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Oilfield workers in Texas perform physically intensive work in the hot sun throughout most of the year. These workers are at risk for serious injuries that many other workers might not face, with oil workers facing a higher risk of injury than workers in many other industries. If you work as a roughneck, derrickhand, or another pumping and drilling worker, you may need to contact an oilfield injury lawyer at some point in your career.
The Queenan Law Firm’s Midland, TX oilfield injury attorneys represent oil workers injured on the job in Texas. Our attorneys also represent the family members of severely injured oil workers and workers who lost their lives to on-the-job accidents and injuries. If you or a loved one faced injuries while working at an oilfield, contact our attorneys today to discuss the potential of filing a lawsuit against the employer. Our number is (817) 476-1797.
Suing for Oilfield Injuries in Texas
When you are injured on the job, the fault could fall with many different people. Defective tools or safety gear could mean that the manufacturer of the device is responsible for your injuries; if a coworker injures you, they could be directly liable for the harms you faced; or a negligent employer could be held liable for the harm that they allow you to face. Oil drilling companies and oilfield owners are often responsible for accidents that injure their workers, and our attorneys work to hold them liable for the injuries you or your loved one faced on the job.
Oil companies are responsible for properly training and equipping their workers, and for creating safety procedures and protocols to keep their workers safe on the job. If your employer fails to provide you with necessary safety gear, they may be responsible for any injuries you face because of the missing safety gear. The same may be true if you are provided with inadequate or defective safety gear that your employer should have taken out of service.
An employer who fails to train its workers properly and provide safety procedures also puts its workers at risk. If you do not know how to work machinery safely, you could face serious injuries on the job. The same is true if your employer failed to train a coworker or failed to train them in a language they understand. Lack of safety procedures, checklists, “hard hat area” rules, and supervision can also lead to serious injuries.
Evidence of these kinds of failures on the part of your employer can help you prove that they were “at fault” for the injuries that you faced. When you take your injury lawsuit to court, you must prove that the employer committed some negligent act or omission that caused your injury, but you must also prove the damages that you faced from the injury.
Damages in an Oilfield Lawsuit
Injured workers who take their case to court are entitled to claim damages for any physical or financial harm they faced as a consequence of the injury. This means that any payments you were forced to make or harms you suffered that would not have occurred without the injury can be claimed against your employer as damages in court. The primary areas of damages that injury victims usually sue for are medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages.
The damages for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering can be calculated by looking at the evidence available in your case. Hospital bills, pay stubs, bank accounts, and other evidence often provide a clear record of the expenses you faced and wages you missed. Financial experts can take this data and extrapolate it to find the value of medical bills and lost wages going forward as well as damages for reduced earning capacity if you were forced to take a lower-paying job or leave work altogether. Damages for pain and suffering can be proven through your testimony about how the injury affected you. When you take your case to court, you are usually entitled to claim full damages. If you handle your case through workers’ compensation instead, you may be limited in what damages you receive. Workers’ comp. typically does not pay damages for pain and suffering, which could be some of the highest damages in your case. Additionally, workers’ comp. only pays a fraction of your lost wages and covers medical expenses only if you use an approved doctor. To maximize your damages, talk to an oilfield injury lawyer about how to reject workers’ compensation in Texas.
Call Our Midland, Texas Oil Worker Injury Lawyer for a Free Legal Consultation
The Midland oilfield injury lawyers at The Queenan Law Firm represent oil workers who suffer serious injuries at work and the families that they leave behind after deadly accidents. For help with your case, contact our law offices today to schedule a free legal consultation on your case. Our phone number is (817) 476-1797.