebound now, misses being on the road driving drilling rigs from one place to the next. He said losing his career is almost as hard as losing his leg.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJessica Warehime, 34, a former oil field worker and truck driver, quit the oil and gas business after long hours and chemicals that caused her skin problems. Warehime watered her garden at her home in Kersey, Colorado, as oil and gas operations burned off flammable gas nearby. "Living here, you can't escape it - no matter how hard you try," said Warehime.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostJack Redd, 17, takes photos out of a broken picture frame at his family's home in Grand Junction. The frame held wedding photos from his mother and stepfather's wedding. Since the death of his stepfather, Shane Hill, Jack's mother said he has had anger problems. "Both of my boys haven't been the same. They're angry all the time after the accident," said Sharon Hill, Jack's mother. The frame got broken during a party when Jack got into a fight. Shane Hill was killed in 2014 while working on a rig in Parachute, Colorado. He was 34 years old. "I miss him every day," said Redd.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostFriends and family hoist a shot into the air during a party on the one-year anniversary of the death of Shane Hill. Shane was killed in an oil accident when a high-pressure valve blew off a pipe and hit him in the head. Shane's widow, Sharon Hill, hosted a barbecue and party, at her home in Grand Junction, Colorado, to remember Shane. He died at the age of 34.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver PostSharon Hill holds her late husband's muddy boots outside her home in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her late husband, Shane Hill, was killed in an oil accident only five days after they bought the home where Sharon still lives with her two sons. Sharon said she found out about her husband's death on Facebook, and the next morning a Cyclone Drilling employee dropped off his truck and mud-covered boots. "It seems like they didn't care when they dropped off the truck. I was really upset and crying a ton. They asked to talk to someone not so emotional, so my sister took over...I haven't heard from anyone at the company since then," said Sharon.
RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
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Dustin Turner shoots his father's ashes from a cannon that his father built using welding skills and left over pipe form oil rig jobs. Most of the time, the cannon was used to celebrate, like on the Fourth of July or birthdays, but this time was different. "This is to honor a true roughneck, a man tougher than nails ... he was taken from us," said Turner. Turner shot the cannon during a memorial service for his father, Randy Hall, near their home in Mead, Colorado. Hall's family believes his death was caused from inhalation as a result of his work on an oil and gas well.
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By RJ Sangosti | rsangosti@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
Getting your player ready...
In a 12-year span, an oil and gas worker has died once every three months on average in Colorado, victims of a system focused more on protecting the industry than its employees.
Shane Hill’s family is left to pick up the pieces after his death on a Colorado rig in October 2014. Part of that was having a party in his honor to mark one year since his death near Parachute.
Jimmy Richardson lost his leg and 30-year career when a forklift operator, who Richardson says was in a hurry, dropped a spreader beam.
Carl and Debbie Smith know about life and loss working in the oil and gas industry. Their son Matt was killed in November 2014 working on a site near Mead. The 36-year-old father died when a frozen water line exploded.