Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Accident Lawyer

Helping Injured Oilfield Workers Pursue Compensation After Oil Rig Accidents in California and Hawaii

In 2010, the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform killed eleven workers, injured seventeen more, and dumped five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the next three months.

While this catastrophe helped to publicize the perils of deep-sea oil and gas offshore drilling rigs, the fact is that oil platforms have always been dangerous places to work, even if most offshore accidents, including fatal ones, never make it into the local newspaper. A skilled offshore oil and gas worker accident lawyer will help you if you are involved in this type of accident.

The general public never hears about most oil platform accidents—it’s a classic case of “out of sight, out of mind”—because most drilling platforms are located miles offshore, and only the companies that operate them and the people who work on them are aware of their existence.

While offshore drilling rig workers tend to be well-compensated for their work duties compared to their associates on the mainland, they still have it rough. Offshore workers have to commit to six-month stretches of living in complete isolation and are often called upon to work 12-hour or longer shifts in order to meet deadlines or production quotas.

It’s rare for an oil or gas platform to simply explode, as happened to the Deepwater Horizon.  More often, platform workers are injured in less dramatic fashion: exposure to toxic chemicals, poorly maintained heavy machinery, or the negligence of their fellow offshore workers are just three examples.

The tension of living for months at a time on a remote oil platform can also result in assaults or fistfights; sometimes, the offshore injuries sustained in these brawls are severe enough that the injured parties have to be taken back to the mainland for medical treatment.

As the Deepwater Horizon demonstrated, oil platform accidents can be followed by months of obfuscation on the part of oil companies, as well as the owner of the platform. The rights of offshore workers employed on platforms operating in U.S. waters are preserved by the (officially called the Merchant Marine Act of 1920), an extension of mainland disability laws to sailors, fishermen, and other marine workers.

If you have been injured in an oil platform accident—or if your loved one has been killed—the Jones Act entitles you to recover damages from the responsible parties; at the very least, you are entitled to fair compensation for your medical bills and time away from work. The settlement can be much more substantial in cases of gross negligence or recklessness.

What Oilfield Workers Does Our Maritime Injury Lawyer Represent?

At the Law Offices of Preston Easley, our oil field accident attorney and his legal team have years of experience representing injured workers in pursuit of fair compensation. Oil rig work ranks among the most dangerous jobs in the country. While oil companies should spare no expense to ensure worker safety on the oil fields, many workplace accidents and violent incidents regularly occur, sometimes resulting in devastating consequences. Injured workers or the surviving family members of the recently deceased need to understand their legal rights when filing a claim against the oil company.

Whatever your position and duties on the drilling rig, we can help you file an oil field accident claim.

Oil rig workers we represent include, but are not exclusive to, the following:

• Administration staff
• Field engineers
• Field gaugers
• Field operators
• Fuel station technicians
• Loaders
• Longshoreman
• Maintenance planners
• Managers
• Product supply workers
• Project engineers
• Pump mechanics
• Security personnel
• Testers
• And more

If you work in the oil industry and suffered serious injuries at the job site, contact experienced oil rig injury attorneys to discuss your claim. If it can be proven that someone else’s negligence or recklessness was the cause of your accident and injuries, you may be able to recover financial compensation from the at-fault parties or their insurance company providers.

Do the Rights of Injured Oil Rig Workers Differ from Injured Seamen?

Offshore workers and seamen are both employed out at sea. However, certain factors distinguish both professions. An offshore worker typically works on an oil rig or drilling platform. While they are out at sea, they are also working on an established platform. On the other hand, seamen work aboard different types of watercraft, ships, and vessels. Depending on their specific duties, they may be required to work inside a particular ship, but the ship itself moves from one place to another over the high seas.

The legal rights of injured oil rig workers and seamen also differ.

The Jones Act allows injured seamen to recover financially from negligent employers by filing personal injury lawsuits against them.

Offshore workers, like oil rig workers, cannot rely on the Jones Act to recover compensation if they suffer a serious injury on the job. Offshore workers are generally not classified as seamen, so they are not covered under the Jones Act.

Depending on the circumstances of your oil field accident case, you may be able to file a workers’ compensation or personal injury claim. Contact an experienced attorney familiar with maritime law to understand your legal options for holding negligent parties accountable.

What Steps Should You Take in the Aftermath of an Oil Rig Accident?

If you have been in an oil field accident at the job site, you must take certain steps to safeguard your health and well-being while strengthening the viability of your personal injury case.

The first and most important thing is to seek medical attention immediately after an oil platform accident. Even if you believe you have only suffered minor injuries or mild burns, these injuries can sometimes worsen. Failure to get proper medical treatment could also threaten the boundaries of your case.

Notify your employer, supervisor, or manager that the accident happened. You want to ensure that the accident and your injuries have been properly documented. The accident report will be crucial evidence for your oil rig accident lawyers.

Take photos and videos of the accident scene, your injuries, and any heavy equipment involved in the accident, and collect any accident-related evidence. If there were any eyewitnesses to the incident, obtain their contact information, as their testimonies may be valuable later.

Keep thorough records of all out-of-pocket expenses, medical care, and correspondence with your employers or their workers’ compensation insurance providers.

