CJ-2026-1590 - Wilmer Jose Mendez Pinto v. Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating, LLC

What's This Case About?

Let’s be clear: two men were set on fire during an oil rig explosion, one drenched in oil and burning alive on the ground, the other trapped 40 feet in the air, engulfed in flames, clinging to a broken escape line before plummeting to the earth—and the total damages they’re suing for? A cool ten grand. Not a million. Not even a hundred thousand. Ten thousand dollars. In 2026. For third-degree burns, skin grafts, trauma, and a fall from a flaming derrick. This isn’t just a civil case—it’s a slapstick tragedy written by corporate negligence with a side of baffling math.

So who are these guys? Wilmer Jose Mendez Pinto and Zuriel Jovany Pina Carranza—two working men, Oklahoma County residents, just trying to do their jobs on a sweltering July afternoon in Grady County. They weren’t executives. They weren’t consultants. They were on the rig floor and up on the platform, doing the gritty, dangerous work that keeps oil flowing. Their employers? Ricks Well Service, LLC, the operating contractor handling the “workover” on the Newby #2 well—a fancy way of saying they were fixing or revamping an old well. The well itself belonged to Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating, LLC, a Colorado-based outfit with its Oklahoma tentacles dug deep into the state’s oil patch. Its parent company? Red Rocks Resources, LLC—same corporate DNA, different shell. And then there’s S&H Tank Service, Inc., the Oklahoma-based water hauler that showed up with 60 barrels of liquid solution (2% KCL, if you’re into brine chemistry) to pump into the well. A routine delivery. Or so it should’ve been.

But routine went sideways in spectacular fashion. On July 8, 2024, the S&H water truck rolled in and parked—get this—nose-first, about 20 feet from the wellhead. Not sideways. Not in a designated zone. Not at a safe distance. Just… parked like it was pulling up to a drive-thru. And the driver? Kept the diesel engine running—because it was hot, sure, but also because that engine was now a live ignition source in a ticking time bomb of oil and gas. Meanwhile, no Red Rocks representative was on-site to supervise, direct traffic, or say, hey, maybe don’t park a fuel-powered truck two steps from an active wellhead. The crew, including Wilmer and Zuriel, got back to work after lunch. Wilmer was on the rig floor. Zuriel was up high, doing what rig hands do.

Then—boom. The well started spewing oil and gas. Not a trickle. A geyser. And it didn’t just spray into the air—it landed on the S&H truck. One spark. That’s all it took. The truck exploded. Fireball. Instant inferno.

Wilmer, already soaked in oil, was set ablaze. Picture this: a man on fire, running, rolling in a puddle trying to put himself out—and failing. He’s screaming, burning, trapped in a nightmare. Zuriel, 40 feet up, sees the flames climbing and makes a desperate move—he grabs the derrickman escape line, the last resort for rig workers in trouble. But the line jams. He’s suspended in mid-air, on fire, clinging for life. Then the line gives—or he jumps—and he falls 40 feet to the ground. Two men, two different kinds of horror, both ending in ambulance rides to Lindsay Municipal ER, then transferred to OU Medical in Oklahoma City for serious burns, surgeries, skin grafts, and a long, painful road ahead. And they’re still getting medical care. This isn’t ancient history. This is fresh trauma.

So why are they in court? Because someone—or several someones—screwed up. Badly. The plaintiffs aren’t claiming sabotage or sabotage-level drama. They’re claiming negligence. Simple, old-fashioned, preventable negligence. First, against Red Rocks Oil & Gas and its parent company: these guys owned the well, controlled the site, and allegedly failed to do the most basic safety stuff—like having a supervisor on-site, enforcing safe parking zones, or making sure emergency equipment actually worked. The derrickman escape line? Supposed to be a lifeline. Instead, it stranded Zuriel in flames. That’s not just bad luck—that’s a system failure. And then there’s S&H Tank Service, whose truck was parked like it was at a tailgate, not a volatile oil operation. They’re being sued for failing to follow safety protocols, parking too close, not training their driver properly, and—critically—bringing an ignition source (a running diesel engine) into a zone where flammable vapors were building.

