2025: Odessa Oilfield Accidents and Injuries on the Rise

Odessa oilfield injuries and fatalities surge in 2025 | Undefeated West Texas Oilfield Accident Attorneys

Undefeated Odessa Oilfield Accident Lawyers

Oilfield accidents may be declining nationwide, but in Odessa, the danger has only grown. For the fourth year in a row, oil and gas workers in Ector County are facing an unacceptably high risk of serious injury and death, even as other regions see modest safety improvements.

Recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data confirms what Odessa workers already know: the Permian Basin remains one of the most dangerous places in the country to work in oil and gas. These incidents are not random. The majority are entirely preventable, driven by recurring safety failures that continue to plague drilling, completions, trucking, and production operations across the Odessa area.

With Billions recovered for injured workers and families, including the #1 largest oilfield accident settlement in U.S. history, Zehl & Associates has the resources, experience, and trial record to take on any oil and gas corporation that puts profits over human lives and force real accountability.

Read on to learn why oilfield injuries and fatalities continue to rise in and around Odessa, and how our undefeated Odessa oilfield accident lawyers can help secure your future after a catastrophic oilfield accident.

Oilfield Injuries Rose Sharply in Odessa and Ector County in 2025

OSHA severe injury reports show that oilfield support operations—including trucking, drilling, workovers, and well servicing—accounted for 36 severe oilfield injuries in Texas from January through April 2025 (the most recent period with available data), nearly 75% of all severe oilfield injuries reported nationwide. These incidents included 30 hospitalizations and six amputations, reflecting only the most serious workplace injuries reported to federal regulators.

Ector County alone accounted for roughly 20% of all severe oil and gas injuries statewide, making Odessa one of the most dangerous oilfield hubs in Texas. When combined with surrounding Permian Basin counties, the Midland–Odessa oilfield corridor accounted for nearly half of all severe oilfield injuries nationwide, including:

20 workers seriously injured across the Midland–Odessa region
4 severe injuries reported in Ector County alone at multiple Odessa-area oilfield sites operated by service companies including:
- Catalyst Oilfield Services (Gardendale)
- Interstate Treating (Odessa)
- JAB Services (Odessa)
- Rolfson Energy Services (Odessa)

By comparison, Ector County recorded just one severe oilfield injury during the same period last year. This sharp year-over-year increase suggests that the total number of serious injuries and fatalities in the Odessa area is likely to exceed last year’s toll unless meaningful safety changes are made.

Texas Oilfield Deaths 2025: Most Deaths Within an Hour of Odessa

From December 2024 through June 2025—the most recent period for which OSHA fatality inspection data is available—there were at least 14 oilfield worker deaths across the U.S. In Texas alone, seven fatalities were reported, accounting for approximately 8% of all workplace deaths statewide, one of the highest fatality rates of any industry.

Five of those seven deaths occurred within an hour’s drive of Odessa, once again placing the Permian Basin at the center of Texas’s deadliest oilfield incidents.

Notably, these figures reflect only fatalities reported through midyear, and they mirror last year’s troubling pattern. By June 2024, four oilfield workers had already been killed in incidents occurring within an hour of Odessa—demonstrating that, despite repeated warnings and prior deaths, conditions in the Odessa-area oilfields have not meaningfully improved.

Deadly incidents reported near Odessa in 2025:

Fatal Blowout Preventer Failure in Andrews, TX: In December 2024, an employee working for Sendero Drilling Company was standing near the blowout preventer (BOP) when a choke and kill line became dislodged, releasing high-pressure material. The worker was struck by the kill line and killed instantly.
Pressurized Equipment Rupture During Fracturing Operations in Pecos, TX: The very next month, in January 2025, one worker was killed and two others were seriously injured when a pressurized line carrying approximately 9,000 psi detached from equipment at a site operated by ProPetro Services. OSHA cited ProPetro for exposing workers to recognized struck-by hazards and issued fines exceeding $16,000.
Blowout Preventer Testing Fatality in Pecos, TX: In April 2025, during BOP testing on a rig operated by Unit Drilling Company, workers were exposed to pressurized equipment that created a deadly struck-by hazard. OSHA concluded the employer failed to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards and issued more than $16,000 in safety citations.
Deadly Crane Accident During Wellsite Operations in Garden City, TX: In May 2025, at the Calverley JB-B-8 wellsite, Goldsmith Unit Services was cited after workers were not kept clear of suspended loads while a truck crane was used to pull polished rods, leading to a fatal incident tied to improper load control.
Entirely Preventable Fatal Oilfield Truck Accident in Tarzan, TX: In June 2025, Truck driver Larry Villa suffered fatal injuries while working at a Martin County well site operated by ExxonMobil, Diamondback Energy, and Deep Blue Holdings.

Our undefeated oilfield truck accident lawyers at Zehl & Associates are proud to represent the Villa family, taking on some of the largest oil and gas companies in the world to demand full accountability, justice, and maximum compensation for a life that never should have been lost.

