Plant, Refinery, and Oil and Gas Injury Attorneys

Chemical plants and refineries are an essential part of energy production and a vital source of jobs in Texas and along the Gulf South. Many such as Chevron Phillips 66, Petroleum Service Corporation, and Dow Chemical Company, Schintech, Solvay, Vencorex, BASF Corporation, and Turner Industries are located in Brazoria County where David Bleakney grew up. Neighboring Harris County, Galveston County, and Matagorda County also have numerous plants and refineries. Texas has multiple oil and gas wells from east to the west Texas oil fields. Unfortunately, not all plants refineries or oil and gas companies exercise safe operating procedures and practices. 

Plant and refinery accidents are complicated, sometimes requiring in-depth investigations by refinery operations experts. Many questions must be addressed:

• What was the cause of the accident?

• Did it occur because of faulty equipment?

• Was there an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violation?

• Is negligence by a contractor or third-party maintenance a concern?

Oil field workers, offshore oil rig workers, and others working in the gas and oil industry face many risks every day in the workplace. With shifts up to 12 hours or more, these workers are at severe risk for accidents and injuries due to fatigue and drowsiness. Unpredictable weather events and conditions, as well as dangerous work duties, also add to the increased potential for oil and gas-related accidents. Sadly, many of these accidents end with devastating consequences.

Oil and gas is a significant industry in David Bleakney’s hometown of Angleton in Brazoria County. It's home to 9,809 drilled wells and 38 producing operators. Whether you work in a facility in Humble, Magnolia, Victoria, Houston, Bay City, Freeport, Baytown, offshore, or somewhere else, you deserve to work in a safe environment. When oil and gas businesses don't provide for their workers' safety or other parties are negligent, accidents happen. Unfortunately, in this industry, when they occur, they are substantial. The good news is that an oil and gas accident attorney is available and ready to help you fight for the compensation you deserve. If you or a family member suffered an injury resulting from an oil and gas accident, don't delay reaching out for help.

As an injured individual or a family member of a victim, you deserve the best possible legal representation. You can find that representation at TX Injury Group. Our chemical plant attorneys understand how shocking it is to be involved in such an accident. We can handle your claim while you recover from your injuries.

Common Causes of Texas Plant and Refinery Accidents

There are a variety of circumstances in a plant or refinery where workers face a severe risk of being injured. Even when they are careful, following proper safety procedures, and using the right safety gear, serious injuries still occur. Common causes of these accidents occur include:

• Improper maintenance – When plant and refinery equipment and heavy types of machinery, such as storage tanks, boilers, pressure vessels, and alarms, aren’t serviced and replaced when needed, an accident can occur with catastrophic results.

• Corrosion – It's normal for the metal in equipment and machinery to wear down over the course of use. However, if it's not inspected and serviced regularly, it could weaken and corrode, potentially causing the surrounding environment to begin oxidation.

• Chemicals – Strict regulations govern the chemicals that plants and refineries can use and their quality. When impure or dirty chemicals are used or aren’t appropriately mixed, dangerous chemical reactions might follow, with a resulting explosion or fire.

• Vehicle collisions – Heavy machinery, including forklifts and other equipment, can crash in the small work environments they are used in, causing workers to sustain severe injuries or fatalities.

• Struck by objects – Plant and refinery workers can be hit by or caught between the equipment and machinery they operate, especially if either isn’t adequately serviced or an employee isn’t trained concerning its hazards.

• Inadequate ventilation – Many hazardous chemicals and flammable gases and vapors are contained within confining spaces in plants and refineries. If employers don’t ensure adequate ventilation and follow other safety measures, a dangerous fire or explosion could happen.

• Ergonomic-related injuries – Like other workplaces, plant and refinery workers can sustain back injuries, spinal injuries, muscle sprains, and strains when lifting heavy objects, working in unnatural positions, and carrying out repetitive tasks.

• Slip or trip and fall accidents – Workers in plants and refineries also face slip or trip and fall hazards every day. From liquids or substances being spilled on the floor to tripping over equipment and machinery, nearly anything can cause a fall.

• Electrical hazards – Mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and other electrical energy sources must be designed, installed, and serviced properly. If they aren’t, workers can be subject to dangerous amounts of electricity, causing them to sustain electrical burns and other life-threatening injuries or death.

