Oil Rig, Oilfield, and Oil Truck Injury Attorneys in Dallas

How Do Oilfield Accidents Happen?

We've found our way to patches 30 miles deep into ranches on the border and to oil rigs just up the highway. But whether the injury occurs 140 feet off ground or 20 stories above the ocean, if your oil rig lawyer can’t focus on your case, the oil rig companies will rub salt in your wounds. They have massive resources and they fight dirty. They blame the victim. They blame those who can’t pay. They never accept fault.

We get it. But we've been able to help a roughneck hurt during a rig-down; the family of a company man who burned to death; a geologist who had trailer parts fall on him; a welder who had a line explode; and civilians hurt by rig companies on the road.

Offshore oil and gas drilling present many hazards to workers and can be far more dangerous than drilling on land. Dangers for those working on offshore oilfields include:

• Severe Sea Storms: A sea storm means high winds and massive waves. That spells danger for anyone on the water, but especially for oil rigs, as, unlike boats, the machinery cannot be moved to safety on the shore. There are regulations on how far above the ocean platforms must be, but a particularly strong storm with high enough waves can still cause incredible damage to the rig. This can lead to injury, fatality, and potential oil spills, which impacts those living on nearby shores.
• Inclement Weather: Harsh weather, such as extreme cold, hail, high winds, snow, or extreme heat can lead to injury to workers. They may slip and fall on wet platforms, they may be blown off the rig by extreme winds, or they may be struck by a piece of hail. There is also the possibility of weather causing damage or malfunction to the rig itself, which can be catastrophic.
• Explosions: Explosions on oil rigs are most often caused by equipment malfunctions, negligence, ignoring safety regulations, blowouts, or fires. Explosions are almost always devastating given the environment and the difficulty of escape. Workers are burned, shattered, and killed. The local communities’ industries are poisoned.
• Fires: Fire is one of the biggest concerns on oil rigs. One spark can spell disaster, burns, and death. It can also lead to explosion and even further catastrophe.
• Blowout: There are different kinds of blowouts — surface blowouts, subsea blowouts, and underground blowouts — they’re all deadly and lead to extreme devastation.
• Falls: On a rig, you’re either at an extreme height, or below something that is. A wrench can kill when dropped at 110 feet. Being struck by a falling object is among the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) “fatal four”, or top four causes of death in workplaces.
• Machinery: Everything on an oil rig is metal, in motion, or under pressure. Add noise, exhaustion, and greed, and that’s a recipe for severe injuries.
• Fatigue: Oil rig workers have long shifts, often 8-14 hours a day for 7-14 days in a row. This non-stop schedule leaves workers tired and slows their reflexes. Fatigue and exhaustion can kill in a dozen different ways.

When an accident takes place over water, maritime laws apply. Maritime law is complex and expensive to fight. The Dallas wrongful death attorney or personal injury lawyer that you hire to assist you must better have the fire power you’re going to need.

Work With an Experienced Dallas Oilfield Injury Lawyer

The Lenahan Law Firm is ready to assist clients who were seriously injured in maritime accidents, on an offshore rig, on the patch, or by an oil company's trucks. The types of injuries sustained on an oil rig can be extremely serious. It is important that you legal team is put into motion right away so that your compensation is not denied. Every moment matters.

Our Dallas personal injury attorneys can handle maritime law and focus exclusively on severe injures. In this way we are able to devote our firm to injured individuals that deserve the highest quality help.

Additional Information

• Essential Oil Rig PPE To Protect Workers
• Are There Any Truly Safe Ways of Transporting Oil?
• Dangers Of Oilrigs And Oilfields
• Oil and Gas Extraction - OSHA