Louisiana Explosion Lawyers
Gas Well, Refinery & Offshore Explosions in Lafayette & Across Louisiana
As a Gulf Coast state, Louisiana is home to factories, refineries, natural gas wells, and hubs for offshore drilling operations. Unfortunately, with industry comes the risks that accompany it—including explosions. When an explosion happens, it’s typically the people who didn’t cause it who suffer the most.
At Arnold & Itkin, our explosion lawyers work to investigate accidents and demand answers from the companies and people who could’ve prevented them, yet didn’t. Often, we find that a lack of training, not enough investment in safety equipment, or other types of negligence triggered a blast. If companies remained truly dedicated to protecting their workers, these incidents would have never happened. No one should suffer under the weight of medical bills, lost wages, and an extensive recovery process because their company failed to protect them.
If you’ve suffered from an explosion in Louisiana, call Arnold & Itkin. Our Louisiana injury lawyers have recovered billions of dollars for clients. Call (888) 493-1629 for a free review!
The St. Mary Parish Oil Well Explosion
On May 23, an abandoned natural gas well in Little Wax Bayou near Belle Island had a blowout. Texas Petroleum Investment Company, the owner of the well, attempted to cap the well on its own. After failing to do so, it turned to Wild Well Control to handle the situation. Two days later, on May 25, officials confirmed that “something” caused a spark and triggered an explosion doing the capping of the natural gas well. The explosion sent four workers to local burn units, two of whom had to be evacuated from the site via air transport.
While officials are currently working to determine the cause of this incident, it isn’t the first explosion involving a Texas Petroleum-owned location. In August of 2020—less than a year before the Louisiana natural gas well explosion—a platform owned by the company exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. According to an article published a month after the incident, the cause of the explosion had not been determined.
Why Explosions Are Serious
In short, explosions are serious because those harmed by them are rarely able to simply recover and move forward with their lives as they were before. Explosions are violent, fiery, and cause lasting trauma for anyone near them. If a person survives being close to a blast, it’s likely that they'll have lasting injuries, both mental and physical. Explosions cause blunt force trauma to those unlucky enough to be in their blast radius. Additionally, the sudden and intense heat produced by an explosion causes severe burn injuries that require extensive medical procedures and cause lasting—and often painful—scarring.
Long-term effects of explosions and their injuries include:
- Inability to make a living
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Chronic or constant pain
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional and mental anguish
Notably, each of the struggles listed above has an unfair financial impact on survivors and their families. Medical bills compound, workers lose their ability to earn a living as they once did, and families suddenly discover that they’re at risk of losing everything. All because of an accident that was completely preventable.
Explosion Injury FAQ
Why Do Explosions Happen?
After investigating countless industrial explosions, oilfield accidents, and offshore disasters, our Louisiana explosion lawyers have identified a pattern of negligence with these incidents. Explosions almost always happen when companies cut corners with safety in favor of profits.
In some cases, something as simple as making sure an aging valve was replaced could have prevented deadly explosions.
Determining the cause of the explosion that harmed you requires an experienced and dedicated law firm. Explosions don’t just “happen” and our team is ready to investigate yours to uncover the answers you deserve.
How Much Does Hiring a Louisiana Explosion Lawyer Cost?
Getting help from our firm will cost you nothing up front. Since the people who come to us for help are under extreme financial pressure already, we work with something called a contingency fee. In short, this means that we cover call costs associated with a case and don’t collect a payment unless we secure results for a client. Turning to our lawyers means you have nothing to lose.
Should I Accept a Settlement After an Explosion?
Never accept a company’s settlement offer before speaking with an attorney. Often, settlement offers are designed to be low and help a company get away with an accident for less money. Once a person accepts a settlement, they can no longer seek further compensation. In one case handled by our attorneys, the company wasn’t being fair during the negotiation process. Our team took them to court and was awarded a verdict that was four times larger than what the company was offering.
What Can an Explosion Injury Lawyer Help With?
We often recover expenses such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, the cost of future care, the loss of the ability to work, and anything else a person has lost because of an accident. Our Louisiana explosion lawyers focus on two things after explosions: determining who should’ve prevented one and then holding them accountable for the harm they inflicted on others. We always prioritize pursuing the compensation that clients need after serious accidents. While nothing can change what happened to them, having financial freedom means a person and their families can focus on adapting to life after serious explosion injuries.
What Parts of Louisiana Do Your Explosion Attorneys Serve?
Our lawyers can help after all types of explosions—from gas well accidents to offshore oil rig blasts—in any part of Louisiana. We serve Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, New Orleans, Lake Charles, and more.
When Explosions Change Lives in Louisiana, People Turn to Our Attorneys
At Arnold & Itkin, we’re known for being a firm that fights no matter how difficult a case is. We’ve faced some of the largest companies in the world, defeating their armies of lawyers so our clients could obtain the justice they deserved. We fought some of the largest oil and gas companies after the Deepwater Horizon explosion. We demanded answers after the Williams Olefins Geismar explosion. Each time, we secured the compensation that our clients needed to move forward. We always fight for the recovery that clients need, making sure their medical needs, financial security, and other damages caused by an explosion are taken care of. Importantly, we know that the people who come to us are counting on our team to do the seemingly impossible. That’s why we fight hard, refuse to back down, and never settle for less than what will make things as right as possible. No matter what.
Call our Louisiana explosion law firm now at (888) 493-1629 for a free consultation. Discovering your options is fast and confidential, and there's no obligation.