Why Odessa Oilfield Workers Keep Getting Hurt

Odessa’s oil rigs and drilling sites remain some of the most dangerous in the country because preventable hazards continue to injure and kill workers year after year. Federal and state injury data show that equipment failures and truck accidents remain the deadliest — and most avoidable — causes of oilfield injuries in the Permian Basin.

Blowout Preventer (BOP) & Equipment Failures

Oilfield operations rely on complex, high-pressure machinery. In Odessa, poor maintenance, improper use, lack of training, and equipment defects have already led to two fatal BOP failures in 2025 alone, each exposing workers to deadly pressurized hazards. These failures, along with explosions and fires, demonstrate how quickly routine operations can become catastrophic when companies cut corners or neglect safety protocols.

Oilfield Truck Accidents

Truck crashes continue to claim lives and cause serious injuries in Odessa. In Ector County this year alone, crashes injured more than 100 workers and contributed to eight fatalities. Most involve trucks transporting water, sand, or equipment, and they are rarely random. Fatigue, unrealistic delivery schedules, and undertrained drivers — all tied to relentless production pressure in the Permian Basin — make these accidents entirely preventable.

Struck-By and Caught-Between Incidents

Struck-by and caught-between hazards remain a leading cause of severe injuries. Workers are crushed between heavy equipment, struck by moving vehicles, or hit by unsecured loads during rig-up, rig-down, and maintenance operations — often when crews are rushed, understaffed, or insufficiently trained.

When Corporate Negligence Is to Blame

In Odessa, as elsewhere in the Permian Basin, these accidents are rarely unavoidable. In our experience representing injured workers and grieving families, the underlying causes are clear:

Inadequate training or supervision, particularly of newly hired or inexperienced contractors
Poor equipment maintenance, delayed inspections, or defective tools and machinery
Worker fatigue caused by long hours, understaffed crews, and relentless production demands
Pressure to rush or cut corners, especially during drilling, fracking, and maintenance
High turnover, leading to untrained crews working in high-risk environments with minimal oversight

When oil and gas companies put speed and profits over safety, it is Odessa workers and their families who pay the price — sometimes with their lives.

What To Do After an Oilfield Accident in Odessa

If you or a loved one were seriously injured—or tragically killed—on an oilfield worksite, the company and its lawyers will often do everything possible to avoid responsibility and minimize your recovery. Even promises to “take care” of you are unreliable, because insurance companies control the process, not your employer.

That’s why it’s critical to work with an experienced oilfield injury lawyer. Your future and your family’s security are too important to leave in the hands of the company or its attorneys.

Immediate Steps After an Oilfield Accident:

Stop work immediately to prevent further harm.
Report your injury as soon as possible, if you are physically able.
Seek prompt medical attention from a doctor of your choice—not one selected by the company.
Do not give a formal statement, sign paperwork, or accept any money (beyond your regular paycheck) until you’ve spoken with an experienced oilfield injury attorney.
Contact us right away. Our experienced oilfield accident attorneys will explain your rights, outline your options, and guide you step by step to ensure your family receives the justice and full compensation you deserve.

How Zehl & Associates Can Help After an Odessa, TX Oilfield Accident

Trusting your future to the oil company after an oilfield accident will only prevent you from securing the justice and future you deserve. While no amount of money can undo a catastrophic injury or bring back a loved one, filing an oilfield accident lawsuit is one way to hold negligent companies accountable and balance the scales of justice.

At Zehl & Associates, we fight relentlessly to secure maximum compensation for families in Odessa and across Texas. From day one, our focus is accountability, justice, and results.

How We Stand Apart

Undefeated at Trial: 100% success rate in oilfield accident cases, with landmark verdicts and the largest recoveries in Texas and the U.S.
Industry Expertise: Deep understanding of oil and gas operations lets us anticipate the tactics companies use to avoid responsibility and maximize every client’s recover.
Unwavering Commitment to Clients: We front all costs, work on a contingency basis, and guide families through every step—ensuring access to top medical care and financial planning for your loved ones’ futures.
Trial-ready and Relentless: We cannot be outworked, outmaneuvered, or intimidated, no matter how large the company or legal team.
We Don’t Just Win — We Set Records: If a settlement doesn’t fully compensate you for all your injuries and losses, we take the case to trial and make the company pay what you deserve.

Oil and gas companies know who we are, what we stand for, and that when we go to trial, they will be forced to pay the maximum compensation possible. We fight for families across West Texas with the same intensity, skill, and compassion that have earned us a national reputation for our record-setting victories, including the #1 Largest Oilfield Burn Injury Settlement in US History and a recent $55 Million Settlement for an oilfield worker in Odessa, TX — resolved in less than 13 months after filing the lawsuit.

Undefeated Odessa Oilfield Accident Lawyers: 1-888-603-3636

With Billions won and having successfully represented thousands of injured oilfield workers across Texas and the United States against the largest oil and gas companies in the world, our Odessa Oilfield Injury Attorneys have repeatedly demonstrated that we don’t just win for oilfield accident victims — we set records.

If you or a loved one were injured in an oilfield accident, contact us today for a Free Consultation at (888) 603-3636 or send us a confidential email through our Contact Form.

We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights and options, and provide you with the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.

All consultations are free and completely confidential, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.