The oil and gas industry is consistently cited as one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Between 2013 and 2017 nearly 500 workers were killed on the job. When a worker dies in a work accident, they often leave behind shocked and grief-stricken family members. If your loved one died on a drill site or an oil and gas worksite, you know first-hand the devastation a fatal work accident can bring to a family.

Nothing can make up for your tragic loss. However, there may be legal options at your disposal that can help you recover financial compensation and hold the at-fault party responsible for your loved one’s death.

Negligence Can Cause Preventable Work Accidents

The death of a family member is always heartbreaking, but when the death was preventable, the loss is even more painful. Some oil and gas industry work accidents are caused by negligence. For example, improper storage of corrosive chemicals or hazardous materials can lead to horrible chemical burns and lung damage. Negligent design or manufacture of equipment or supplies can lead to lacerations, broken bones, head injuries, electrocution, and more. Struck-by and caught-between accidents can be caused by a contractor’s oversight. These are just a few examples of how a party’s negligence can lead to a fatal work accident.

Few would argue that being a truck driver is a challenging occupation. Truck drivers must contend with unpredictable sleep patterns, long hours, loneliness, and boredom. However, these challenges do not excuse drug or alcohol use behind the wheel. Any driver who drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs puts himself and other motorists in harm’s way. However, semi-truck drivers create an even more dangerous situation when they drive under the influence.

Accidents involving large commercial trucks often result in severe and fatal injuries. If you or a loved one were hurt in a crash and you suspect that drug or alcohol use may have contributed to the wreck, contact a skilled truck accident injury attorney for help.  

How Common is Drug Use Among Commercial Truckers?

Most truck drivers are responsible, skilled workers. Unfortunately, some truck drivers make the roads more dangerous by consuming illicit substances or drunk driving. One study showed that about 50 percent of truck drivers admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and 30 percent confessed to using amphetamines. A U.S. study showed that over 12 percent of truck drivers tested for alcohol tested positive.

Texas is full of hard workers and sometimes those workers are injured. Whether at a construction site, oil and gas drilling site, an office, or another work environment, work accidents can have devastating consequences. Individuals who are injured at work may be left facing not only a painful recovery but also significant financial implications. Between medical expenses and lost income from missed work, getting hurt on the job can represent a major financial burden.

If you or a loved one were hurt in a work accident in Texas, you may have questions about your legal rights and options. Do you have a right to workers’ compensation? Can you sue your employer? What if another party caused the accident?

Texas Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Unlike many other states, workers’ compensation insurance is not mandatory in Texas. This means that your employer may or may not carry workers’ compensation insurance to reimburse injured workers for injury-related costs. If your employer has workers’ comp insurance, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical treatment as well as temporary income benefits. Workers’ compensation is “no-fault,” meaning that you do not have to prove that your employer’s actions caused the injury to get compensation. Unfortunately, not all employers carry workers’ compensation insurance and the compensation offered by workers’ comp is often insufficient.

Car accidents involving 18-wheelers, flatbeds, semi-trucks, and other commercial trucks lead to severe and fatal injuries every year in the U.S. One out of every ten vehicles involved in a fatal traffic accident is a large truck. Unfortunately, the number of injuries and deaths resulting from truck collisions is increasing.

If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a wreck involving a tractor-trailer or other large truck, you should know that you may be able to hold the truck driver, trucking company, or another at-fault party accountable through a personal injury case. You may also be entitled to compensation for damages such as your medical bills, lost income, lost financial support from a deceased family member, and more. Building a strong case against a negligent trucker or trucking company starts with launching a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the crash and the at-fault party’s role in causing the accident.

Evidence in a Truck Collison Injury Case

Truck accidents are often multifaceted. It is hard to know exactly how and why the accident occurred at first glance. A skilled truck crash injury lawyer can investigate the accident and obtain evidence to strengthen the claim against the at-fault party.

Large commercial trucks ship everything from produce to industrial equipment and hazardous materials. There is no doubt that the trucking industry is integral to our modern world. However, large commercial trucks can also cause catastrophic truck accidents, including accidents caused by spilled truck cargo. If you or a loved one were in a car accident caused by fallen truck cargo, you may wonder about your legal options. Is the trucking company required to pay for my medical bills and vehicle damage? What if the spilled cargo caused my vehicle to strike another vehicle? Questions like this can be difficult to answer, but a skilled truck accident injury lawyer can help.

Improper Loading and Securement of Truck Freight

When truck cargo is not loaded and secured properly in or on the truck, it can shift or even fall off the truck during transit. Cargo that spills onto the roadway can represent a potentially deadly hazard for other motorists. Often, spilled cargo causes motorists to suddenly swerve to avoid colliding with the freight only to collide with a vehicle in a neighboring lane. Motorists may also slam on their brakes to avoid colliding with the cargo and end up being rear-ended by the car behind them.

Spilled cargo does not only lead to collisions; the cargo itself can also lead to injuries. When a truck carrying flammable material such as gasoline, massive fires can develop in a matter of seconds. Pesticides, herbicides, corrosive materials, noxious gases, and other hazardous materials can cause severe health problems if they leak from a truck.