After a severe accident on an oil rig, you may feel as though your career and financial well-being is jeopardized forever, in addition to your physical health. While oil rig accidents may be debilitating, they are not a reason to give up. There are many state and federal protections put in place to protect oil rig workers. An experienced oil and gas injury attorney can assist you in walking through these statutes and determining which law your claim will fall within.

Unfortunately, injuries sustained through the oil and gas industry can range from minimal to fatal. The most common types of injuries include:

• Back Injuries/Spinal Cord Injuries – Back injuries can range from a strain caused by overexertion, to extreme injuries caused by falls or falling objects. The spinal cord plays an important role in the body’s functioning, and any damage could be detrimental to the injured individual.
• Brain Damage/Head Injuries – A falling object can land on an employee’s head, causing severe brain damage. Traumatic brain injuries can affect an individual for the rest of their lives, and require hospitalization and ongoing medical care.
• Burn Injuries – The amount of electrical devices which oil and gas workers are trained to use can frequently malfunction, leading to fires and unfortunately sometimes explosions. The aftermath of these fires can be devastating to the affected employees.
• Crush Injuries – The number of heavy objects found within oil rigs is mind boggling, and the sheer fact that these objects could land on a worker during a dangerous accident could have life threatening consequences for the injured employee.
• Electric Shock – In addition to the potential for fires, many electrical devices on board the rigs could lead to severe electric shock.
• Fractures – While not as fatal as other injuries might be, a broken bone could impact an employee’s ability to return to the job. In certain circumstances, this could be financially destructive to the employee’s family.
• Impaired Vision & Blindness – Severe accidents have the potential to not only impact the limbs of the body but also vision.
• Loss of Hearing – Exposing yourself to dangerously high volumes day after day can have an impact on your hearing and ability to continue your daily tasks.
• Loss of Limb – One of the most extreme accident injuries involves the loss of a limb. A falling object, severe burns, or falls can lead to the loss of limb.
• Pleural Diseases – While employees must abide by federal regulations concerning asbestos and other dangerous chemicals, employees who worked for the company decades ago could only now be exhibiting symptoms of these dangerous illnesses.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – The after-math of a devastating accident could lead to more than just physical injuries but could continue to plague employees emotionally for years to come.

Each of the above listed injuries has unique characteristics related to filing a claim for damages. If you or a loved one have been injured in an oil and gas accident, do not hesitate to contact the Malley Law Firm. Tony Malley has years of experience in assisting oil and gas workers with their injury claims after a devastating accident leaves them unable to return to work. Contact our Houston or Beaumont offices today for your initial free consultation.