Midland Wrongful Death

When someone is killed because of the careless actions of another, it is, in legal terms, a “wrongful death.” A wrongful death can be emotionally devastating and bring on unexpected financial burdens to the family. If one of your family members was killed in Midland because of someone’s carelessness, call Carabin Shaw. A Midland wrongful death lawyer at our firm is standing by to help you.

Midland may not be the largest town in Texas, but it is a hub for business and a major center of the Texas oil industry. People come and go all the time. Most are responsible and decent, though there are a few who have little regard for human life who haphazardly commit crimes and often never return. These irresponsible individuals can turn a safe town into a dangerous one.

To put matters into perspective, the number of fatal car accidents in Midland reached record highs in 2013 and 2014, our last major boom. Automobile fatalities doubled that of other Texas towns with similar populations.

Hydraulic fracturing – a method of extraction known as “fracking” – was introduced during these years, breathing new life into the oil industry. Workers poured in from other towns and states. The result: almost forty people dead on the road before oil production dipped sharply in 2015.

If one of your family members died during these years, contact a Midland wrongful death lawyer at Carabin Shaw. We will execute justice, and seek the financial compensation you deserve.

But to file a wrongful death case, you will need to know what counts as a wrongful death. Below are some of the factors that determine whether you have a wrongful death case:

• Malpractice,
• Unsafe work conditions,
• Drugs and alcohol,
• Texting and driving, and more.

As you can tell, wrongful death incidents can occur anywhere: work, school, the road, home, the sidewalk, and even in the hospital.

In our town, work-related injuries and death are especially common. The oil fields of Midland are inherently dangerous, but sometimes employers fail to take all the necessary precautions to create a safe work environment. For example, many have questioned whether oilfield workers receive enough safety training.

Most oil companies require their workers to take a safety class, which culminates in an exam that students must pass to get credit. But here’s the controversy: The class only lasts a week, which, many have argued, is not nearly enough time to learn proper field safety. The absence of a thorough safety training program has raised doubts as to whether oil companies are doing everything they can to provide a safe work environment.

When companies fail to protect their employees, they are responsible for any incidents that occur on the job. But to prove their culpability, you will need a highly qualified lawyer. A wrongful death lawyer serving in Midland will demonstrate how an employer is guilty.

Though the oil industry has shrunk significantly in the past couple of years, Midland still proves to be fertile ground for prospecting companies. Earlier this year, geologists found the largest oil supply (experts predict a whopping 20 billion barrels) in Midland’s history. Fracking will be used to extract the oil and natural gases. This method has been attacked aggressively by environmentalists, but few have paid attention to the harm it can cause workers.

Oil and other materials are channeled to large tanks during the fracking process. One of the responsibilities of oil field workers is inspecting the contents of the tanks. These inspections only take a few minutes, but must be done dozens of times during a worker’s shift.

As they make these routine checks, workers inhale toxic fumes, which can cause fatal illnesses. If a company doesn’t provide proper safety equipment – in this case, ventilation masks – it may be responsible for the worker’s fatal illnesses. If one of your family members has died from an illness he or she developed while working on a fracking project, call a wrongful death lawyer serving in Midland.

An attorney in Midland has the legal right to represent the deceased, and we deserve the best lawyers available in our great state. Carabin Shaw can provide those lawyers and legal experts who are fluent in both English and Spanish. But you must take action soon. Statutes of limitations apply to wrongful death cases. To learn more about Midland time limitations and Midland wrongful death cases, give us a call day or night at 432.620.0544.