Recent Headlines Highlight the Dangers of Fracking

For years, the Cleveland, Ohio personal  injury lawyers at Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA have been telling clients about the serious dangers of fracking.  While the energy companies responsible for the boom continually downplay the risks involved, several recent events highlight just how dangerous fracking can be.

What is Fracking?

The term “fracking” is short for hydraulic fracturing, a process by which energy companies extract or pull natural gas from deep beneath the earth’s surface. During the process, water and a mixture of up to 600 chemicals, including known toxins, are forced under great pressure deep into layers of underground rock, fracturing the rock and releasing the natural gas trapped inside.  The contaminated water is then pumped back to the surface and trucked away to disposal sites, while the natural gas is collected and eventually sold.

Recent Developments

Fracking Fire in Ohio—Just last week, a mechanical malfunction in a fracking operation’s hydraulic tubing caused a massive fire and numerous explosions at a Monroe County, Ohio fracking site.  Dozens of families were forced to evacuate their homes and the surround roads were blocked due to the blaze.  Further, a miles-long fish kill occurred after the fire, which the deputy director of the Ohio Environmental Council suspects was caused by the fracking chemicals running into Possum Creek while firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.

Multimillion Dollar Verdict for Fracking Injuries—In encouraging news, a Texas jury recently found a company liable for a family’s injuries caused by exposure to contaminated ground water, toxic waste and airborne chemicals generated by hydraulic fracturing operations.  This verdict demonstrates that the hydraulic fracturing industry’s attempts to downplay the dangers are not working.  The scientific evidence of the dangers of fracking is piling up, meaning that injured plaintiffs will be increasingly able to legally establish that their injuries and health problems are caused by fracking.

Fracking Linked to Earthquakes—Perhaps most alarming is a report in the journal Science indicating that wastewater disposal, including disposal of contaminated waters, induced earthquakes swarms in Oklahoma.

You Deserve Compensation for Your Fracking Injuries

Fracking operations cause numerous health problems, workplace accidents and injuries, and nuisances to nearby landowners.  Fortunately for those injured by the operations of hydraulic fracturing companies, recent developments are making it increasingly possible to hold these companies responsible for the injuries they cause.  If you or a loved one has suffered injury that you believe is related to fracking in Ohio or around the U.S., contact the Ohio fracking attorneys at Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA for a free telephone consultation.