And then comes the legal zinger: Negligence Per Se. That’s lawyer-speak for “you broke the law, and people got hurt.” Specifically, the filing claims the defendants violated Oklahoma regulations—like Okla. Admin. Code § 165:10-3-17(b)—which says, in plain English, keep fire hazards away from the well. Parking a running truck 20 feet from the wellhead? That’s not just dumb. It’s illegal. And when the law says “don’t do this to protect workers,” and you do it anyway, and workers get burned alive? That’s negligence per se. The law already drew the line. They stepped over it with diesel boots.

Now, let’s talk about the money. Or rather, the lack of it. The plaintiffs are suing for “in excess of $10,000.” Ten thousand dollars. For life-altering burns. For multiple surgeries. For PTSD, disfigurement, lost wages, future medical care. In a state where a single skin graft can cost tens of thousands, where ambulance rides aren’t free, where OU Medical doesn’t take Venmo—$10,000 is barely enough to cover the deductible. Is this a strategic move? Maybe. In Oklahoma, suing for over $10,000 keeps the case in district court and preserves the right to a jury trial—which they demanded, loud and clear. But still. The number feels like a typo. Like someone forgot to add a couple of zeros. Or maybe it’s a message: this isn’t about the money. It’s about accountability. They want a jury to look these companies in the eye and say, you failed these men.

And honestly? We’re rooting for the jury. Because the most absurd part of this whole thing isn’t the explosion. It’s not even the guy falling from the sky on fire (though that’s pretty wild). It’s that in 2024, on an oil rig—where every risk is known, every protocol written in blood and regulation—someone thought it was fine to park a running diesel truck 20 feet from an active wellhead with no supervisor on-site. This wasn’t an act of God. This wasn’t unforeseeable. This was a cascade of laziness, corner-cutting, and corporate shrugs. Red Rocks thought they could skip the oversight. S&H thought they could skip the safe parking. And two men paid for it in flesh and bone.

This case isn’t just about damages. It’s about the arrogance of assuming danger won’t knock. About the myth that “it won’t happen here.” And if the only thing that comes out of this is a jury saying, “No, you don’t get to do that,” then maybe—just maybe—it’ll stop the next guy from parking nose-in to a ticking bomb.

Case Overview

$10,000 Demand Jury Trial Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court, Oklahoma

Relief Sought

$10,000 Monetary

Plaintiffs

Wilmer Jose Mendez Pinto individual
Zuriel Jovany Pina Carranza individual

Defendants

Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating, LLC business
Red Rocks Resources, LLC business
S&H Tank Service, Inc. business

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1	Negligence	against Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating, LLC and Red Rocks Resources, LLC
2	Negligence	against S&H Tank Service, Inc.
3	Negligence Per Se	against all defendants

