WeGo Perforators v. Hilligoss

JOHNSON, Justice.

The defendant in error, hereafter referred to as plaintiff, was the owner and operator of an oil well. The plaintiff in error was a co-partnership engaged in operating a specialized oilfield service, and hereafter is referred to as defendant.

In the course of his operations, the plaintiff employed the defendant, admittedly an independent contractor, to perforate and “shoot” certain sand formations in the oil well. In the performance of these functions, the defendant used a primer cord made up of a high explosive encased in an aluminum tube about the size of a lead pencil in…