Houston Oil Rig Explosion Lawyers

Arnold & Itkin’s personal injury team knows what it takes to fight large oil companies with extensive resources. If an employer or insurer threatens your livelihood, pressures you through its lawyers, or asks you to sign away your rights after an accident, we step in to protect your interests.

Companies and insurers may seek statements, medical authorizations, releases, or settlement agreements before the full extent of an injury is known. We investigate the explosion, preserve available evidence, and identify the companies whose conduct may have contributed to it.

Our experience with oil rig explosions and maritime law includes high-profile litigation against well-funded defendants. We know that choosing the right Houston personal injury lawyer can affect how thoroughly a serious offshore claim is investigated and prepared.

Trial Preparation for Offshore Explosion Claims

When we take a person’s case, we work to pursue a favorable result based on the facts and applicable law. We can continue to pursue a case when a company refuses to offer fair treatment. If necessary, we can take the fight to a courtroom. We’ve stood up to companies such as ExxonMobil, BP, and Transocean when serious harm led to high-stakes litigation.

We’ve worked extensively on offshore accident cases and understand that the applicable legal framework can depend on the worker’s duties, the accident location, and whether the rig is legally treated as a vessel or platform. Depending on those facts, a claim may involve the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, state law, or the Death on the High Seas Act. We prepare every case for trial because our clients need a team ready to keep fighting when a company refuses to take responsibility.

An oil rig explosion investigation may include:

• Preserving incident reports, maintenance records, safety documents, and electronic evidence
• Identifying witnesses and determining which companies controlled the work or equipment
• Reviewing contracts, supervision, training, inspections, and maintenance responsibilities
• Evaluating the worker’s job duties, accident location, injuries, and applicable law

Common Oil Rig Explosion Injuries

Drilling uses intense pressure to retrieve oil. A blockage or backflow can contribute to an uncontrolled release of oil or gas known as a “blowout.” Blowouts can rupture equipment or pipelines, release pressurized hydrocarbons, and lead to catastrophic explosions and oil rig fires.

In seconds, an explosion can damage part or all of a rig, causing catastrophic injuries and claiming workers’ lives.

How Explosion Injuries Affect Workers

Burn Injuries
Burn injuries are a common consequence of oil rig explosions and fires. A worker may require emergency treatment, skin grafts, repeated procedures, rehabilitation, or amputation. Serious burns can also cause lasting pain, disfigurement, psychological trauma, and extended time away from work.

Brain Injuries
Brain injuries can result from flying debris, falls, forceful impacts, or oxygen deprivation caused by smoke inhalation or drowning. Their effects vary, but survivors may experience changes involving memory, movement, communication, behavior, or the ability to live independently. Some people require long-term therapy or daily assistance.

Spinal Cord Injuries
The force of an offshore explosion can cause spinal injuries, including damage that affects mobility and motor function. A serious injury may require surgery, rehabilitation, assistive devices, home modifications, or ongoing medical care. It can also change a worker’s earning capacity and ability to return to offshore employment.

Crush Injuries
Crush injuries can occur when collapsing structures, heavy machinery, or explosion debris traps or strikes a worker. These injuries may involve fractures, organ damage, nerve damage, or compartment syndrome, which is a dangerous buildup of pressure inside a muscle compartment. Survivors may face disability, repeated procedures, and significant rehabilitation.

Traumatic Dismemberment
The violent force of an explosion can sever a limb or cause damage that requires surgical amputation. These injuries may be accompanied by burns, blood loss, fractures, or other trauma that complicates emergency care. Recovery can involve prosthetics, rehabilitation, psychological care, and major changes to work and family life.

Falls Overboard & Drowning
Structural damage and confusion after an explosion may cause workers to fall into the water. Falls overboard can expose them to hypothermia, oxygen deprivation, and drowning. Survivors may experience physical injuries and lasting psychological trauma, while a fatal incident can leave a family facing wrongful death questions and the loss of financial support.

Discuss Compensation After an Offshore Explosion

Offshore companies have safety obligations, but the nature of those duties and the parties responsible depend on the work being performed and the law governing the incident.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an oil rig explosion, our attorneys can assess the available claims and applicable filing deadlines. Potential compensation may address medical treatment, rehabilitation, lost income, diminished earning capacity, disability-related needs, pain and suffering, disfigurement, or loss of family support when permitted by the governing law. We’ve secured more than $25 billion in verdicts and settlements for injured and wronged clients.

We handle these cases on a contingency-fee basis. Clients don’t pay attorney fees or litigation expenses unless we win a verdict or settlement on their behalf.