Hall v. Continental Drilling Co‪.‬

Plaintiff-appellants decedent was an employee of the Lane-Wells Company who on the date of the accident was working as a perforator operator on an oil well owned and operated by appellee. The California Company, pursuant to a contract for such services between Lane-Wells and California. At that time employees and equipment of appellee Continental Drilling Company were also located at and working on the same rig pursuant to a separate contract between Continental and California whereby the former was to "rework" the well. Early in the morning of February 11, 1954, some of the decedents equipment at the rig became fouled, and, the mishap threatening to delay all operations at the well, he decided to go ashore to report by phone to his employer. He requested one Heber Dodson, a supervisory employee of California, to take him to the landing. Dodson agreed to do so and for that purpose he took the only available boat, the "Deborah Jean," a diesel operated motor boat leased by Continental, for whose use he had some days earlier received oral permission from a supervisor of Continental because Californias own boat was just undergoing repairs. Though Dodson had previously operated both the California and the Continental boats, he had apparently done so in the case of the latter only when a Continental employee was on board.