Common oil and gas accidents include:

• Slip and falls

• Exposure to harmful or toxic substances

• Transportation accidents

• Fires and explosions

• Defective machinery and equipment

• Faulty tools

Sometimes these accidents cause fatal injuries, leaving innocent families to pick up the pieces and carry on without their loved ones. At TX Injury Group, we firmly believe that no worker should have to be afraid of being injured or killed on the job. Our Texas plant and refinery lawyers are dedicated to pursuing recovery and justice for those affected by these devastating accidents.

Injuries From Oil and Gas Industry Accidents

Any of these accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries that can have far-reaching and life-long implications. 

Potential injures from oil and gas accidents include:

• Burns

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)

• Spinal cord injuries (SCI)

• Crush injuries

• Broken bones

• Accidental amputation

• Severe lacerations and abrasions

• Drowning

• Internal organ damage

• Hearing and vision loss

• Scarring and disfigurement

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• Long-term illness

• Death

Determining Fault in Your Accident

It’s often difficult to determine the cause of a refinery or chemical plant accident and who is at fault. Many oil, gas, and chemical plants and refineries in the Gulf Coast region are old and haven’t been appropriately upgraded for safety. Refineries and plants use subcontractors, many of whom are inexperienced and inadequately trained. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, the plant’s owners and their service providers are all potentially at-fault for the injuries that occur.

Your Legal Options After a Plant, Refinery, or Oil and Gas Accident

Our lawyers understand the challenges that injured oil and gas, plant, and refinery workers face after they suffer a severe injury in the workplace. We work hard to pursue all compensation available to our clients. Depending on several factors, you have different legal options for handling your claim.

If the company you work for subscribes to the Texas workers' compensation system, you might be eligible to file a claim for medical and lost wage benefits. Workers' compensation benefits would pay for all of your accident-related medical expenses and replace a portion of the income you cannot earn due to your disability.

Suppose someone other than an employer or co-worker caused the accident that injured you or resulted in the death of a loved one. In that case, you might be able to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the "third party." If successful, this type of claim could result in compensation beyond what workers' compensation provides, such as compensation for pain and suffering.

Keep in mind that many companies don't subscribe to the Texas workers' compensation program. If your employer doesn't, you could directly bring a personal injury or wrongful death claim against your employer.

Offshore workers have options specific to their work under maritime law. Their choices might include:

• The Jones Act – In some circumstances, this law provides compensation for injuries and illnesses caused by a vessel's unseaworthiness or the negligence of a co-worker or employer. Compensation might include past and future medical bills, lost income, reduced future earning capacity, and pain and suffering.

• Maintenance and Cure – This is a federal maritime law that provides benefits to certain seamen, no matter who was at fault for their accident. Benefits under the law include worker's daily living expenses or maintenance and medical expenses or cure until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement.

• Longshoreman and Harbor Workers Compensation Act (LHWCA) – Many offshore oil rig workers can also claim benefits under this law. Like the Texas workers' compensation system, this act covers medical bills and some of a worker's lost wages.

• Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) – Provides benefits to family members who have lost a loved one in an offshore oil rig accident. Families could receive compensation for their financial losses if their loved one's death occurred due to another party's negligence and beyond three nautical miles from the shore of Texas or any other state.

Keep in mind that in many cases, you can’t file both a workers’ compensation claim and a personal injury claim against your employer. Your plant refinery or oil and gas injury lawyer can discuss each of these options with you and help you make the best decision for your case.

Contact a Skilled Plant and Refinery Injury Attorney Today

If a plant and refinery employer or another party was careless, negligent, or violated the law or safety standards, resulting in your injuries or the death of a loved one, our plant refinery and oil and gas lawyers are ready to help. While no amount of financial recovery will undo your injuries or the loss of a loved one, a full and fair settlement or award can provide for your medical expenses, make up for lost wages, and compensation for your pain and suffering.

Our firm represents people who have sustained life-changing injuries due to negligence in industrial plants, refineries, and petrochemical plants located in Texas and along the Gulf Coast.  We have a unique ability to understand how plants and refineries operate, both the properly run facilities and the improperly run ones.  As such, we can effectively represent workers injured in plant and refinery accidents. Our attorneys also provide legal representation to the families of wrongful death victims in plant and refinery cases. For a complimentary consultation with an experienced plant and refinery lawyer, call us today.