New Orleans sits at the heart of one of the most concentrated industrial corridors in the country. Refineries, chemical plants, shipping terminals, and manufacturing facilities line the Mississippi River for miles in every direction. That creates real hazards, and when negligence triggers an explosion, the consequences can be catastrophic.
At Frischhertz & Impastato, our team of eight attorneys brings a collaborative approach to every case, providing the personalized attention and sustained advocacy that serious explosion claims demand.
Explosions don’t follow a single pattern, and neither do the legal claims that arise from them.
We represent clients injured across a range of explosion accidents, including:
Industrial and Workplace Explosions: Chemical plant, refinery, pipeline, and facility explosions involving flammable or hazardous materials
Vehicle Explosions: Fuel system defects, battery failures, or collision forces that ignite fuel or gas lines
Property-Related Explosions: Neglected gas lines, faulty wiring, or poorly maintained heating and fuel equipment on unsafe premises
Defective Product Explosions: Propane tanks, industrial batteries, and other consumer or commercial equipment that malfunction and ignite
How Explosions Happen & the Injuries They Cause
Most explosions trace back to a preventable failure. Malfunctioning or poorly maintained equipment, mishandled chemicals, gas leaks, and violations of hot-work safety permits are among the most common triggers. One particularly dangerous mechanism is a vapor cloud explosion, which occurs when a flammable gas or liquid disperses into an airborne cloud and finds an ignition source. The resulting overpressure wave can cause structural damage and severe injuries to people standing well outside the immediate release point.
The force, heat, and pressure of an explosion can cause multiple types of trauma at once. Burns, blast and overpressure trauma, hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, bone fractures, and amputations are among the most common injuries survivors face. Many also experience post-traumatic stress and other lasting psychological effects. In the most severe cases, explosions are fatal, leaving families to navigate both immense, overwhelming grief and a complicated legal landscape.
Workers’ Compensation & Third-Party Claims After a Workplace Explosion
Most workplace injuries in Louisiana are covered under the state’s workers’ compensation system, which provides benefits regardless of fault. That system generally bars an injured employee from suing their employer for additional damages. Workers’ compensation exclusivity does not extend to third parties whose negligence contributed to the explosion, however. In other words, even if you are eligible for workers' comp, you could still have an additional third-party injury claim against someone other than your employer.
After an industrial explosion, for example, a separate civil claim may be possible against multiple parties beyond the employer:
An equipment manufacturer whose defective product caused the ignition or failure
A contractor or subcontractor working on-site at the time of the incident
Another company operating within the same facility
A maintenance provider who failed to properly service critical equipment
Our team structure is built for exactly this kind of case. With eight attorneys working collaboratively, we can divide investigation across the multiple companies whose overlapping negligence often causes a plant, vehicle, or property explosion, pursuing manufacturers, contractors, and property owners as third-party defendants alongside any workers’ compensation claim.
Louisiana Filing Deadlines & Fault Rules for Explosion Claims
Two recent changes to Louisiana law directly affect explosion injury claims. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1, injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, are subject to a two-year prescriptive period, meaning the claim must be filed within two years from the date of injury. Missing that deadline generally means you lose the right to recover compensation.
Comparative fault rules matter, too. Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 2323, as amended effective January 1, 2026, a person found 51% or more at fault for their own injuries is barred from recovering any damages. A person found 50% or less at fault has their recovery reduced in proportion to their share of fault. This rule applies to incidents occurring on or after January 1, 2026. Because insurance companies and defense teams work quickly to build fault arguments, contacting an explosion accident lawyer as soon as possible can help protect your ability to recover.
Why New Orleans Explosion Victims Choose Frischhertz & Impastato
We bring more than 85 years of combined experience to personal injury cases and have recovered more than $700 million on behalf of injured clients and their families. Our eight attorneys come from varied backgrounds but share one goal: pursuing the best possible outcome for every client we represent.
We don’t hand cases to a single attorney and move on. We work as a team, coordinating investigation, building liability arguments against every responsible party, and standing beside our clients through every stage of the process.
Start with a Free Consultation
We handle explosion injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation on your behalf, and it costs you nothing to speak to a member of our team about your potential case.
Call (504) 276-6962 or contact Frischhertz & Impastato online to schedule your free consultation with our New Orleans explosion injury attorneys.
What to Do After an Explosion Injury
The steps you take in the days following an explosion can significantly affect the strength of your claim. Seek medical attention immediately, even if injuries seem minor at first. Report the incident through the appropriate channels, whether that’s an employer, a property owner, or emergency responders. If it’s safe to do so, document the scene: photos of equipment, site conditions, and visible injuries can become critical evidence.
In industrial explosion cases, maintenance logs, inspection records, and witness statements can disappear quickly, and preserving them sometimes requires early legal action. Keep copies of all medical records and incident reports as they become available. Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Insurers move fast after major incidents, and an unguarded statement can be used to reduce or deny your recovery.
A compilation of the Frischhertz & Impastato attorneys and staff at work and interacting with clients.
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