Consult with an experienced oil field injury attorney as soon as possible to guarantee that your legal rights are protected. Your attorney can assist you in filing a workers’ compensation claim or explore other options for taking legal action.

Schedule your free initial consultation with our legal team today.

What Are Examples of Oilfield Accidents and Incidents?

While incidents that occur on oil rigs are generally rare, any accident or violent encounter can result in devastating consequences. Major accidents that occur on the platform hundreds of miles from land have the potential to prove fatal or cause catastrophic injuries to workers. Occupational safety rules should be followed and maintained at all times, but even the most careful staff still makes mistakes, and sometimes defective equipment lets us down.

Common causes of oilfield accidents include the following:

• Acts of violence, including sexual assault
• Battery explosions
• Cabling or block breaks
• Crushing accidents involving unsecured equipment
• Dangerous safety procedures
• Electrocution
• Equipment defects and mechanical failures
• Exposure to toxic chemicals and harmful substances
• Falling objects
• Falls from great heights
• Faulty grating
• Fires and explosions, which can happen due to highly flammable gases alongside welding and electrical work
• Gas leaks
• Gas plant or oil refinery accidents
• Hazardous weather conditions
• Improper chemical storage
• Inadequate training
• Job-related illnesses from chemical exposure
• Negligence or recklessness while operating heavy machinery
• Negligent hiring practices
• Oil rig worker fatigue
• Oil well pressure buildup
• Overcrowding, which can result in hostile work environments
• Poorly maintained equipment
• Rig collapses
• Safety violations
• Slip and fall accidents on uneven, slippery, or dangerous surfaces
• Unanticipated environmental hazards
• Vehicle accidents, including land transportation incidents

Many drill rig accidents are entirely preventable with more comprehensive safety and training. Human error plays a significant role in the type of accidents and their severity. Whether you suffered injuries on the oil rig or in transportation accidents to or from the rig, our law firm can help you seek financial recovery.

What Are Common Injuries Sustained in Oil Field Accidents?

All too often, oil field accidents can result in fatal injuries. Even when the injuries do not prove fatal, though, the results of the injuries can be catastrophic and life-altering.

Examples of oil worker accident injuries include the following:

• Back and neck injuries
• Broken bones and fractures
• Chemical inhalation
• Crushing injuries
• Emotional trauma and post-traumatic stress
• Eye injuries and vision loss
• Forced amputations and loss of limbs
• Illnesses from exposure to toxic substances
• Organ damage and internal bleeding
• Permanent hearing loss
• Poisoning
• Serious burns and disfigurement
• Soft tissue injuries
• Spinal cord injuries, including complete or partial paralysis
• Sprains and strains
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Wrongful death
• And more

Can an Experienced Attorney Help You Fight for Maximum Compensation?

Federal laws protect offshore workers injured on the job. With a successful case, injured workers or the representatives of deceased workers can recover various forms of financial compensation.

When workers’ compensation benefits are simply not enough, or when the insurance company challenges your claim, an experienced oil field accident lawyer will fight on your behalf to help you get the compensation you deserve.

Potential compensation may include the following based on the specifics of your oil field injury case:

• Past medical bills and future medical expenses, including physical therapy costs, surgical procedures, and the cost of prescription medications
• Lost wages and lost income earning capacity if the injured worker is unable to return to work
• Physical pain and suffering compensation
• Emotional distress and mental anguish damages
• Disability, dismemberment, and disfigurement
• Property damage
• Loss of companionship or consortium
• Wrongful death benefits

In some cases, accident victims or surviving family members may be awarded punitive damages for their personal injury or wrongful death claim.

There may be a statute of limitations that gives a time limit on how long you have to file a claim. Contact our law firm immediately to discuss your oil field injury case today.

Do You Need the Help of Oil Field Accident Lawyers to Take on the Oil and Gas Industry?

Even when a drilling rig accident is clearly the oil company’s fault, they rarely, if ever, take full responsibility for any associated injuries or deaths. The oil and gas industry employs teams of lawyers to defend their interests, blame accident victims for their own injuries, offer lowball settlements, and limit you to workers’ compensation benefits. Sometimes, an oil company will utilize unsavory tactics such as hiring private investigators to follow or harass you and sometimes even terminate your employment.

Hiring an offshore injury lawyer following an accident is essential. Your lawyers will help ensure you meet your accident reporting obligations, file your injury claims on time, negotiate for better settlement offers, and fight to ensure you receive sufficient compensation.

Do not assume that the oil company has your back. They might pay you well, but that’s because you perform a dangerous job that few people are willing to do. Any previous support they might have given you in the past is unlikely to last when you file a claim against them. Contact our law firm for legal assistance filing claims against the negligent parties and recovering the maximum compensation you require.

Schedule Your Free Initial Consultation with an Oil Field Injury Attorney Serving Hawaii and California Oil Field Workers Today

If you have been injured in a maritime accident, whether your case falls under maritime law or civil law, our lawyers can help.  If you lost a loved one in a fatal maritime accident, our offshore accident attorneys can help you get civil justice and financial compensation to help you recover from your loss.

Call today or email us to arrange a free initial legal consultation to learn more about your rights and the best approach to taking legal action against any parties who can be held accountable for your loss.

You can reach us at 310-773-5207.