23-year-old McPherson man dies from oil camp injuries
Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Fort McPherson (Mar 23/01) - Jason Stewart's family is trying to deal with the terrible tragedy of losing a loved one.
In Stewart's hometown of Fort McPherson, a spokesperson for the family said they would have no comment until after Jason's funeral.
"We're trying to get through a tragedy right now," James Ross said. "We're just trying to survive."
Stewart, 23, died last Saturday in Inuvik after suffering fatal injuries at an oil camp.
Stewart, a driller's helper at a Shell oil camp, located 140 kilometres northwest of Inuvik, somehow came in contact with a drill during seismic operations in the camp at about 10:20 a.m. March 17.
He was medevaced to Inuvik Regional Hospital. RCMP say they were called to assist in an emergency helicopter landing at 11:50 a.m. He died a few hours later in hospital.
Cathy Menard, deputy chief coroner, said it appears that a part of Stewart's clothing came into contact with the drill he was working with.
"Whether it was his coat, or something else, we're not sure right now," said Menard.
However, it is unclear exactly how Stewart became entangled in the drill. Menard said that once Stewart was freed from the drill, his clothes were stripped away to administer first aid. A post-mortem examination of Stewart's body was completed Tuesday afternoon.
He was employed by Calgary-based Bertram Drilling. The National Energy Board is investigating the accident, as is Bertram Drilling. A person at the company's Alberta offices, who would not give his name, said that Bertram's senior manager has flown to the camp to investigate.