Petition Text

1,616 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT FOR OKLAHOMA COUNTY STATE OF OKLAHOMA FILED WILMER JOSE MENDEZ PINTO, and ZURIEL JOVANY PINA CARRANZA ) Plaintiffs, vs. RED ROCKS OIL & GAS OPERATING, ) LLC, a Foreign Limited Liability Company; ) RED ROCKS RESOURCES, LLC, ) a Foreign Limited Liability Company, ) S&H Tank Service, Inc., an Oklahoma ) Corporation Defendants. DISTRICT COURT OKLAHOMA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA March 3, 2026 4:11 PM RICK WARREN, COURT CLERK Case No Case Number CJ-2026-1590 Petition COMES NOW the Plaintiffs, Wilmer Jose Mendez Pinto ("Wilmer") and Zuriel Jovany Pina Carranza ("Zuriel"), for their cause of action against the Defendants, and each of them, alleges and states as follows: Jurisdiction and Venue 1. Red Rocks Resources, LLC is a privately held oil and gas company in Oklahoma City, OK with its principal place of business in Oklahoma City, OK but incorporated in Colorado. 2. Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating, LLC has its principal place of business located at 1321 North Robinson Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73103 but incorporated in Colorado. 3. Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Rocks Resources, LLC. 4. The Oklahoma registered agent for Red Rocks Resources, LLC and Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating, LLC is Capitol Document Services, Inc. located at 1833 S. Morgan Road, Oklahoma City, OK 73128. 5. S&H Service Tank Inc, has its principal place of business and is incorporated in Lindsey, Oklahoma. 6. Plaintiff Wilmer Jose Mendez Pinto is a resident of Oklahoma and lives in Oklahoma County. 7. Plaintiff Zuriel Jovany Pina Carranza is a resident of Oklahoma and lives in Oklahoma County. 8. Removal of this case to Federal Court is inappropriate and statutorily unauthorized because (1) complete diversity of parties in lacking, (2) at least one defendant is an in-state defendant by virtue of its status as Oklahoma Limited Liability Company, (3) at least one defendant has its principal place of business in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, , and (4) Plaintiff has not alleged a federal question pertaining to a federal cause of action or alleged facts that would rise to a federal question. Any attempt to remove this case to the federal courts would be improper and not in accordance with 28 U.S. Code § 1446. Background Facts 9. On July 8, 2024, Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating, LLC was the leaseholder and owner of the Newby #2 well located in Grady County, Oklahoma, and had actual control and retained supervisory authority over the worksite. 10. July 8, 2024 was a seasonably hot day. 11. Ricks Well Service, LLC was the operating contractor that was working over the well at the time of the explosion. 12. Red Rocks ordered an maintained a manual blowout preventor (BOP) atop the well head assembly. 13. Red Rocks placed an order with S&H Tank Service, Inc. for 60 barrels of 2% KCL ("liquid solution") to be pumped into the well. 14. The S&H Tank Service water truck arrived and parked "nose in" approximately 20 feet from the North end of the wellhead. 15. The water truck was not parked in a designated spot and Red Rocks representative was not present at the well site to protect the people working on the rig. 16. The driver of the water truck arrived and began pumping the liquid solution down the casing on behalf of S&H Tank Service, Inc. All the while, the diesel engine to the water truck kept running to keep the driver cool. 17. The crew began working on the well, after lunch. Wilmer was working on the rig floor, and Zuriel was working on the platform approximately 40 feet up. 18. Shortly after resuming work, the Newby #2 well began spewing oil and gas, which landed on the S&H Tank Service Inc. truck that was parked close to the well head. Soon thereafter, the S&H truck exploded, resulting in a fire. 19. Wilmer, who was drenched in oil, and standing only a few feet away, was set on fire by the explosion. 20. Wilmer ran to get away from the fire, he rolled around in a puddle of water to try and extinguish himself, but failed. 21. Zuriel was located 40 feet above the well head, with flames engulfing him, attempted to repel down the Derrickman escape line. 22. While repelling down the line, the line stopped working and Zuriel was stuck mid-air, approximately 40 feet off the ground. Already on fire and holding on to the line, he fell to the ground. 23. Both Plaintiffs were transported by ambulance to Lindsay Municipal ER, then to OU Medical in Oklahoma City, OK. 24. Since the explosion, both Plaintiffs were both seriously burned, and suffered numerous orthopedic procedures, skin-grafts, and emotional injuries. 25. Both Plaintiff’s continue to receive active medical care. Causes of Action Count One: Negligence —Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating, LLC and Red Rocks Resources, LLC 26. Each of the Foregoing paragraphs is incorporated herein as those stated above. 