Artesia man hurt in oilfield accident near Carlsbad

CARLSBAD (AP) — A worker on a drilling rig in an oilfield southeast of Carlsbad has been injured after a 100-pound metal gate dropped on his head and shoulders.
The Carlsbad Current-Argus reports that 33-year-old Milo Schoonmaker was working on Silver Oak Drilling’s rig No. 7 on Thursday when a hoist accidentally lifted the metal gate nearly 20 feet into the air and it fell. … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
The Eddy County Sheriff’s Office says Schoonmaker wasn’t aware he was badly hurt and kept working for about a half-hour. He was later flown to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas, and was discharged Wednesday.
The sheriff’s office says 19 workers have been seriously injured in the last year in oilfield accidents in Eddy County.