Texas Gulf Coast Refinery Injury Hotspots | Help for Victims of Serious Work Accidents

Gulf Coast refineries are major employers in cities like Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Texas City. Some of the country’s largest petrochemical complexes are located here, along with some of the most catastrophic petrochemical accidents. Explosions, fires, and exposure to toxic chemicals have killed or injured numerous refinery workers, many suffering disfiguring burns and other long-term effects. The Texas workplace injury lawyers at Carabin Shaw dedicate themselves to helping victims and their family members pursue compensation for their losses.

Standing up to Texas oil corporations such as ExxonMobil, Valero Energy, and Marathon Petroleum requires a lawyer with extensive experience in personal injury law. At Carabin Shaw, we have decades of experience, and you pay nothing unless we win your case. Contact us online or call toll-free at 1-800-862-1260 to schedule your FREE case review today!

Your Texas refinery accident lawyer will have to prove that the defendant in your case is liable for your damages to negotiate a settlement or win a judgment in a work injury lawsuit. Typically, they accomplish this by proving negligence, which is a failure to use reasonable care to maintain safety. A blatant disregard for safety measures or the reckless endangerment of employees may constitute gross negligence in an oil refinery injury claim.

To prove negligence or gross negligence, your legal team may hire a refinery operations expert to determine the root cause of the refinery accident. Industrial accident attorneys are generally familiar with the inner workings of refinery plants, but they need expert testimony to convince a judge or jury that a person’s wrongdoing caused your injuries as opposed to an unforeseeable accident. An expert witness’s testimony that a company disregarded OSHA regulations, company safety protocols, or laws like the Clean Air Act can contribute to your lawyer’s case against a refinery.

A Gulf Coast refinery injury lawyer will calculate the value of your injuries and related damages to claim in a personal injury lawsuit. Injuries commonly seen from refinery work include:

• Burns
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Respiratory damage
• Hearing loss
• Lacerations
• Bone fractures
• Eye injuries
• Slips and falls
• Death

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the refinery industry has more deadly accidents related to hazardous chemical exposures than any other industry. Your lawyer is likely to be familiar with shelter-in-place orders in Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Texas City that officials put in place following refinery accidents, some of which were deadly.

Your attorney can help you hold employers accountable for your work injuries, but whether they do this through negotiations with workers’ compensation insurance or a personal injury claim depends on the details of your case. Workers’ compensation insurance is an “exclusive remedy” for employees, meaning they cannot sue employers for work injuries unless the employer’s gross negligence caused a fatality.

Even if your employer does carry workers’ compensation insurance, your attorney may have other legal options to pursue compensation on your behalf after a refinery injury. Third parties may be liable for injuries and typically have no protection from workers’ compensation insurance policies. Read our law firm’s client reviews to find out more about our successful case history.

At Carabin Shaw, we want our clients to understand their rights after a work injury, so they can set reasonable expectations but also pursue the maximum compensation for their injuries. Meeting with our legal team can be the difference between a low-ball settlement offer from an insurance company and a comprehensive negotiated settlement that covers your economic and noneconomic losses. Call any time, day or night, at 1-800-862-1260, or contact us online to book your free case evaluation now. English- and Spanish-speaking staff are available 24/7 to answer your call.

For more information:

• Cornell Law School
• OSHA
• Texas Statutes 408