Tank Battery Accident Lawyers in Houston

Fighting for Oilfield Workers & Families After Explosions, Burns & Toxic Exposure

A tank battery is a cluster of storage vessels that holds crude oil, produced water, and associated gas while waiting for measurement and transport. It sits near the wellhead and is a central part of extraction operations across the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale. A typical system includes separators, heater-treaters, storage tanks, gas flare stacks, and pressure monitors working together to separate oil, gas, and water brought up from the well.

That combination of volatile hydrocarbons, pressurized equipment, and routine maintenance work makes tank batteries among the most dangerous locations on any oilfield. Workers who gauge tanks, perform maintenance, or work nearby face real and recurring hazards.

Arnold & Itkin has been representing workers and families across Texas after catastrophic oilfield injuries since 2004. We’re headquartered in Houston, with additional offices in Dallas, San Antonio, Midland, Baton Rouge, and Albuquerque, giving us the reach to take on cases wherever they arise. Our record in oil and gas injury cases isn’t background noise. It’s the reason families call us after the worst days of their lives.

If you or a family member was injured in a tank battery accident, call us now at (888) 493-1629. We can review your case at no charge and fight for you from day one.

Fighting to Get the Best Results

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Common Causes of Tank Battery Accidents in Texas

Most tank battery accidents trace back to equipment failures, maintenance lapses, or inadequate safety protocols. 

The specific hazards include:

  • Explosions and flash fires: Hydrocarbon vapors are highly flammable. An electrical spark or static discharge near a tank can ignite vapors in seconds, turning a routine task into a catastrophic flash fire.
  • Overpressure events: Overfilled tanks or failed safety valves can release pressure suddenly, triggering explosions or violent fluid releases that endanger anyone nearby.
  • Equipment failure: Worn pumps, valves, and heaters can fail without warning, releasing high-pressure fluids or gases directly at workers.
  • Falls from height: Gaugers and pumpers climb tank batteries regularly to take readings and perform maintenance. A fall from that height can cause devastating injuries.
  • H2S exposure: H2S is a colorless, toxic gas produced alongside oil and gas. At low concentrations, it smells like rotten eggs, but the gas rapidly deadens the sense of smell at higher levels, so the absence of a smell is not a sign that the danger is gone. At high concentrations, it can cause sudden unconsciousness and death within minutes. Corroded pipes, faulty seals, and damaged tanks all create leak points, and workers who gauge or sample tanks are particularly at risk because opening a hatch can release accumulated vapor directly into their breathing zone. NIOSH identified at least nine such fatalities at U.S. oil and gas wellsites between 2010 and 2014.

Injuries Suffered in Tank Battery Accidents

The injuries from these incidents are severe. Workers burned in tank battery explosions often sustain third-degree burns requiring surgeries, skin grafts, and months of recovery. H2S exposure can cause chemical pneumonitis, respiratory failure, and neurological damage even when a worker survives. Explosions and pressure releases send debris at high velocity, causing broken bones, lacerations, and traumatic brain injuries. Falls from tank heights have resulted in spinal injuries, paralysis, and chronic pain that can permanently alter the course of a person’s life.

Many of these injuries require long-term medical care, rehabilitation, and periods of lost income that extend far beyond the initial hospitalization. That full picture is what we build your claim around.

Who Is Responsible for a Tank Battery Accident?

Fault in these cases frequently lies with the company that owns or operates the tank battery, whether through inadequate maintenance, insufficient training, or failure to provide proper safety equipment. But liability doesn’t stop there. If a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or another company on the site contributed to the conditions that caused the accident, they can be held accountable through a third-party liability claim, separate from any workers’ compensation benefits.

Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, personal injury claims are generally subject to a two-year filing deadline, though exceptions can apply depending on the circumstances. Speaking with an attorney as soon as possible protects your ability to pursue every avenue of recovery.

A Track Record Built on Oil & Gas Injury Cases

Our results in oilfield and energy cases aren't hypothetical. We secured a $164.5 million settlement believed to be the largest ever obtained on behalf of a single victim, for the family of a Texas worker fatally burned at an oil and gas facility. That outcome reflects years of preparation, thorough knowledge of industry safety standards, and the willingness to take these cases all the way to trial. Every case we handle is prepared for trial from the start, because that preparation is what helps force corporations to take responsibility rather than make lowball offers.

