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Oil fields are some of the most dangerous work sites, and employers are often liable for workers’ injuries in Midland.
Oil field 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, such as burns from explosions, spinal cord damage from falls, or even cancer from toxic exposure. 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 after suffering an injury. We can identify who is liable, whether they are your employer or a third party, and proceed with a compensation case to recover damages.
Call our attorneys for injuries at oil fields at (817) 476-1797 for a free case assessment from The Queenan Law Firm.
Why Oil Field Injuries Are Common in Midland, TX
Midland is located in the Permian Basin, one of the largest oil formations in Texas. This makes it a popular area for the oil and gas production industry, and the added activity also increases the risk of accidents and injuries in the region.
The oil industry is the driving force of Midland’s economy, employing thousands of workers in the area. The vehicles workers use in and near oil fields could increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents in the area, as seen by the reported 26,792 traffic accidents in the Permian Basin in 2023 alone.
Massive explosions, well fires, and other major accidents are less common due to the considerable safety regulations oil and gas producers must follow. Although these regulations are in place and enforced by agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), not all employers follow safety mandates, which can seriously endanger their employees. High-pressure blowouts, which could happen due to equipment failure or operator negligence, are a top cause of well fires, which could cause devastating burn injuries for victims. The blast from the blowout could force workers from oil rig platforms, causing them to suffer broken bones, traumatic head injuries, or spinal cord damage during falls.
The most common oil field accident injuries typically come from slip and falls, chemical exposure, equipment malfunctions. After you are hurt, our attorneys for injuries at oil fields can confirm your cause of action and begin working on your compensation case.
Who Workers Can Sue for Oilfield Injuries in Midland, TX
When you are injured on the job, multiple parties could be liable. For example, defective tools or safety gear could mean the device manufacturer is responsible for your injuries. If a coworker injures you, they could be directly liable for the harm you faced. Furthermore, a negligent employer could be held liable for the injuries they allow you to sustain. Oil drilling companies and oil field owners are often responsible for accidents that injure their workers, and our attorneys work to hold them liable for the injuries you face on the job.
Oil companies are responsible for properly training and equipping their workers and creating safety procedures and protocols to protect their workers on the job. If your employer fails to provide you with the necessary safety gear, they may be responsible for any injuries you face because of the missing equipment. The same may be true if you are provided with inadequate or defective safety gear that your employer should have taken out of service but failed to.
Employers who fail to train their workers properly and provide safety instructions also endangers their workers. For example, workers who do not know how to operate machinery safely could face serious injuries on the job. The same is true if employers fail to train coworkers or train them in a language they understand. Lack of safety procedures, checklists, “hard hat area” rules, and supervision can also lead to serious injuries on oil fields.
Evidence of these kinds of failures on the part of your employer can help us prove they were “at fault” for the injuries that you faced. When our lawyers take your injury lawsuit to court, we must prove that the employer committed some negligent act or omission that caused your injury, but we must also prove the damages that you faced from the injury.
Top Safety Violations on Oil Fields in Midland, TX
OSHA imposes many safety regulations on companies in the oil and gas production industry to mitigate the already high risk of injury to workers. Violating safety standards can make employers liable for workers’ injuries, and our lawyers can identify how they breached their duty of care and caused an accident.
Drill operators and other workers might be on elevated platforms and require fall protection. Failure to provide these protections could lead to accidents, especially on slippery platforms. A lack of respiratory protection could cause workers to inhale toxic substances, which could, in turn, lead to a whole host of medical issues, illnesses, and complications.
After an oil field incident caused by an OSHA violation, our lawyers may quickly interview other workers who were eyewitnesses to learn more about the accident and how the work site has historically been maintained. Finding a track record of injuries due to safety violations or general hazardous work conditions could strengthen our case, so our attorneys for injuries at oil fields will seek to uncover this information during our investigations.
Evidence in Midland, TX Oil Field Accident Lawsuits
We will need to organize compelling evidence, such as eyewitness statements, incident reports, medical records, and photographic evidence, to meet the standard of proof for civil injury lawsuits.
Witness Statements
One of the first things our lawyer may do is interview anyone present during the accident. This may include coworkers, and our lawyers can contact them and navigate obtaining their statements, which could be a delicate matter if they fear retaliation from your shared employer. Eyewitnesses can corroborate the sequence of events we present in court and confirm the victim’s cause of injury. Eyewitnesses can refute arguments that a victim was negligent themselves and contributed to or caused the accident, which may be important for their full recovery.
Incident Reports
Oil production companies will typically have records of accidents and their aftermaths, and our lawyers can obtain these documents on victims’ behalves. Incident reports can clarify an employer’s response to the accident and how they perceived its cause. We may have expert witnesses review these incident reports when lending their expertise to your case to inform their testimony better if your lawsuit goes to trial.
Medical Records
Your medical records will be some of the most crucial evidence in your case. Hospital records can show when you were hurt, confirming that your date of injury aligns with the oil field accident’s documented date. This can help us establish causation in your lawsuit, which we must do to prove liability. Your medical records may be extensive, particularly if you sustained burn injuries, a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, or complete bone breaks. We can keep these records organized and ensure we also maintain copies of medical bills so we can calculate your deserved recovery.
Footage and Photos
Some oil fields and drilling sites have camera systems to monitor workers’ actions and help ensure their safety. If this is true in your case, we can quickly preserve footage so it is not deleted or destroyed, as it could help prove your employer’s negligence. In addition to footage, we will also get pictures from eyewitnesses, first responders, or anyone else who might have taken photos of the accident’s aftermath or the victim’s injuries.
Recoverable Damages in Midland, TX Oil Field Accident Lawsuits
Injured workers who take their cases to court can claim damages for any physical or financial harm they face due to an 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 tangible 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’ Compensation typically does not pay damages for pain and suffering, which could be some of the highest damages in your case. Additionally, Workers’ Compensation only pays a fraction of your lost wages and medical expenses only if you use an approved doctor. To maximize your damages, our oil field injury lawyers can confirm if you are covered by Workers’ Compensation. If you are not, we can proceed with filing a negligence claim against your employer.
Call Our Midland, TX Oil Worker Injury Lawyers for Help Today
Call our attorneys for injuries at oil fields at (817) 476-1797 for a free case evaluation from The Queenan Law Firm.