27. Upon information and belief, Red Rocks Resources, LLC owns Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating, LLC and has control over the management, operations, and policies and procedures of its wholly owned subsidiary Red Rocks Oil & Gas Operating LLC. 28. At all relevant times, Red Rocks maintained (or should have maintained) an on-site representative with authority to supervise and direct the work being performed at the Newby #2 wellsite, including authority to control site logistics and designate where vendor and service vehicles were staged and parked. Given the known fire and explosion hazards associated with workover operations and active well conditions, Red Rocks was required to implement and enforce jobsite controls reasonably necessary to protect personnel on the rig and on the ground, including maintaining safe standoff distances and safe vehicle positioning relative to the wellhead and ignition sources. 29. Red Rocks breached this duty by failing to establish, communicate, and enforce safe staging/parking locations and exclusion zones for the S&H truck and other equipment at the wellsite, which was a direct and proximate cause of the fire/explosion event and Plaintiffs’ resulting injuries. 30. Red Rocks Resources and Red Rocks Oil and Gas Operating failed to provide the care which they are responsible for by not acting as an ordinary prudent owner or operator would act under the same or similar circumstances. 31. The failure to operate as an ordinary prudent owner or operator would lead to an explosion and fire occurring on the Newby #2 Well. 32. The failure to prepare or teach workers correct safety precautions worsened the damages suffered by Plaintiffs. 33. Red Rocks failure to ensure emergency equipment was well-maintained worsened Plaintiffs’ damages o injuries (instead of damages?). 34. Negligence includes but is not limited to: a. Allowing hazardous conditions to exist that led to an explosion; b. Failing to provide a reasonably safe workplace; c. Failing to effectively supervise the work being done at the times of the explosion and fire; d. Failing to prepare a reasonably safe plan for the creation, operation and repair of the well; e. Failure to ensure all employees and agents were properly trained; f. Failing to ensure that adequate safety policies and procedures were in place and properly implemented at the wellsite; g. Failing to ensure the Derrickman system was up to standards and in working condition; h. Failing to have a Derrickman escape system easily accessible and working; i. Failing to comply with industry standards and practices for maintaining a safe working environment. 35. Red Rocks' negligence was a direct and proximate cause of Plaintiff's injuries. Count Two: Negligence—S&H Tank Service, Inc. 36. Each foregoing paragraph is incorporated herein as stated above 37. S&H Tank Service, Inc., owned the truck that was present at the time of the explosion. 38. S&H was responsible for supplying the water truck with a solution to the Newby #2 well site. 39. S&H Tank Service negligence includes but is not limited to: a. Failing to park the water truck in the correct orientation to the well as safety protocols require; b. Failing to park the water truck at a safe distance from the well; c. Failing to follow safety procedures set in place to pump an oil well d. Vicariously for all the actions of their employee(s); e. Failing to provide correct training for its employees; f. Failing to procure a safe work environment at the well; g. Failing to create adequate safety policies and procedures. 40. S&H’s negligence was the direct and proximate cause of the explosion and fire that both Plaintiffs’ damages arise out of. Count Three: Negligence Per Se—All Defendants 41. Each of the foregoing paragraphs is incorporated herein as stated above. 42. There are numerous state and federal laws and regulations that govern the wellsite, well, and all operations regarding the oil site. 43. The laws and regulations are intended to protect persons such as both Plaintiffs from an unnecessary risk of injury or death while working on the Newby #2 wellsite. 44. The injuries to the Plaintiffs were a result of negligent acts or omissions by the Defendants and were of the nature that the laws and regulations were intended to protect. 45. Defendants were in violation of Okla. Admin. Code § 165:10-3-17(b) by failing to maintain fire hazards at a safe distance from the well. Damages 46. Both Plaintiffs claim damages for personal injuries. 47. Damages include but are not limited to: a. Physical pain and suffering; b. Mental anguish; c. Physical impairment; d. Disfigurement; e. Loss of earnings; f. Reasonable expenses of the necessary medical care, treatment and services in the past and future. 48. Plaintiffs both claim damages in excess of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) Prayer For Relief WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs claim damages against the Defendants, and each of them, for actual damages in excess of ten thousand dollars ($10,000), attorney fees, costs expended, interest and for such further and other relief as the Court deems just, equitable and proper. Respectfully Submitted, __________________________ Eliot Yaffe, OBA #19723 Terry McKeever, OBA #21751 April Spurgeon, OBA #32874 Foshee & Yaffe P.O. Box 890420 Oklahoma City, OK 73189 Telephone: (405) 378-3033 Facsimile: (405) 632-3036 [email protected] JURY TRIAL DEMANDED