Oilfield Accidents

Texas leads the nation in oilfield deaths.

Construction work of any kind is risky – In San Antonio and across the state, construction work comes with unique hazards, and injuries happen at high frequencies.

• Falls are the most frequent cause of injury.
• 1 in 10 construction workers are injured every year.
• Fall protection guidelines are the most violated of OSHA standards.
• 60% of worksite injuries happen in the first year of employment.
• Close to 16% of all construction injuries are related to exposure.

While all construction sites are dangerous, oilfield workers are the most at risk for severe injury and death.

More and more oil and drilling companies are placing profits over safety. This dangerous policy is causing an increasing number of oilfield accidents across the country. Most of the accidents are preventable and occur because of negligent conduct, inadequate training or experience, improper maintenance, or equipment failure.

Were you injured in an oilfield accident in Texas? Call Shaw at 800-862-1260 for immediate assistance today.

Despite numerous safety standards and products in place to prevent oil field accidents, oil field workers are suffering on-the-job injuries at an alarming rate and level of severity. The most common accidents occur as a result of:

• Improperly maintained equipment
• Slips and falls
• Defective machinery
• Pipeline hazards
• Exposure to dangerous fumes
• Tank explosions
• Inadequate safeguards
• Poorly trained workers

According to CDC data spanning from 2015 to 2022, the leading sources of severe injuries for oilfield workers were:

1. Machinery (633 injuries, 30.1% of total severe injuries),
   1. Logging/Construction/Mining Equipment (483 injuries, 20%).
2. Parts and Materials (460 injuries, 21.9% of total severe injuries)
   1. Pipes, ducts, and tubing (101 injuries, 4.8%),
   2. Machine and appliance parts (67 injuries, 3.2%),
   3. Heat-environmental equipment (52 injuries, 2.5%),
   4. Hoses (37 injuries, 1.8%).
3. Structures and Surfaces (174 injuries, 8.3% of total injuries).

These severe injuries most commonly occur in the following areas:

1. Upper Extremities (895 severe injuries, 42.6% of total injuries),
   1. Hands (771 injuries, 86.1%)
2. Lower Extremities (376 injuries, 17.9% of total injuries)
   1. Legs (254 injuries, 67.6%)
3. Backside/Multiple Body Parts (416, ~10% of total injuries).

In most cases, the injuries that occur in oilfield accidents are unusually severe and result in massive injuries or death. This leaves the injured party incapable of returning to work and earning a livelihood, leaving his family financially devastated.

Most injuries in the CDC report (95.5% or 2,090 injuries) were classified as traumatic and included injuries such as:

• Open Wounds (740, 35.2%),
• Bone, Nerve, and Spinal Cord Trauma (589, 28%),
• Other Traumatic Injuries and Disorders (307, 14.6%)

The leading cause of traumatic injuries for all workers was contact with objects and equipment (60.9%), followed by slip-and-fall accidents (17.6%).

Don’t become another statistic. Call Shaw for your oilfield injury at 800-862-1260.

Injuries to oilfield workers have risen steadily since the pandemic.

An immediate investigation is critical to help overcome some of the obstacles in determining liability for your oilfield accident. Having an understanding and knowledge of federal and state regulations governing oil fields is foundational when developing a case against all of the third parties who may be responsible for an accident. It’s also essential to have someone who knows how to stand up to the attorneys working for the gas and oil companies.

When you call Shaw, we begin the job of determining what went wrong and who is responsible for the accident. In many cases there are numerous contractors and subcontractors involved at the job site who carry varying degrees of responsibility.

Our lawyers, investigators, and oil field experts in San Antonio will immediately begin an assessment of the oil field and the accident site, begin the process of preserving evidence, and identify and question critical witnesses.

You may be entitled to compensation for things like:

• Ambulance Costs,
• ER Treatment,
• Surgeries,
• TBI,
• Spinal Cord Injuries,
• Disability,
• Lost Work,
• Loss of Earning Capacity,
• Wrongful Death,
• And More.

The oilfield injury lawyers of Carabin Shaw represent those who have been injured and killed on oilfield sites in San Antonio as well as other cities across the state of Texas, including:

• Abilene
• Amarillo
• Austin
• Brownsville
• Corpus Christi
• Dallas/Fort Worth
• El Paso
• Houston

Schedule your free consultation with one of our attorneys today. Call Shaw at 800-862-1260: no fees, no obligations, just expert advice. We put our clients first because we care.

We look forward to serving you.