One Explosion Can Involve Multiple Companies & Claims
After a refinery or chemical plant explosion, workers, contractors, nearby residents, and families may face serious injuries, disrupted income, and uncertainty about who is responsible. Employment relationships, contractor agreements, facility control, equipment defects, and safety decisions can all shape what happens next. Our plant explosion lawyers in New Orleans investigate those connections, rather than assuming one company or claim provides the complete answer.
Burns, blast injuries, traumatic brain injuries, chemical exposure, respiratory damage, crush injuries, and fatalities are devastating and require an immediate legal response. Company efforts to clean up after an explosion can alter the site and destroy potentially valuable evidence, while video footage, pressure data, damaged equipment, maintenance records, and witness information may become harder to secure over time.
The sooner you reach out to Frischhertz & Impastato, the sooner we can begin investigating the incident and building your case. If you were harmed or if your loved one passed away due to a plant explosion in New Orleans or the surrounding areas, don't wait to contact our team.
Call (504) 276-6962 to discuss what happened, your injuries, and how we can help you move forward.
Eight Attorneys. More Than 85 Years of Combined Experience.
At Frischhertz & Impastato, our eight experienced attorneys work collaboratively to pursue justice for our clients. We bring more than 85 years of combined experience to our practice and have recovered more than $700 million for injured people and their families. Each client receives personalized attention from a team prepared to confront powerful companies and contested liability.
What Caused the Explosion & Who Is Responsible?
An industrial accident investigation must determine what happened, which companies controlled the relevant work, and whether unsafe conduct or defective equipment contributed to the blast. Depending on the evidence and applicable laws, the answers may point to employer negligence, product liability, premises liability, or other sources of legal responsibility.
Important areas of investigation may include:
The Condition of Relevant Equipment: We look at maintenance records, inspection histories, alarms, pressure data, and prior warnings to determine whether industrial equipment was in good working order.
The Nature of the Work: We review hot-work permits, chemical-handling procedures, employee training, and emergency planning to determine if workers had the proper training to carry out the work that was being performed.
Contractor Activity: Work assignments, supervision, subcontractor roles, and control over the affected area can significantly impact liability after an industrial explosion, particularly if negligence is uncovered.
Overall Facility Operations: We examine the site's existing safety procedures, site access, process controls, and responses to known hazards to identify any safety lapses that may have played a role in the incident.
After a plant explosion, the potentially responsible parties may include contractors, subcontractors, facility owners, equipment manufacturers, maintenance companies, and other entities connected to the facility. Employers and statutory employers, which Louisiana law may treat as employers because of the work performed or the parties’ contractual relationship, can be subject to different rules.
Workers’ Compensation & Third-Party Liability
Louisiana workers’ compensation generally gives covered employees access to workplace injury benefits while limiting civil claims against employers. That limitation doesn’t automatically protect every company associated with the facility. Employment status, contractual arrangements, site control, and the cause of the explosion can all affect whether you have a third-party claim.
A separate civil claim, known as a third-party work injury claim, may be available against a manufacturer, contractor, property owner, or another person or company whose conduct contributed to the injury. We may investigate multiple companies while evaluating how a workers’ compensation claim affects other legal options.
Injuries & Losses After a Plant Explosion
A claim may account for emergency treatment, surgery, rehabilitation, psychological injuries, permanent impairment, reduced earning capacity, and continuing medical care. Potential damages depend on the type of claim, the injured person’s employment status, the available evidence, the severity of the injuries, and Louisiana law.
When an explosion is fatal, eligible family members may have a wrongful death claim involving lost financial support, household contributions, companionship, and other legally recognized losses. The available claims and damages depend on the family relationship and the circumstances of the death.
How We Separate Overlapping Claims & Responsibilities
We trace the cause of the explosion, identify the companies connected to the work, and evaluate how their actions relate to the resulting injuries and losses. This requires a coordinated investigation because each employer, contractor, property owner, and manufacturer may have had a different role.
Depending on the circumstances, we may examine things like site control and work assignments, contractor agreements, equipment and maintenance histories, safety policies, witness accounts, medical records, wage documentation, and official reports. We also test competing explanations against the evidence. Any available claim depends on the facts, as well as the legal relationship between the injured person and each potentially responsible party.
Information to Preserve After an Industrial Explosion
You don’t need to assemble a complete case before speaking with an attorney. However, it's a good idea to preserve the information already available to you, and don’t assume an employer’s workers’ compensation process accounts for every company whose actions may have contributed to the explosion.
Useful records may include:
Incident reports and safety communications
Photographs or videos of the site, equipment, and injuries
Medical records and treatment instructions
Work assignments and employer or contractor information
Names and contact details for witnesses
Pay records and documentation of lost income
Workers’ compensation and civil claims can have different requirements and deadlines. The applicable period may depend on the claim type, employment relationships, parties involved, and other facts, so an early review can identify which issues need prompt attention.
Discuss Your Legal Options After a Plant Explosion
A free consultation allows you to explain what happened, whether you were an employee or contractor, and how the explosion affected you or your family. Our New Orleans plant explosion lawyers can evaluate the known parties, potential claims, and evidence that may need to be preserved.
Deadlines and legal options vary by claim and circumstance. Call (504) 276-6962 to request your free consultation with Frischhertz & Impastato.
A compilation of the Frischhertz & Impastato attorneys and staff at work and interacting with clients.
Before You Sign AnythingThat Settlement Offer Isn't Their Final OneIt's Their First One
Adjusters open low on purpose, betting you won't push back. We push back for a living. Let us look at the offer before you accept it — it costs nothing, and it might be the most valuable five minutes you spend on this case.
