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Explosions often cause catastrophic and fatal injuries, entitling victims or their survivors to compensation for their many losses. These cases can be challenging to navigate for many reasons, and you can make the process easier by seeking out help.
To ultimately get compensation after an explosion injury or death, our lawyers need medical evidence of the victim’s injuries. Victims typically need to go straight to the hospital for serious burns, amputations, and other common explosion injuries. Medical evidence is some of the most important evidence in your case, so you should prioritize your physical health. While you do that, we can preserve evidence, confirm that you have a case, calculate your damages, and negotiate a settlement offer you can accept.
Get the free case assessment you need by calling The Queenan Law Firm at (817) 476-1797 and speaking with our explosion death and injury attorneys.
Steps to Compensation After an Explosion Death or Injury in Houston
Compensation for explosion injuries or deaths is mandatory for victims and survivors, and our attorneys can help you take all the necessary steps toward a successful recovery.
Immediate Medical Attention
Immediate medical attention is an essential first step after an explosion on a construction site, oil rig, or elsewhere. Victims might be more likely to survive catastrophic injuries if they get the appropriate emergency treatment right away and do not wait.
Medical records will document the extent of an injury and the treatments for it. If an injury becomes fatal, the decedent’s medical records will be just as important in a wrongful death lawsuit brought for the benefit of eligible survivors.
Accident Documentation
Explosions are typically very well documented because they are major incidents. Law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services may all need to respond to the scene to manage the fallout and provide aid, and each may generate its own report on the accident.
You might be too injured after an explosion to think about documenting the accident. Our explosion death and injury attorneys understand that and may obtain photos from eyewitnesses and law enforcement, videos from nearby security cameras, incident reports, and other accident documentation.
Evidence Preservation
Preserving physical evidence after an explosion can be challenging, as the scene will likely be cleaned up as soon as possible for others’ safety. Photos help preserve the scene as it was immediately after an explosion, helping us piece together what happened. Anyone who witnessed the explosion may be able to give useful testimony, so we can also prioritize preserving eyewitness statements.
Case Confirmation
Confirm if you can get compensation for a serious or fatal explosion injury, and, if so, what recovery methods are available to you. For injuries sustained on oil rigs, construction sites, and other workplaces, Workers’ Compensation may be the sole means of recovery for injured workers. Filing a lawsuit may be an option if a third party’s negligence caused the onsite explosion or if an employer’s gross negligence caused a victim’s wrongful death.
If you suffered injuries at home because a product you were using had a design or production defect, you would have reason to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
Damages Calculations
To get compensation for serious or fatal explosion accident injuries, you need to know what your damages add up to. Third-party lawsuits for explosions on construction sites and oil rigs can yield total compensation for economic and non-economic damages. Both personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits offer more damages than Workers’ Compensation, so always see whether you can file a third-party claim.
Settlement Negotiations
For many victims of explosions and their survivors, lawsuits end through successful settlement negotiations. Settling does not guarantee a fair or fast recovery, however, and you should not agree to any offer unless an attorney has told you it is fair. Settlement negotiations sometimes take longer than victims would like, but that extra time may be necessary to increase the opposing side’s offers enough so that you can feel WORD accepting a settlement.
FAQs About Explosion Injuries and Deaths in Houston
What Are Top Causes of Explosion Deaths and Injuries?
Fires, defective products, chemical or gas leaks, hazardous oil rig conditions, and faulty electrical wiring are some of the top causes of explosion deaths and injuries.
How Long Do You Have to Sue for an Explosion Injury in Houston?
The statute of limitations for personal injuries, including those sustained in an explosion, is 2 years from the date of injury in Texas.
How Long Do You Have to Sue for a Fatal Explosion Injury in Houston?
The statute of limitations for wrongful death lawsuits due to fatal injuries is also 2 years in Houston. However, the statute of limitations accrues on the date of death, not the date of injury.
Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit for an Explosion Death?
The victim’s surviving spouse, children, and parents are the only individuals who can bring a wrongful death claim in Texas for the first 3 months following the victim’s death. If no claim is brought within those 3 months, the victim’s personal representative may file a claim.
Who Can Benefit from a Wrongful Death Lawsuit for an Explosion Death?
A wrongful death claim is for the sole benefit of the victim’s surviving spouse, children, and parents in Texas.
Are the Same Damages Recoverable for Explosion Injuries and Deaths in Houston?
In a personal injury case following an explosion, the victim can recover all medical bills, lost wages, and non-economic damages. In a wrongful death claim, the survivors will cover damages they have personally incurred, not damages the victim incurred before their death. To get compensation for the deceased victim’s damages, you can bring a survival action.
Get Our Help After Serious or Fatal Explosion Injuries
You can call The Queenan Law Firm today at (817) 476-1797 to get a free case analysis from our explosion death and injury attorneys.