Undefeated Oilfield Injury Lawyers
If you work in the oil and gas industry, you might wonder whether you’ll have to go to court after an oilfield accident to secure the financial resources needed to fully recover from a catastrophic workplace injury. The short answer is: usually not, as most oilfield injury lawsuits settle well ahead of trial.
However, before they’ll agree to a settlement that provides the maximum compensation possible for ALL your injuries and losses, the companies at fault and their insurers need to know you’re serious. That’s why our Undefeated Oilfield Injury Lawyers begin preparing every case for trial from day one — an approach that’s allowed us to recover record-setting verdicts and settlements against many of the largest oil and gas companies in the world.
When Can You Take the Oilfield Company to Court?
Oil and gas workers are employed under a patchwork of state and federal laws that determine what they recover after an injury. In most states, employers are required to carry workers’ compensation, which provides medical care, partial wage replacement, and certain impairment benefits after an oilfield accident without going to court. However, workers’ comp also bars you from suing your employer, unless your injury resulted in a fatality and involved the company’s gross negligence.
Texas is the major exception. It’s the only state where private employers can choose not to subscribe to the workers’ comp system. If you were hurt in Texas and your employer opted out, you can sue them directly for any injuries you suffered due to an oilfield accident or explosion. The company also loses several key defenses typically available under Texas law, including the ability to blame you for your own injuries.
Even if you are able to collect workers’ comp benefits, it’s important to understand that they will only cover the medical bills related to your injury and a percentage of the wages you would normally earn in a given week. You’ll be paid nothing to account for the real human cost of a catastrophic oilfield injury: the pain, the emotional trauma, and the permanent impact on your quality of life.
Fortunately, Texas and every other state also allow workers to pursue oilfield lawsuits against third parties — including contractors, service companies, and equipment manufacturers — whose negligence caused or contributed to their injuries. That means you can take those companies to court after an oilfield accident or explosion, whether or not you’re collecting workers’ comp benefits.
When Is It Necessary to Go to Court After an Oilfield Accident?
While the idea of taking legal action against your employer or other large corporations can be intimidating, going to court after an oilfield accident may be the only way you and your family will ever be made whole. Filing an oilfield injury lawsuit is particularly important if:
- Your injury resulted in permanent disability or the death of a loved one,
- Workers’ comp benefits don’t come close to covering all of your losses.
- A third party — such as an equipment manufacturer or contractor — caused or contributed to the incident.
- Your employer’s actions rise to the level of gross negligence or reckless disregard for safety.
- The company refuses to settle or fails to offer anything other than a low-ball settlement.
In a perfect world, the parties responsible for your oilfield injuries would take immediate steps to assist you and your family and provide whatever is needed to ensure your full physical, emotional, and financial recovery. But in our experience, they won’t, no matter what they might promise initially. The truth is, the companies, their insurers, and their armies of attorneys have only one goal: to avoid responsibility and limit your financial recovery to what little workers’ comp you might be entitled to.
While we’ll do everything possible to resolve your oilfield injury claim outside of court, we will NEVER accept a settlement offer unless it provides full compensation for all of your injuries and losses. And you can be certain your case will be ready for trial—where our attorneys remain undefeated—if the company refuses to negotiate in good faith.
How Does the Oilfield Injury Lawsuit Process Work?
While every case is different, and each state has its own rules of procedure, taking an oilfield lawsuit to court typically involves the following steps:
Early Investigation and Negotiation
Once we’re hired, our team takes immediate steps to identify and preserve the evidence needed to support your claims. We also launch a thorough investigation to determine exactly how the accident occurred, how it could have been prevented, and which parties are at fault. Top engineers and industry experts work with us to reconstruct the incident, while leading medical professionals, forensic accountants, and life-care specialists help us document the full extent of your injuries and financial losses, as well as the consequences for your quality of life.
With the facts in hand, we begin negotiating directly with the companies and insurers involved. Many of our cases settle during this stage — not because the companies want to do the right thing, but because they know we build cases that win at trial.
