ACCIDENT Gas well repairman is killed when pipe is blown off tank

NEWBURY, Ohio (AP) -- A contractor performing maintenance on a natural gas well was killed when excess pressure thrust part of a metal pipe into the air, striking his head, police say.
Joe Wilson, 49, of Atwater, was pronounced dead at the site of the accident Tuesday, said Geagua County Sheriff Daniel McClelland.
Wilson was one of three men repairing a leak in the well's holding tank for W. Pol Contracting Co. of Ravenna. The other workers were not injured.
Newbury Township Police Chief Santo Battaglia said Wilson was hit in the head by a 2-inch piece of pipe that broke off in the blast.
"The extent of his injuries were astronomical," Battaglia said.
What happened
The workers followed procedure, Battaglia said, and shut off the gas at the main well head before beginning their work, which is supposed to relieve any excess pressure in the system.
"But, for some unknown reason, there was still excess pressure built up in it, causing it to blow off at the top of the storage tank," he said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and representatives from W. Pol and the owners of the well, Columbus-based Northwood Energy Co., were investigating.
Investigators said the explosion did not involve any ignition or flames because it was caused purely by pressure.
Newbury is about 35 miles southeast of Cleveland.