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Houston Offshore Oil Injury Lawyers

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    Being injured on an offshore oil rig can result in serious harm. These injuries may have a delay in treatment before you can be evacuated to a hospital on the mainland. Injuries received in oil accidents may be quite severe, such as amputations, brain injuries, and burn injuries. If you or a loved one was injured while working on an offshore oil rig, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit to seek substantial compensation.

    Call the Queenan Law Firm’s Houston oil injury attorneys today for help with your case. Our attorneys may be able to take your case and fight to get you compensation for the medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering you face. To schedule a free consultation, call our law offices today at (817) 476-1797.

    Suing for Injuries on an Offshore Oil Rig

    If you were injured on an offshore oil rig, an oil ship, a barge, or any other oil vessel, you may be entitled to file a lawsuit for your injuries. Some land-based oil workers are required to file their case through Texas’ workers’ compensation system, and they may be unable to file a lawsuit and claim certain damages. However, your case might be handled under maritime law, which protects your right to sue your employer or the owner of the oil rig or oil ship to seek compensation.

    When you file a lawsuit for injuries, your case is usually based on a theory of “negligence.” In these cases, you aim to prove that your employer failed to follow some duty to keep you safe and prevent injury. This duty could be handed down through state or federal safety regulations, such as requirements that employers supply hard hats and proper safety training. Other duties could come from “common law” duties, such as the duty to warn of hidden dangers or repair dangerous defects on a vessel.

    You must also prove that your employer’s breach of duty actually caused your injuries. If the injuries would have been unavoidable or they were caused by a third party, you may not be able to win a case against your employer. In cases where a third party is liable for injuries, such as in a defective product injury case, you may be able to sue that individual or company instead.

    To receive damages for your injuries, you must be able to prove what damages you faced because of the accident. This means proving the cost of medical procedures, emergency medical transportation, rehabilitation, and other care you were billed for. If your injury was severe enough to miss work, you can prove the lost wages you faced by producing pay stubs, bank statements, and other financial records. You can also prove damages for pain and suffering, which is something you cannot usually receive through insurance or workers’ compensation.

    Common Injuries on Offshore Oil Rigs in Texas

    The injuries that oil workers sustain are not always severe. Most accidents result in minor injuries or injuries that require only a few days off work. However, there are catastrophic accidents on offshore oil rigs each year that leave victims with permanent or life-altering injuries and scars. Our attorneys will explain some of the most common injuries, as well as some of the less common injuries that are usually associated with offshore oil rigs:

    Brain Trauma and Head Injuries

    Oil rigs are often wet and slippery, especially if excess oil leaks onto the deck. Falling while on duty or in the crew quarters can lead to serious head injuries and brain trauma. These injuries are also common in accidents where workers fall off ladders or other high places because of insufficient safety gear or dangerous safety practices or where falling objects strike workers.

    Amputation and Crushing Injuries

    Offshore oil workers often work with large pieces of equipment which need to be assembled and may require some force to operate. This produces a risk of having limbs, fingers, or other body parts caught between objects, which could crush or amputate them. Moving parts of other machinery and equipment also produce a risk of serious crushing injuries or amputation.

    Burn Injuries from Fires and Explosions

    Oil explosions and serious fires are rare, but burn injuries are more common than these catastrophes. Smaller fires can break out in kitchens and crew quarters, or workers can be burned by overheating machinery. However, catastrophic explosions and fires cause some of the most severe injuries on oil rigs.

    Other injuries might include broken bones, cuts and scrapes, lacerations, back injuries, neck injuries, and other common types of physical injury.

    Offshore Oil Drilling Lawyers Offering Free Consultations on Injury Cases

    If you or a member of your family was injured while working on an offshore oil rig, take your case to The Queenan Law Firm. Our attorneys have combined decades of experience working with oil injury victims and their families and might be able to take your case. In addition, our attorneys handle offshore oil cases, which some lawyers may not be certified to handle. For a free consultation on your case, contact our Houston offshore oil injury lawyers today at (817) 476-1797.