Heights company blamed for workplace accident

A Heights-area company is being sued over claims its failure to provide a safe work environment caused a derrickhand to be injured at a job site.

Marco Zavala filed a lawsuit on Friday, May 18 in the Harris County District Court against Crimson Exploration, with an office in Heights, citing negligence and gross negligence.

Zavala says on Feb. 22, he tore his left knee ligaments and meniscus while working as a derrickhand on one of Crimson's job sites. The accident occurred because the company failed to perform a job-safety analysis, according to the brief.

The suit also alleges that when a joint fell over, prior to Zavala's accident, he tried to initiate a safety meeting, which was stopped by a Crimson employee.

Zavala is seeking damages and court costs. He is being represented in the case by Houston attorney Jeffrey Befort.

Harris County District Court Case No. 2012-29262.
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the Harris County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.