Filing Suit and Discovery
If the companies responsible for your injury refuse to offer anything other than the maximum compensation possible, we won’t hesitate to take them to court. Formally filing your lawsuit will allow us to begin the discovery process — where your attorneys can subpoena internal safety records, depose supervisors and executives, and uncover the violations that caused the accident. In many cases, the in-depth nature of discovery creates additional leverage for renewed settlement discussions.
Mediation and Ongoing Negotiation
Depending on the state where your case is heard, the court may require mediation before setting a trial date. But whether mediation is an option or not, our approach never changes. Our attorneys will continue negotiating, even as they engage in discovery and prepare for trial. In our experience, the closer a case gets to the courtroom, the more pressure the defendants feel to settle on our terms.
Going to Court
If the companies still refuse to take responsibility, your oilfield accident case will go to court. Our attorneys will have an opportunity to present the evidence, question witnesses, and show exactly how the company’s negligence or gross negligence caused or contributed to your injuries.
Regardless of whether your lawsuit ends up in court after an oilfield accident, it’s important to understand that every state imposes a strict deadline—known as the statute of limitations—for filing personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. In most cases, you have just two years to do so. If you miss your deadline, you’ll lose your right to recover damages forever, no matter how strong your case. That’s why it’s so important to contact an experienced lawyer—who has a history of success against the biggest oil and gas companies in the world—as soon as practically possible if you’ve been hurt on the job.
What Happens When an Oilfield Lawsuit Goes to Court?
If your oilfield accident lawsuit does go to court, you can expect the trial to proceed through several stages. While procedures can differ from state to state, these stages typically include:
- Voir Dire (Jury Selection): Both sides question potential jurors to identify biases related to the oil industry or workplace injuries.
- Opening Statements: Each side outlines what the evidence will show.
- Presentation of Evidence: Witnesses, medical experts, and industry specialists testify. Physical and documentary evidence, such as equipment diagrams, emails, or safety reports, is introduced.
- Cross-Examination: Defense attorneys will challenge your testimony and that of any witnesses you present, including experts, while your lawyers will challenge any testimony provided by the defendants’ witnesses.
- Closing Arguments and Decision: Depending on the specific procedures, a judge or jury will determine liability and assign damages. However, your case may never get this far. It’s not unusual for our opponents to settle right before and even during trial once they realize just how strong our case is.
Why Do Most Oilfield Cases Settle Before Trial?
Across every major oil-producing state, the pattern is the same: oilfield companies and their insurers prefer settlement to trial. Trials are public, unpredictable, and can expose corporate misconduct. A large verdict doesn’t just hurt the company financially — it sets a precedent for every other employee injured on the job.
In our experience, oilfield cases prepared for trial almost always settle for far more than the company initially offers. When the defense realizes that our attorneys are ready to go the distance — and have successfully done so before — they typically stop making lowball offers and start negotiating seriously.
Oilfield companies and their lawyers are well aware of our undefeated record in the courtroom and our history of record-setting jury verdicts on behalf of injured workers and their families. Because of this reputation, our lawyers are often able to resolve our clients’ cases in as little as 18 months—without ever going to court.
Undefeated Texas Oilfield Accident Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult
Our Undefeated Texas Oilfield Injury Lawyers have won Billions and consistently recover record-setting verdicts and settlements —including the #1 Largest Oilfield Burn Settlement in U.S. History—for oil and gas workers in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico and across the United States.
If you or someone you love were injured or tragically killed while working on an oilfield, please call 1-888-603-3636 or click here to fill out our confidential contact form.
We’ll take the time to explain your rights, outline your legal options, and provide whatever information you need to make the best decision for yourself and your family.
All consultations are free, and you’ll owe us nothing unless we win your case.
For more information, please contact our Undefeated Oilfield Accident attorneys in, Texas at Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
We proudly serve Harris County, Midland County, and throughout the state of Texas. We are located in Houston and Midland and throughout the state of Texas:
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Houston
2700 Post Oak Blvd #1000, Houston, TX 77056
(888) 603-3636
Open 24 hours
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Midland
306 W Wall St Suite 701, Midland, TX 79701
(432) 220-0000
Open 24 hours