Recognized Trial Lawyers

Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin are both members of the Inner Circle of Advocates, a group of the 100 best plaintiff’s lawyers in the country. Our attorneys have been named to Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America” list and are recognized in Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. When you hire us, you get trial lawyers who know this terrain.

Steps to Take After a Tank Battery Accident

What you do in the days immediately following an accident can significantly impact your claim. 

Follow these steps to protect yourself:

  • Report the incident: Notify your supervisor immediately and document the time, date, location, and any witnesses present.
  • Get medical attention: See a doctor right away, even if injuries feel minor. Medical records are foundational evidence in any injury claim.
  • Preserve evidence: Photograph the scene, damaged equipment, and your injuries. Keep copies of any safety reports or incident documentation.
  • Don’t sign anything: Consult an attorney before speaking with an insurance adjuster or accepting any settlement offer. Early offers may not reflect the full value of a serious claim.

Talk to Our Tank Battery Accident Attorneys Today

You shouldn’t have to absorb medical bills and lost wages while fighting a corporation that has every resource on its side. We take tank battery accident cases on a contingency basis, which means you pay nothing unless we win. We cover all litigation expenses during the case. While you focus on healing, we'll handle every aspect of your claim and seek the fair compensation you need to move forward.

Contact Arnold & Itkin to schedule a free consultation with our Houston oilfield accident attorneys. Call (888) 493-1629 today. We’re ready to fight for you.

Common Questions

  • What Should I Do After a Tank Battery Accident?

    Tank battery accidents produce injuries that can worsen for hours or days after the initial incident, which shapes what you should do next. Priority one is medical evaluation. Burns can appear stable and then deteriorate, H2S exposure can cause delayed pulmonary edema, and blast injuries to internal organs may not present symptoms immediately. Once you're under care, ask coworkers to write down what they saw before memories start reshaping themselves around company talking points. If a company representative approaches you with paperwork before you've talked to your own attorney, don't sign. Employers frequently use those early forms to lock in a version of events that limits their exposure.

  • How Long Do I Have to File a Claim After a Tank Battery Accident in Texas?

    Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 caps most personal injury claims at two years from the date of injury. Wrongful death claims run on the same two-year clock. That deadline is a hard ceiling. Miss it, and your right to sue disappears regardless of how strong the case would have been. But the practical deadline is often much earlier: tank battery equipment gets replaced, incident reports get archived, and witnesses transfer to other sites within weeks. The best time to preserve evidence and lock in testimony is the first month or two, not the twenty-third.

  • What If My Employer Is a Non-Subscriber to Texas Workers' Comp?

    Non-subscriber status is one of the most consequential facts in an oilfield injury case, and many tank battery operators fall into that category. Texas allows private employers to opt out of workers' compensation, and those that do lose access to key defenses that would otherwise cap or defeat a claim. Specifically, non-subscribers cannot argue that the injured worker was contributorily negligent, that they assumed the risk of the job, or that a coworker caused the accident. In practical terms, a non-subscriber case often produces recoveries that are many times larger than what workers' comp would have paid, because the full range of damages, including pain and suffering, is on the table.

  • What If My Loved One Was Killed in a Tank Battery Accident?

    Texas allows the surviving spouse, parents, and children of a deceased worker to bring wrongful death claims under Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.004. In tank battery cases, that typically means suing the operator that ran the site, the contractors that maintained the equipment, and any manufacturer whose defective valve, gauge, or safety device failed at the wrong moment. Recoverable damages include funeral and burial expenses, the lost financial support the worker would have provided, loss of companionship, and mental anguish. Arnold & Itkin has secured verdicts and settlements at every scale in fatal oilfield cases, including the $164.5 million settlement for the family of a Texas worker fatally burned at an oil and gas facility.

  • What Compensation Can Tank Battery Accident Victims Recover?

    Recovery in a tank battery accident case usually includes three categories of damages: economic (medical bills, future care, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity), non-economic (pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life), and, when the conduct is bad enough, punitive damages under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 41.003. Burn injury and long-term chemical exposure cases in particular tend to generate the highest damage awards because the medical and rehabilitation costs stretch across decades. Non-subscriber cases add another dimension, because the standard defenses that would ordinarily reduce recovery are unavailable to the employer.
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