Were you injured in a well blowout in Texas?
At Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers, we provide recognized blowout injury representation for injured clients throughout Texas.
If a well blowout injured you or took the life of someone in your family, our Texas blowout lawyer investigates the well control failure itself, including the blowout preventer, the well plan, and the decisions made on the rig floor. Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers represents injured oilfield workers and families from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. Schedule a free, confidential consultation with our office.
Blowout Lawyer Texas
A blowout is the uncontrolled release of oil, gas, or water from a well after its pressure control systems fail. A blowout claim is a negligence claim against the companies responsible for well control, which may include the operator, the drilling contractor, the well control or service company, and the manufacturer of failed equipment.
Texas accounted for 44 percent of the 101 oil and gas extraction worker deaths that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identified in 2014, the largest share of any state.
Types of Blowout Cases We Handle in Texas
Each phase of a well’s life carries its own well control risks, from the first bit run through years of production. Our clients in these cases are rig hands, service crews, and the families of workers killed on location.
- Drilling blowouts. When a crew misses a kick or responds to it improperly during drilling, the kick can escalate into a blowout within minutes. Mud logs, pit volume records, and the driller’s response are central to these claims.
- Completion and fracturing blowouts. High pressures during fracturing and flowback place heavy demands on wellheads and valves. We examine the completion design and the pressure ratings of the equipment used.
- Workover and well servicing blowouts. Pulling tubing or servicing an existing well can release trapped pressure if the well is not properly killed. Service rig crews are frequently the workers most exposed.
- Blowout preventer failures. If a contractor neglects maintenance, skips pressure testing, or closes the rams too late, the blowout preventer may fail to seal the well. Testing records and maintenance history often decide liability.
- Blowout fires and explosions. Escaping gas can ignite at the rig, causing severe burns to everyone on the floor. Oilfield accident claims of this kind usually involve several companies on the same location.
- Hydrogen sulfide releases. Some Texas formations contain hydrogen sulfide, and a blowout can expose crews and nearby residents to toxic gas. Gas detection, alarms, and emergency response plans are key points of investigation.
- Wellhead and flowline failures. Corroded or overpressured wellheads and flowlines can fail on producing wells. Operators and maintenance contractors share responsibility for their condition.
- Blowouts at inactive and injection wells. Shut-in, abandoned, and injection wells can erupt when pressure builds underground. These claims may reach the operator and any company responsible for plugging or monitoring the well.
Why Choose Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers as My Blowout Lawyer in Texas?
Representation at Well Sites Across Texas
Blowouts happen at remote locations in the Permian Basin, the Eagle Ford, and the Panhandle. Mike Streich holds admission to all Texas state and federal courts and represents clients from Houston to the Panhandle, and our firm meets with injured workers where they live or by video. Super Lawyers has named Mr. Streich a Texas Rising Star.
Matt Greenberg earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in English at Abilene Christian University before attending law school. Mr. Greenberg has served as lead trial counsel in record-setting Texas cases, and his accomplishments include the largest recorded personal injury verdict in Montgomery County.
Oilfield and Well Site Results
Our attorneys have recovered more than $348 million for clients, including:
- $20 million settlement for a worker burned after contractors left a blowout preventer valve open on a Panhandle well
- $12.7 million settlement in a multi-party rig collapse case
- $3.575 million oilfield injury settlement
- $2.8 million oilfield injury settlement
There is no charge for a consultation, and our fee is contingent on a recovery.
What Is Important to Understand About a Blowout Case?
A blowout is a well control failure, and the rig crew, the operator, and the service companies create the records that explain it during the job.
What Is the Blowout Case Timeline?
Texas law sets a two-year period to file most injury suits, measured from the injury or, in a fatal blowout, from the date of death. The stages of a blowout case generally proceed as follows:
- We send preservation letters to the operator, the drilling contractor, and the well control company, covering the blowout preventer stack, daily drilling reports, and gas detection data.
- Petroleum engineers review the well plan, mud logs, and blowout preventer test records to identify the cause of the loss of control.
- Once the investigation is complete, we present claims to the insurer of each responsible company.
- If the claims do not resolve, we file suit and depose the rig crew and company representatives.
- The case concludes through mediation, settlement, or trial, sometimes at different times for different defendants.
What Are Important Aspects of a Blowout Case?
Contractors, not the operator that owns the well, employ most of the workers on a drilling or service rig. For that reason, injured rig workers usually recover through third-party claims against the operator, other contractors, and equipment manufacturers.
Evidence at a well site changes quickly. Once crews regain control, they resume operations, replace damaged components, and may ship the blowout preventer stack off site for repair. For that reason, a blowout attorney sends a preservation demand promptly and asks for a joint inspection with the defendants’ engineers before anyone alters the equipment.
Public records also matter. The Railroad Commission of Texas publishes listings of reported well control problems, which can show whether the same operator or field has experienced similar events.
Defendants frequently contest fault by arguing that the crew caused the blowout. Under Texas comparative responsibility, if a jury assigns an injured person more than 50 percent of the responsibility, that person cannot recover.
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Blowout Cases
A blowout claim can include every category of loss the injury caused:
- Medical care. Emergency treatment, burn unit care for severe burns, surgery, and future rehabilitation.
- Lost earning capacity. Wages and benefits lost now and in the future, which are often substantial for experienced rig hands and supervisors.
- Pain, anguish, and impairment. Physical pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, and impairment, including the long-term effects of brain injuries from debris and falls.
- Wrongful death damages. Under the wrongful death statute, the surviving spouse, children, and parents may recover for the loss of a family member, and the estate may bring a survival claim for the losses the deceased suffered before death.
- Exemplary damages. A jury may award these when clear and convincing evidence proves that the blowout resulted from gross negligence.
What Should You Bring to Your Blowout Consultation?
Documents from the job and from your medical care allow us to begin evaluating the claim right away. Bring as many of these as you can:
- Medical records and bills from every provider who treated you.
- Pay stubs or tax records showing your wages, including overtime and day rates.
- Any incident report, job safety analysis, or letter from your employer or an insurer.
- The names of the operator, the drilling contractor, and the service companies on location, along with any photographs of the site.
At that meeting, our attorneys will outline the investigation your case requires and the filing deadline that governs it. If we see problems with the claim, we will identify them for you at the outset.
Reach Out to Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
Greenberg Streich Injury Lawyers represents oilfield workers and families after well blowouts throughout Texas. Our firm charges no attorney fee unless it recovers compensation for you. Our Texas blowout lawyer can explain which companies were on location and what each one was responsible for. Contact us for a free consultation.
