How Arnold & Itkin Helped a Burn Victim Rebuild After a Pipeline Fire

A routine day on a pipeline job in Louisiana turned tragic when a fire erupted during maintenance. One worker lost his life, and Desmond Calloway was left with severe burns and an uncertain future.

He needed someone who would stand up for him.

He needed Arnold & Itkin.

The Day That Should Never Have Happened

Desmond had been pigging the pipeline, clearing and cleaning the line, when fire suddenly erupted. The blast killed the coworker standing beside him and left Desmond with life-threatening burns.

“I was on fire, had fire coming from my body. I had to jump over a fence to get away from the fire.”

He ran to the highway, where passing drivers rushed him to the hospital and into a burn unit. He stayed there for 18 days, enduring pain so severe he couldn’t sleep. During recovery, his girlfriend had to help him with daily care until he regained the ability to do it himself.

When His Employer Failed Him

While fighting to heal from the pipeline explosion, Desmond learned something else: his employer wasn’t going to take responsibility. He was left to face medical bills, lost wages, and uncertainty about the future on his own.

That’s when he decided to call Arnold & Itkin.

“I realized that the company I was working for wasn’t going to do anything for me, so at that point I decided to hire an attorney. […] The people at Arnold & Itkin are great because anytime I called or needed anything, it wasn’t a hesitation. Whatever I needed, they gave it to me. Just one call, and they were there to do it.”

Hiring our firm allowed Desmond to focus on recovery, knowing that someone was fighting for his future.

What His Story Means for Others

Desmond’s experience is not unique. In industries such as oil and gas, catastrophic accidents are a common occurrence. Sometimes they are caused by negligence, unsafe practices, or equipment failures. When they do, injured workers are often left without support.

That is where Arnold & Itkin steps in.

We are trial lawyers who never back down. Our clients are people whose lives have been changed forever, and they deserve someone to stand up for them when no one else will.

When you hire our team, your case becomes personal.

We don’t shrink from tough fights.

We don’t back down to corporations or insurance companies.

We fight because we know what is at stake: your future, your family, your dignity.