Loved ones collect donations for widow of oil rig worker who died on the job

Friends are raising funds for a young Calgary woman left widowed after her husband died while working on an oil rig.

Derrick Cullum died near Rimbey, Alta., on Dec. 28.

Cullum collapsed, and co-workers performed CPR until EMS arrived and took over, but he could not be revived.

Family and friends have raised almost $21,000 so far in a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs and other immediate expenses that might arise for his 25-year-old wife.

They were just married in July.

The fundraising goal is $75,000.

Loved ones, who also have family members working on rigs, say Cullum was deeply cherished.

“Derrick was the give-your-shirt-off-your-back kind of guy,” said Cassandra Shearer, a family friend.

“He was very outdoorsy. He loved to hunt and play hockey.”

“Whenever I talked to my husband on the phone and Derrick was around, you could always hear him—he was loud, and he was just full of life,” she said.

“It’s important to help (his wife) during this time because if it wasn’t for these men doing their jobs, we wouldn’t have a lot of things that we have today.”

The cause of Cullum’s death is not known.

Occupational Health and Safety says it’s investigating a fatal workplace incident after a fall.

CTV News reached out to the employer, Precision Drilling, but hasn’t heard back yet.