Waco Oilfield Accident & Injury Lawyers

Compensation for Serious Oil Field Injuries

Texas is the No. 1 energy production state, employing tens of thousands of people in oil fields and refineries offshore.

However, this industry leadership comes at a cost.

Serious injuries in the oil industry cost many workers their livelihoods and, in too many cases, their lives.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that oil field workers face seven times the rate of serious injury of all other industries.

If you were injured on the job in an oil field, you have the right to compensation.

This article details what you need to know to pursue maximum compensation for your oil field injury. For immediate assistance, please contact us online or call (254) 752-9688 today.

Our Waco personal injury attorneys are ready to fight for you.

Types Of Oil Field Injuries in Texas

Dangerous working conditions with heavy machinery and toxic chemicals injure many oil field workers each year.

Here are some of the injuries oil workers sustain:

These oil field injuries often leave workers severely disabled or even claim their lives. Workers may not be able to work and provide for their families after suffering such terrible injuries.

Meanwhile, injured employees face expensive medical treatment and may suffer mentally and emotionally during their recovery.

When you are injured or lose a loved one on the oil field, you deserve just compensation.

Pursuing compensation can provide for you and your family, giving you the medical care and income needed after your oilfield accident.

An experienced oilfield injury lawyer can protect your rights and pursue the maximum compensation on your behalf.

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Types of Oil Rig and Oil Field Accidents

Long hours and insufficient safety regulations put many oil field workers at risk.

Each year, workers are injured or killed in accidents such as these:

  • Vehicle tip-overs and collisions,
  • Equipment malfunctions,
  • Drilling rig accidents,
  • Collapsing platforms, and
  • Explosions and fires.

Oil companies must protect their employees from dangerous conditions. When a worker is injured in an oil field accident, the oil company should pay, either through workers’ compensation or a lawsuit.

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Workers’ Compensation for Oil Field Injuries

Most states require employers to subscribe to workers’ compensation insurance.

Workers’ compensation protects employers from lawsuits and provides medical care and income to injured employees.

If your employer subscribes to workers’ compensation, you should file a claim soon after your accident.

Workers’ compensation is not a fault-based system, which means that even if you caused the accident, you can still recover compensation.

Of course, there are some exceptions, such as if you were intoxicated, committing a crime, or not on duty when your accident happened.

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What Does Texas Workers’ Compensation Provide?

Workers’ compensation provides payment for medical care and a reduced wage while you are disabled.

If your injuries permanently prevent you from resuming your regular job, workers’ compensation may pay for job retraining.

Workers’ compensation provides a certain level of recovery for oil field injuries, and the Texas workers’ comp lawyers at Zimmerman Law Firm can help you if your recovery claim is denied or called into question.

While this system of compensation is helpful for injured employees, it may not pay enough to cover an employee’s housing and bills.

When your employer has workers’ compensation insurance, you usually cannot sue. However, some states, like Texas, do not require employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance.

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Suing for Oil Field Injuries in Texas

When your employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance, you may be able to sue for injury compensation.

To successfully sue your employer, you must show that someone acted negligently and this caused your injury.

For instance, maybe your supervisor didn’t provide proper training to employees or a fellow crew member neglected to clean an oil spill.

More often than that, however, we file third-party lawsuits when the negligence of a party other than your direct employer contributes to your injury or — in the worst-case scenarios — the death of a family member.

For instance, if a manufacturing defect caused a platform you were standing on to collapse, you probably sustained severe injuries.

In that case, our Waco personal injury attorneys could sue the platform manufacturer for your injuries. In a product liability lawsuit, you can sue to recover medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering.

To sue the manufacturer or designer of faulty oil field equipment, you must prove one of these products’ liability points.

Design Defect

The oil field equipment had a design defect that made it dangerous. The designer could have chosen a safer design.

With a safer design, the equipment would still work well and would reduce the risk of injury. You suffered injuries because of this design defect.

Manufacturing Defect

Perhaps the oil field machinery was well-designed, but the manufacturing facility made a mistake.

If a manufacturing defect made the equipment dangerous and you were injured, you can sue.

Failure to Warn

Sometimes, even the best-designed and constructed oil field equipment is dangerous. However, the manufacturer should warn you about the dangerous aspects of machinery.

If the manufacturer failed to post a warning and you had no reason to suspect the danger, you could sue for your injuries.

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What Should I Do If I’m in an Oilfield Accident?

If you suffer injuries on your job site or while working in an oilfield, the first step is to seek medical attention.

All oilfield accident attorneys know these dangerous accidents often result in debilitating and sometimes permanent injuries.

Alternatively, even if your injuries are not immediately apparent, seek a complete medical evaluation anyway.

Follow all the steps outlined by your medical provider. For example, your doctor may require you to take prescription medication and complete physical therapy for your injuries.

Your oil rig injury attorney uses all your medical records to connect your injuries to the oilfield accident. 

Additionally, remember not to accept any offers of settlement in the beginning stages of your recovery.

Representatives from the oil company may wish to speak to you to coerce you into an unfavorable settlement.

While accepting a seemingly generous offer of money may be enticing, your case is likely worth much more.

Your oil rig injury attorney analyzes the facts of your case and negotiates favorable settlement terms on your behalf.      

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When Should You Take Legal Action?

After an oil field accident, you have a limited time to recover compensation for your injuries.

You should take these steps to protect your compensation potential:

  • Report your injury to a supervisor,
  • Seek immediate medical treatment,
  • Do not return to work if you are injured, and
  • Contact an experienced oil field accident lawyer.

The statute of limitation prevents you from filing a lawsuit after some time passes. For instance, you have only two years to file a personal injury, wrongful death, or product liability lawsuit in Texas.

Some exceptions apply to this rule, but you should contact an oil field injury attorney quickly so the statute of limitations doesn’t bar your claim.

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Do You Need an Oil Field Accident Lawyer?

If you were injured or lost a loved one on the oil field, you need a skilled oil field accident attorney. Oil company insurance attorneys do not have your best interests in mind.

If you try to negotiate with the insurer on your own, they may try to take advantage of you by offering you less money than you deserve.

Understandably, you may wonder, How can an oilfield accident lawyer help me? 

When you have a skilled personal injury attorney on your side, the insurer can’t trick you into taking a low settlement. Once you accept a low settlement, you cannot come back later to demand more money.

Your oil rig injury attorney provides you with an accurate value for your case, so you understand from the start what your case is worth.

With this information, you are better prepared to enter into negotiations for a favorable settlement that gets you back on the road to recovery. 

Your attorney will take these steps to try to get you maximum compensation:

  • Investigate your accident,
  • Gather available information,
  • Interview witnesses,
  • Review your medical records,
  • Calculate a fair damages request,
  • Negotiate with the insurer, and
  • Take your case to trial if necessary.

Most reputable oil field accident attorneys work on contingency, which means that you owe nothing until your attorney settles your case or wins a verdict.

A contingency payment structure levels the playing field, so you can hire the best attorney for your case even if you are struggling to make ends meet.

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Experienced in All Kinds Of Oil Field Accident Injuries

The Zimmerman Law Firm is experienced in providing assistance at the non-subscriber, workers’ compensation, and civil lawsuit levels.

We have been helping accident victims for decades, and we have the experience and skill to help you fight even the biggest oil company.

We invite you to call our attorneys to schedule a no-charge, no-obligation case evaluation.

You can visit our offices, or we can meet virtually or come to your home or hospital—whatever is safest and most convenient for you.

Reach our Waco personal injury attorneys at our Waco, Texas office at 254-752-9688 or 1-800-INJURIES, or send us an email message with your questions.