Fort Worth Sandman Hotel Explosion Lawyers
Were You Injured in the Sandman Hotel Explosion?
After a tragic and preventable accident like the Sandman Signature Hotel gas explosion on January 8 in downtown Forth Worth, the uncertainty you feel can be overwhelming. But if you were injured, your physical, emotional, and financial future are at stake – and you need to take action to protect it quickly.
At Zehl & Associate, we are here to empower you with all the information you need to determine your next steps and secure your future.
As our founding partner, Ryan Zehl, explained to WFAA news in the wake of Monday’s devastating incident: “Everybody has a right to be safe. Everybody has a right to avoid negligence, and everybody has a right to be free of reckless conduct that could cause injury.”
You also have the right to top-rated personal injury lawyers, a team of undefeated, renowned legal professionals who don’t just win — but who set records.
- Our Texas Explosion Lawyers are committed to securing the FULL compensation you deserve.
- Our track record of historic, record-setting victories speaks for itself.
- Our clients are like our family — we make sure to get you the best medical care and we are there for you and your loved ones around the clock.
If you were injured in the Sandman hotel explosion, don’t wait to determine your legal rights and options. Contact our Fort Worth, Texas Explosion Lawyers at 1-888-603-3636 today, so we can get to work determining who is at fault for your injuries and securing the future you deserve.
The Sandman Signature Hotel Explosion: An Overview
At least 21 people were injured in the January 8th explosion, a mass casualty event that rocked the 800 block of Houston Street around 3:30 p.m.
Fourteen people were rushed to the hospital, including one person in critical condition with severe burns and another four with serious injuries.
Possible injuries involved may include:
- Burn Injuries
- Toxic Exposure
- Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injuries
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries
- Internal Injuries
- Bone Fractures
- Ruptured Eardrums
- Cuts and Lacerations
- Scarring and Disfigurement
Our Clients Receive the Best Medical Care & We Assist Your Family With Necessary Bills and Expenses While Your Case is Pending
Gas explosion injuries often require extensive medical treatment, leave victims partially or permanently disabled, and rob them of the ability to provide for themselves and their families.
Our Undefeated Texas Explosion Lawyers understand the far-reaching consequences and can help fight for you. We make sure our clients have access to the best doctors and medical providers in the country.
Scared about bills piling up? We make sure you’re able to pay the bills while your case is pending. And once your case is resolved, you’ll have access to the best financial advisors to safeguard your settlement. Our attorneys and staff will always be there for you.
I was in the Sandman Hotel Explosion. What Should I Do?
If you are among the 21 injured, you likely visited the ER on Monday and may have already been discharged from inpatient care. But following an accident of this magnitude, especially if you are an employee of the hotel or its in-house restaurant, there are more important steps you need to take in order to protect yourself should you decide to file a lawsuit and hold those responsible for your injuries fully accountable.
Insist on the Medical Care of Your Choice: Even if you don’t think your injuries are severe, a visit to the E.R. ensures the injury is documented promptly. If you do require additional treatment, you have the right to demand follow-up medical care with the healthcare provider of YOUR CHOICE. If you work at the Sandman, you are under no obligation to see doctors and specialists chosen and paid for by your employer or their insurance company.
Make a Record of the Incident: As soon as you are able, write down or record everything you remember about the incident that resulted in your injury, including the names and phone numbers of anyone else who witnessed the incident.
Preserve Physical Evidence: Preserve the clothing you were wearing and any other physical evidence in your position. Don’t wash any of these items. Store them in a clean plastic bag as soon as possible.
Don’t Sign Anything or Make a Recorded Statement: Whatever you do, do not give the hotel, Atmos energy company, or their insurers a recorded statement, sign ANY paperwork, or accept any money from the company (other than your regular paycheck) before speaking with an experienced personal injury lawyer who has successfully represented injured workers, both in and out of the courtroom.
Comply with All Medical Advice: Missing doctors’ appointments and failing to follow medical advice will only provide the responsible party with an excuse to downplay your injuries and deny your valid claims. Also, make sure to keep a written record of your care, including co-pays and the cost of any prescription medications and medical supplies related to your treatment.
No matter how much they promise to “make things right” and “take care of you,” the companies and their insurers are only interested in avoiding responsibility for your injuries, blaming you and your co-workers, and limiting your financial recovery to workers compensation.
That’s why it’s crucial that you contact a knowledgeable attorney who has the experience and resources to take on the biggest companies in the world, knows how to locate and preserve evidence you need to prove who was at fault, and won’t hesitate to go to trial if the companies refuse to fully compensate you and your family for all your injuries and damages.
Why Choose Zehl & Associates to Fight For You
In addition to ensuring that victims of senseless tragedies receive the maximum compensation possible, our fire and explosion lawyers make sure that:
- You’re able to see the best doctors and medical providers for your injuries
- You’re able to pay your medical bills and necessary living expenses while your case is pending, and
- You have access to the best tax and financial professionals after your case has been resolved, so that you’re able to continue caring and providing for yourself and your family for the rest of your life
Contact our Undefeated Texas Explosion Lawyers today at 1-888-603-3636.
What Caused the Sandman Hotel Explosion?
Investigators are still looking into the official cause of the catastrophic gas explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel, and suspected contributing factors are now coming to light.
Factors believed to have played a role in the explosion include:
- Gas leak. Experts agree that a gas leak is likely to blame for the explosion. Any pipeline rupture can trigger a massive explosion and fire with the potential to cause significant property damage, severe injury, and even death. In the U.S., nearly 33% of all reported gas leak incidents result in fire and 13% result in explosions.
