This photo is from Gloria Forouzan, Marcellus Shale Protest. She found it on the inarguably vile FracPride facebook page. Good luck it finding now.
“From the ‘FracPride’ FB page, grabbed it before they take it down: I heard that they were pumping at 8500 psig when the 7″ production casing parted, the surface casing parted above that and the Frac Head, BOP’s and all that came with landed square in the middle of the Cased Hole Truck. Have not heard about fatalities.”
Frack Water Truck On Top of Car in Clarksburg, WV
This is another photo from Gloria. It’s heartbreaking.
“Two children were dead on scene, according to Clarksburg Police Chief Marshall Goff. Their ages are unknown at this time. The two drivers involved in the crash were taken to the United Hospital Center with non-life-threatening injuries. A male was driving the water truck, a female, also the mother of the children, was operating the sedan.”
These are the tragedies and fraccidents make the natural gas industry bad for our country, regardless of the economic gain. Ever notice how every argument in favor of fracking is economic, while every argument against is environmental, safety or health-related?
The gas industry might consider events such as these to be the cost of doing business.
Perhaps this is what they mean by “some risks.”
It’s unacceptable.
[UPDATE: January 7, 2015]
Since posting a year and a half ago, the posts on the FracPride facebook page have clearly become more family-friendly in vibe, and arguably less “vile.” I would like to give credit where credit is due. Some comments are still pretty rude. My concern over truck traffic and road safety also extends to the many hard working men and women in the gas industry. While I personally believe we should leave fossil fuels in the ground, I have utmost respect for the difficulty and dangers of their jobs.
Tags: Fracking Accidents, FracPride, Gloria Forouzan, Marcellus Shale Protest
Keep Tap Water Safe 
April 26, 2013 at 12:19 pm |
[…] of a truck javelined by steel rigging on a frack pad in Hemp-Hill County, Texas – a photo that originated on this now infamous page – those guys have really tried to improve the image they project. […]
May 6, 2013 at 10:47 am |
Ok, nobody was harmed in the first picture. You can still find it on frac pride. And secondly, a truck turns over on a car and you blame fracing? Not the driver?
May 6, 2013 at 11:01 am |
Thanks Clay, I was unable to find it. In the second photo, the truck was carrying water for fracking in Clarksburg, West Virginia. And I do blame the driver, who was not charged with any crime though he ignored the stop sign:
http://www.wboy.com/story/21564996/update-2-children-dead-after-water-truck-overturns-on-sedan-in-harrison-county
May 6, 2013 at 11:13 am
I understand that it paints a bad picture for fracing, but there are risks in every industry. People get crushed by counterweights in manufacturing, people get hit by trains on the rail road, run over by forklifts in shipping yards. I’m not justifying the danger, just pointing out that these things happen in every industry.
June 25, 2013 at 6:33 pm |
Liz, do you drive a car? If so, SHUT UP!
January 7, 2015 at 8:15 am |
It’s possible that that truck was carrying frac water, but I very much doubt that you actually know that. But let’s say that it was, what does that have to do with anything?
If a delivery driver ran someone over, should we ban pizza?
January 7, 2015 at 8:35 am |
The truck was indeed carrying frack water, and it failed to stop at the stop sign. If pizza deliveries caused as much death and destruction as the fracking industry, then we should examine that, too.
January 7, 2015 at 2:16 pm
I’m a little curious, how do you know it was carrying frac water? Do you know how to tell the difference between a drill rig and a frac job? I’m assuming not, because you spell it with a k. And I’m pretty sure that if you compare accidents/man hours of fracing to other heavy industries, it’s probably pretty safe. It’s not just a bunch of unregulated clowns doing whatever the hell they want, you know.
January 7, 2015 at 10:13 am |
With that logic, should we not ban the trucking industry all together? Driving is the most dangerous thing frac hands do.
January 7, 2015 at 10:21 am |
I understand, and I’m aware that the industry is working on ways to frack with less water, which is a good thing. I’m all for safer roads.
January 7, 2015 at 10:47 am |
fyi – for more impartial information —
Here They Come Again! The Impacts of Oil & Gas Traffic, Part of the FracTracker Truck Counts Project
By Mary Ellen Cassidy, Community Outreach Coordinator, FracTracker Alliance http://www.fractracker.org/2014/09/truck-counts