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“During a deposition, Jason Ware, a safety coordinator with Antero, according to transcripts, said that in the 36 months he had worked at the rig, 25 to 30 work-related accidents occurred that resulted in broken bones or surgeries, not counting stitches.

“‘Antero continues to have a very bad track record of having unsafe workplace conditions resulting in too many men being severely injured,’ Warner said Monday.

“At least five workers were hospitalized earlier this month following an explosion at an Antero natural gas well in Doddridge County.”

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A lawsuit was settled last week in Harrison County for $12 million against drilling companies after an incident left a worker paralyzed.

The lawsuit against Frontier Drilling and Antero Resources claimed unsafe working conditions at a job site in Salem.

Joseph Davenport sued over an incident that occurred in May 2011 while he was trying to repair the drill on the rig, according to Charleston attorney Bobby Warner, who represented him.

“They should’ve shut down the job and contacted a third party to come in and repair it. Obviously, that would have caused the job to be shut down and they’re under pressure to keep things moving,” Warner said. “[Davenport] was directed by a supervisor to basically perform a very unsafe task in an attempt to fix the broken part of the drill.”

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