Texas has been a leader in the energy sector since the Spindletop Oilfield was discovered in 1901. With a capacity to process more than 5.1 million barrels of crude oil a day, this state accounts for over 28% of the country’s total refining capacity.
Unfortunately, the oil industry can be as dangerous as it is lucrative. Every year, over 4,000 workers are injured: the CDC reports that offshore oil and gas workers are seven times more likely to die on the job than those in other occupations. In 2017, 69 workers were killed, with 44 of those deaths occurring around rigs in Texas.
At the Villarreal & Begum, LAW GUNS, we have successfully represented injured oil field workers in a wide range of claims. Our legal team has the experience and resources to take on the largest oil companies in the state and help ensure that our clients receive the maximum compensation their case deserves. To schedule a free consultation with an Austin personal injury lawyer, contact us today.
Our oil field injury lawyers in Austin TX have a strong success rate because we have the skill, experience, and determination to go toe-to-toe with big oil companies and their legal teams. We also won’t hesitate to go to trial if the company doesn’t make a settlement offer that fully compensates you for all of your injuries and damages.
At the Villarreal & Begum, LAW GUNS, we focus exclusively on personal injury cases like this.
If you’ve been injured or lost someone you love in an oil field accident, you need a personal injury lawyer with an extensive background in these types of cases.
While it may seem cheaper to deal with an oil company’s insurer on your own, don’t forget that these representatives don’t have your best interests in mind. Knowing that you don’t have legal representation, they may try to take advantage of you by offering you less money than you deserve. With a skilled oil drilling accident attorney on your side, the insurance company will find it a lot harder to cheat you out of a fair settlement.
Your personal injury attorney at the Villarreal & Begum, LAW GUNS, will take the following steps to get the compensation you need:
Our oil field injury attorneys work on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we win your case.
There are different circumstances that can lead to an oil field accident. Every year, workers are injured or killed in incidents involving vehicle accidents, explosions, fires, blowouts, truck accidents, equipment malfunctions, and other preventable incidents, many of them called by safety violations.
Oilfield injuries and fatalities are often caused by moving vehicles, heavy equipment, high-pressure hoses, cables, and overhead cranes. On certain types of industrial equipment, pressure levels can fluctuate or register incorrect values due to malfunction. According to the Occupational Safety And Health Administration, three out of five fatalities at oil and gas sites involve struck-by, caught-in or caught-between hazards. Motor vehicle crashes involving oil trucks fall into this category.
Oilfield explosions and fires are often caused by blowouts, swabbing, tripping, welding, and failure to maintain the proper hydrostatic overbalance in the well. Oil fields are filled with highly volatile gasses and vapors that can be ignited with the tiniest spark.
Blowouts are uncontrolled releases of oil or gas from wells. Different types include:
Many oil exploration companies and drillers hire inexperienced workers or those not qualified to work in oil fields. Without proper training, these workers may not be familiar with safety regulations and procedures. Furthermore, they may not be familiar with how to properly use the equipment, machinery, and other tools needed to drill and extract oil. Negligence of this sort can have severe consequences, especially if there is a lack of safety equipment or safety procedures in the field.
It is the company’s responsibility to protect its employees from dangerous conditions. If an oil field worker suffers an on the job injury, the oil company should provide compensation, either through its workers’ compensation insurance or a personal injury lawsuit.
Several oil field workers are injured each year by dangerous working conditions involving heavy machinery and harmful chemicals. Below are a few of the serious and sometimes fatal injuries that oil workers often sustain:
Following such catastrophic injuries, an oil field worker may be temporarily or permanently disabled, leaving them unable to provide for their families. Meanwhile, they may have to undergo costly medical treatment, all the while suffering emotionally and mentally. Our oil field injury lawyers in Austin TX fight hard to ensure that injured workers and their families don’t lose financial stability because someone else was negligent.
You have a limited amount of time to claim compensation for your injuries following an oil field accident. If your employer has workers’ compensation insurance, you must report your injury within 30 days. If they don’t, the Texas statute of limitations states that you have up to two years to file a personal injury claim, but it’s important to act quickly so that you can receive compensation sooner.
Once a medical examination confirms that you’ve been injured, contact an experienced oil field accident lawyer who can help you access the benefits or financial recovery you need to sustain yourself and your family while you heal.
The workers’ compensation system protects employers from lawsuits and provides medical care and income to injured workers. If your employer offers workers’ compensation, you should file a claim as soon as possible after the accident. Workers’ compensation is not a fault-based system, so even if you caused your injuries, you can still receive compensation.
If your oil field injury claim is approved, it covers your medical care and pays a reduced wage until you are able to return to work. Workers in this state usually receive 70% their average weekly wage, subject to required maximums and minimums. The maximum weekly compensation for injuries occurring between October 2021 and September 2022 is $1,058 and the minimum is $159.
Workers’ compensation may also cover job retraining for those who can’t return to their former occupation. If your claim is denied or questioned, your oil field injury lawyer can help.
Unlike a lot of states, Texas does not require employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. If your employer does not, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against them if their negligence caused you harm. For example, someone else on your crew didn’t clean an oil spill or your supervisor didn’t teach you how to handle a certain tool safely, resulting in devastating injuries.
Your oil drilling accident attorney can explain the legal process involved with filing a claim against your employer. Proving negligence can be difficult, but we know how to evaluate the evidence and identify all liable parties for workplace injuries.
If a party other than your employer was negligent, we can file a third-party lawsuit against them. For example, if a manufacturing defect caused a tool to explode in your hands, resulting in severe injuries, you could sue the manufacturer to recover lost wages, medical bills, ongoing medical treatment, pain and suffering, and other damages.
For a product liability claim to succeed, you must prove at least one of the following:
A personal injury attorney with experience in these cases can collect the evidence needed to make a compensation claim against the negligent party.
Most oilfield workers choose dangerous positions such as oilfield work to support their families. Unfortunately, a workplace accident can have serious consequences for the worker as well as their loved ones. If you were involved in an oilfield accident, Villarreal & Begum, LAW GUNS in Austin can help you receive full compensation for yourself and your family. To schedule a free initial consultation with an oilfield injury attorney, contact us by calling (512) 800-0000 today.
