At least one of the eleven men that died in the initial explosion that triggered a disaster in the Gulf expressed concerns about safety practices on the oil rig.

Transocean toolpusher Jason Anderson told his wife, Shelly, that he was concerned about BP’s safety practices on the rig. Anderson was so worried about an accident that he spent his last trip home getting his affairs in order.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Everything seemed to be pressing to Jason about getting things in order. In case something happened. Teaching me how to do certain things on the motor home so that I could go and do things with the kids, make sure that I knew how to do everything,” an emotional Shelly Anderson told NBC’s Lisa Myers.

Her husband drew up a will and talked about his hopes for their daughter and son.

The last few times Jason called her from the rig he was was clearly worried.

“They were getting pressure from someplace higher up to do things that maybe weren’t exactly the way Jason thought that they should be,” she said. “It was a safety issue.”

“Jason’s father told us Jason was concerned that BP, which controlled the rig, kept wanting to stray from procedures to finish the well faster, which Jason considered unsafe,” Myers reported.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Transocean CEO sat in the Anderson kitchen and told Shelly how he would take care of her family. But even before the memorial service could take place, Transocean went to court to limit their overall damages.

“They haven’t even let us say good-bye to at least have closure for his memory a little bit, to have time to explain to a 5-year-old that her daddy is in heaven. They’re filing these lawsuits to limit us. They need to just slow down. Back up,” said Anderson.

This video is from NBC’s Today Show, broadcast June 3, 2010.

ADVERTISEMENT



