Family awarded $3MILLION after court finds chemical exposure from fracking on land next to their home left them sick and suffering horror side effects

The Parr family of Decatur, Texas, first complained of falling ill in 2008 - after Aruba Petroleum began fracking operations near to their ranch

Bob and Lisa Parr and their daughter Emma developed nosebleeds, nausea, rashes and asthma



Some of their livestock were born with deformities after the Parr's land was contaminated



They launched a lawsuit against the energy firm - which went to trial

The jury sided with the Parr family - a first in fracking lawsuits in the US



A Texas family have won a nearly £3 million judgement against an oil giant after claiming that fracking operations near their 40-acre ranch left them suffering severe health side-effects.



In what is believed to be the first successful legal action against a shale operator, Bob and Lisa Parr sued Aruba Petroleum for damages for a raft of illness they and their daughter Emma have suffered from for almost six years.



They convinced a jury that the company's hydraulic fracturing operations had contaminated their water and land in Decatur leaving them suffering nosebleeds, nausea and rashes.

Scroll Down for Video



Victorious: Bob and Lisa Parr with their daughter Emma have won almost $3 million from an energy giant that was fracking for natural gas near to their Texas ranch



Barnett shale: The fields around the Parr's Decatur home are one of the most successful and largest in the United States

'They’re vindicated,' said David Matthews, a Houston attorney representing the family to the Dallas News.



'It takes guts to say, ‘I'm going to stand here and protect my family from an invasion of our right to enjoy our property.’

During the trial, Robert Parr testified his family were left unable to drink the water out of their well and Emma would wake up covered in blood sometimes because of terrible nose bleeds.



While this is not the first lawsuit against an energy giant, this is the first successful lawsuit that went before a jury.

Ill-health: The Parr's kept a detailed record of all the health issues they were suffering including nosebleeds

Most plaintiffs settle beforehand.



'My doctors asked me to start keeping up with what was going on in my area because no one could figure out what was wrong,' said Lisa to MyFoxDFW.



Cattle born on the Parr's ranch were also deformed according to the lawsuit.



The jury awarded the family $275,000 for lost property value, $2.4 million for past mental anguish, pain and suffering by the couple and their daughter; and $250,000 for future pain and suffering.



The lawsuit stated that the Parr's 'experienced almost continual sickness, annoyance, discomfort and inconvenience', due to the fracking operations.



The Parr family live nearby the Wise County drilling site that lies upon the Barnett Shale, which is one of the largest natural gas fracking centers in the United States.

Severe: Emma would wake up covered in blood because of the nosebleeds she suffered which began in 2008

'These are all classic symptoms tied to hydrocarbon exposure,' said Brad Gilde, a Houston attorney who represented the Parrs in the trial to the Dallas News.



'The boom hit the Barnett in 2008 and it just so happened that’s when the Parrs moved onto the ranch. Almost immediately their health effects started to manifest.'



In a statement, Aruba Petroleum said it's in compliance with the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality.



'We contend the plaintiffs were neither harmed by the presence of our drilling operations nor was the value of their property diminished...Unfortunately, they delivered a verdict that we believe is counter to the evidence provided,' said a spokesperson in a statement for Aruba Petroleum.

Relief: The Parr family lived in such miserable conditions that they had to leave their home at one point

Ben Barron, one of the attorneys representing Aruba said that they are in discussions over whether to appeal.



'It was arbitrary,' said Barron, ponting out that there are 100 natural gas wells within 2 miles of the Parr's property - some not operated by Aruba.



'How do you determine which well caused what, if any, damages?'



'The facts of the case and the law as applied to those facts do not support the verdict,' Aruba said in a prepared release.