- Aging infrastructure. Experts believe the age of the gas lines played a part in the accident. Atmos Energy owns and operates some of the oldest natural gas pipelines in the country, leaving them vulnerable to cracks and corrosion. And the Sandman Signature itself is housed in a historic 1920s building with aging infrastructure. Old pipelines are made from steel and cast iron, which are more prone to corrosion, leaks, and ruptures.
- Staffing shortage of state and federal pipeline inspectors. Unfortunately, there are simply not enough inspectors in the U.S. to monitor or enforce preventive measure for the nation’s aging pipeline, including over 500,000 miles of pipeline in Texas alone. This staffing crisis has continued to contribute to the growing risk of dangerous pipeline accidents such as the Sandman explosion for years now.
- Negligence of companies involved, which may include Atmos Energy, one of the the largest natural gas distributors in Texas, and Northland Properties, a billion-dollar hospitality group that owns and operates the Sandman Signature hotel
Gas Leaks are Responsible for Hundreds of Explosions in the United States
Gas leaks and aging pipeline infrastructure are two of the main causes behind the growing number of pipeline explosions in Texas and across the U.S. in recent years.
Since 2010, there have been 3,138 significant gas leaks incidents and 390 resulted in an explosion, according to U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) data. These incidents have injured 725 and killed 163 people, and many in part are due to the aging infrastructure of America’s gas pipelines. Here in Texas, at least nine have died and more than 20 have been hurt due to leaks along Atmos Energy lines.
Sadly, it’s our experience that these accidents are entirely preventable and the large companies involved will do everything possible to avoid paying victims and their families the compensation they are owed.
Don’t make a mistake that could cost you and your loved ones the substantial compensation you deserve. Contact us today.
Sandman Hotel Explosion Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult
With BILLIONS won, our Undefeated Texas Explosion Lawyers have secured the largest accident recoveries in Texas. We have the resources and experience to hold those responsible fully accountable and make sure you get the FULL compensation you deserve.
If you or someone you love were injured in connection with the Sandman Hotel explosion, please call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here to send us a confidential email via our “Contact Us” form.
During your consultation, our attorneys will answer your questions, explain your rights, and provide all the information you need to make the best decision for yourself and your family.
Consultations are always free, and because we work on a contingency fee, you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.
Ready to learn more? Visit our Results page to read up on our success representing explosion victims and their families and check out our Client Testimonial videos to hear from people we’ve worked with.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is one of the most common questions we get from potential clients. And it’s an important one. The truth is you won’t get very far without an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side. Insurance companies are known for lowballing accident victims who aren’t represented by a lawyer. In fact, research indicates that accident victims who don’t hire a lawyer or wait one year or longer to do so tend to recover substantially less in damages than accident victims who are represented by lawyers.
When our undefeated personal injury attorneys are hired, we quickly get to work recovering the maximum compensation possible for you and your loved ones.
- We gather evidence and expert witnesses to prove the other party caused you harm
- We make sure you get the best medical treatment
- We can help cover your bills while your case in pending
- We hold the insurance company and the companies who harmed you responsible
- We recover the maximum compensation possible for your injuries and losses
- We go to trial if necessary and don’t just win — we set records.
Having recovered the largest accident verdicts and settlements in Texas for our clients, our Undefeated Texas Personal Injury Lawyers have the skills, resources, and experience to take on the largest corporations and insurers in the world — and win.
No matter the extent of your injuries, hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer and filing a lawsuit is the only way to receive full compensation for your injuries and losses — also known as damages.
There are a number of factors that can affect the amount of damages you can recover, including:
- The availability of evidence demonstrating how the accident occurred
- The nature and severity of your injuries
- The amount of insurance coverage available
- The amount of time that elapses between the accident and when you hire a lawyer
- Your lawyer’s experience in the courtroom and ability to take the case to trial in the event of an inadequate settlement offer
- Your age
That’s why it’s so important to look for an experienced personal injury lawyer who knows how to recover ALL the damages you deserve and secure your financial future. Research even backs this up.
A study by the Insurance Research Council suggested that, on average, plaintiffs who hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident receive settlements that are 3.5 times larger than those without a lawyer.
The truth is, there is no simple answer for how much your personal injury case is worth.
When it comes to valuing your case, here’s what you need to know:
- Every person is unique, and so is every personal injury case, which is why values depend on the person and the nature of their injuries and losses
- You can’t determine the value of your case using a calculator on a legal website
- Numerous factors contribute to the value of your case, so it’s not something that can be determined over a phone call or during the initial case consultation
- You will recover more money working with an experienced personal injury lawyer than you will trying to handle your case on your own
The benefit of working with an experienced personal injury lawyer is that we have the experience, skills, and resources to ensure that our clients receive the maximum compensation possible. As a result, insurance companies and defense lawyers tend to treat our clients more fairly and their cases more seriously.
To determine what your personal injury case is worth, call 1-888-603-3636 for a free consultation.
It depends on two things.
1.) How quickly the court will give your personal injury attorney a trial setting. In our experience, defendants don’t offer what they need to pay on the case until you are close to trial or at trial.
2.) How cooperative or uncooperative the defendants are. Our goal is to get the case resolved as quickly as possible while ensuring that our clients are getting the maximum recovery that’s available to him.
It costs you nothing up front. Our undefeated personal injury attorneys work on what is called a “contingency fee basis.” That means you don’t pay us anything until we win — either through settlement or through a verdict at trial.
We front all the case costs. We finance all the experts and everything else associated with your case until we win. The amount of your expenses depends on the complexity of your case. Our goal is to limit our clients’ expenses as much as possible, but we also have to devote whatever time and resources are necessary to increasing your recovery.