Piece of equipment crushes and kills employee in Brazoria County

ALVIN, TX (KTRK) -- One man is dead after an industrial accident in Brazoria County.

The victim has been identified as 43-year-old Antonio Perez, from El Campo, according to the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office.

"Something on the well itself fell, causing the snatch block on the rig to fall," Lt. Varon Snelgrove said. "It fell to the rig floor, and in doing so, it struck him, pinned him to the rig floor, killing him instantly."

According to Snelgrove the 'snatch block' is used to pull the pipe up and down on the well itself.

"It weighs about 2,500 to 3,000 pounds. It's a big, heavy piece of iron," said Snelgrove.

Lt. Snelgrove said Perez had been a longtime employee of contracting company Pryor Packers, and that Perez had worked on these particular wells many times before.

While the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office said there are no signs of foul play at this time, they will continue to investigate the death.

A spokesman for Denbury Resources sent Eyewitness News a statement, saying in part, "Denbury and its contractors are working closely with local public officials following the incident, and the investigation is ongoing."

Following the accident, Denbury Resources released a statement about the accident:

"On the morning of March 14th, a worker was involved in an incident while working on a rig in the Hastings oil field. Denbury and its contractors are working closely with local public officials following the incident, and the investigation is ongoing."

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