Were you injured in an explosion accident in Midland, TX?
At Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers, we represent people injured by explosions at well sites, tank batteries, plants, and pipelines in the Permian Basin.
If you were injured in an explosion in Midland, you have a claim against each company whose negligence contributed to the blast, including companies other than your employer. A Midland, TX explosion accident lawyer identifies each responsible company from the incident records and brings the claim against that company’s insurer.
Both of our founding attorneys belong to the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and we represent injured people only. We accept explosion cases on a contingency basis with no attorney fee unless we recover compensation. Call us for a free consultation.
Explosion Accident Lawyer Midland, TX
An explosion accident attorney brings a claim for a person injured by a blast at an industrial site against each company whose negligence contributed to the explosion, whether that company is the operator or one of its contractors. The operator and its contractors share the site, but each denies responsibility for the explosion, so we first establish which company controlled the equipment, the procedure, or the hazard that caused it. From the operator’s incident report, the contractors’ job safety analyses, and the gas detection records, we identify the company whose decision led to the blast.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has received reports of nearly 500 serious chemical incidents in 43 states in the five years since its reporting rule took effect, according to its incident reporting release. The 25 incidents described in the board’s second volume of reports caused 7 deaths and 23 serious injuries.
Types of Explosion Accident Cases We Handle in Midland, TX
Our explosion accident attorneys handle blasts at the drilling sites, production facilities, and processing plants that surround Midland. Which companies are responsible depends on the cause of the explosion, and each cause leaves its own record.
- Well blowouts. A well that is not controlled releases gas under pressure, and any nearby ignition source ignites it. The drilling contractor’s records show whether the well control equipment was tested and whether the crew followed the well control plan.
- Tank battery explosions. Vapor collects around oil storage tanks, and a worker gauging a tank or a contractor using a torch nearby can ignite it. The operator’s records show whether the tanks were vented and whether the site was tested for gas before work began.
- Pipeline ruptures. A pipeline that corrodes or is struck by excavation equipment releases gas that can ignite far from the rupture. The pipeline company’s inspection and maintenance records establish what it knew about the line’s condition.
- Hot work ignitions. Welding or grinding near flammable vapor is the most common cause of a preventable explosion. The hot work permit shows who authorized the work and who was responsible for testing the atmosphere first.
- Oilfield accidents. An explosion at a well site or a production facility involves the operator along with several contractors, and we establish each company’s role on the day of the blast.
- Refinery accidents. A plant explosion injures workers across the facility, and the plant’s process safety records are the center of the claim.
- Truck accidents. A tanker that ruptures in a collision can explode on the roadway, which makes the hauler and the shipper both parties to the claim.
- Burn injuries. The burns from an explosion require months of treatment, and we value the claim only after the surgeons have finished their work.
- Workplace injuries. A worker injured by a blast may have a claim against a company other than the employer, which the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage does not bar.
- Wrongful death. A worker’s surviving spouse, children, or parents can bring a claim against the companies responsible, and we handle that investigation on their behalf.
Why Choose Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers as my Explosion Accident Lawyer in Midland, TX?
Attorneys Who Once Defended the Operators
Mike Streich represented Lloyd’s of London syndicate members in catastrophic injury cases arising from oilfield, pipeline, and refinery incidents before he began representing injured people. As defense counsel, he reviewed the internal investigation reports, gas test logs, and permit files that operators keep after an incident. A Midland explosion accident attorney at our firm requests an operator’s internal investigation report, gas test logs, and permit files first, because an operator does not produce them unless a claim demands them. Matt Greenberg has spent his career on the plaintiff’s side of plant explosion and chemical release cases. The Texas Lawbook, the Dallas Morning News, and Houston Public Media have reported on his cases.
Recoveries in Explosion and Plant Cases
Our attorneys have recovered more than $348 million for injured clients and families. Our attorneys’ recoveries include $20 million for an oilfield worker burned when contractors left open a valve on a blowout preventer, as well as $7,373,750 in a plant and refinery accident case. As a personal injury lawyer in Midland, TX, we pursue every company whose negligence contributed to an explosion, not only the company that employed the injured worker.
What Is Important to Understand About an Explosion Accident Case?
What Should You Bring to Your Explosion Accident Consultation?
An explosion accident lawyer in Midland, TX asks first for the documents that identify the companies on the site, because we direct the claim at those companies from the start.
- Bring any incident report, witness statement, or safety form that you signed or received after the explosion.
- Bring the names of the companies working on the site that day, including your employer and the operator.
- Bring your medical records from the first treatment onward, including any transfer to a burn center.
- Bring any letter or payment offer from an insurer or from the operator.
The consultation is free. Before the consultation ends, we explain which companies appear responsible and which of their records we would request first.
What Is The Explosion Accident Case Timeline?
An explosion claim begins while the site is still being investigated. In the first days, we send preservation letters to every company on the site so that the equipment, the gas detection logs, and the video are kept. We also request the incident reports that the operator and its contractors have already written. Agency investigations by OSHA, whose Lubbock Area Office covers Midland County, run on their own schedule, and we do not wait for them to finish before building the claim.
Medical treatment sets the pace for the rest of the case. A Midland, TX explosion accident attorney sends the settlement demand only after the treating physicians have described the permanent effects of the injury, which in a burn case can take a year or more. If the companies’ insurers dispute liability or the value of the claim, we file suit in Midland County and take the depositions of the supervisors who were on the site. Mediation usually follows those depositions, and trial follows if mediation fails.
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Explosion Accident Cases
Liability in an explosion case rests on negligence, and the negligence is usually found in a decision made before the blast: a skipped gas test, an untested valve, a hot work permit issued without an atmosphere check. The company that made the negligent decision is responsible for the injuries that followed, whether or not it employed the injured worker.
- Medical expenses. Burn center treatment, skin grafts, and reconstructive surgery make up the largest part of most explosion claims. We include future procedures when the surgeons have documented the need for them.
- Lost earning capacity. A worker who cannot return to the oilfield recovers the difference between the former wage and the wage the injury permits.
- Noneconomic losses. Physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical impairment are recoverable under the state’s damages statute, valued separately from the bills.
- Exemplary damages. When a company’s conduct amounts to gross negligence, a jury may award exemplary damages on clear and convincing evidence.
What Are Important Aspects of an Explosion Accident Case?
Four issues arise in most explosion claims in Midland.
- The companies on an industrial site carry separate insurance policies, and each insurer argues that another company controlled the hazard, so we present the claim to every insurer with the same evidence.
- The Midland County Fire Marshal investigates fire incidents in the county and holds the Tier II chemical inventory reports that facilities file. The Tier II reports show which hazardous materials were stored at the site.
- A worker’s claim against a company other than the employer is not affected by the employer’s workers’ compensation coverage, and an explosion accident attorney in Midland identifies that company before we file the claim.
- The state’s limitations chapter allows two years from the date of the explosion to file suit, and we request the companies’ records long before that deadline.
Reach Out to Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
Consult a Midland explosion accident lawyer before you sign anything the operator or its insurer sends you. The consultation is free, and we charge no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. At that meeting, we review the incident reports you have and explain which companies we would pursue. Our attorneys answer new inquiries without delay. Contact us to schedule a free consultation about an explosion accident claim in Midland, TX.
