Fighting for Injured Workers on Gulf Rigs & Platforms
The Gulf of Mexico’s offshore oil and gas platforms have been part of the New Orleans economy for generations, and the roustabouts, derrick hands, operators, and support crews who staff them work in one of the most physically demanding environments in the energy industry. Explosions, fires, blowouts, and toxic gas exposure represent some of the most catastrophic risks on a platform, but far more common are crush injuries from heavy equipment, falls from elevated platforms and stairways, and injuries suffered during helicopter or crew boat transport to and from the rig.
Whatever serious accident is behind your injury, Frischhertz & Impastato represents injured platform workers from the New Orleans area and across the Gulf Coast. We’ve recovered more than $700 million for our clients, and we may be able to help you too.
Fixed oil platforms that sit on the seabed are treated differently under maritime law than vessels that move through the water. Workers on many fixed platforms are typically covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) as extended by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), which applies that federal compensation system to platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf. Workers aboard mobile offshore drilling units, such as certain jack-up rigs or semi-submersibles that qualify as vessels, may instead have Jones Act seaman status, which opens the door to a broader negligence claim against their employer.
Because the applicable law depends heavily on the type of structure involved and the nature of the worker’s duties, this is often one of the most contested issues in an oil platform injury case. Getting it right affects everything from the deadline to file a claim to the categories of compensation available.
What Causes Serious Oil Platform Accidents
Investigations into platform accidents frequently reveal gaps in safety protocol, such as:
Inadequate inspection of pressure equipment,
Insufficient training on emergency shutdown procedures
Understaffing during high-risk operations
Pressure from operators to keep production moving despite known mechanical problems
Contractors and subcontractors working alongside platform operators add another layer of complexity, since a piece of malfunctioning equipment might belong to a service company entirely separate from the platform’s primary operator.
To determine where responsibility actually lies, our New Orleans oil platform accident attorneys dig into:
Maintenance records
Incident history
The contractual relationships between operators, contractors, and equipment providers
In cases that involve explosions or major equipment failure, we often work with engineers and safety consultants to reconstruct exactly what went wrong.
Compensation for Injured Platform Workers
Depending on how a workers’ claim is classified, compensation may include coverage for:
Medical treatment
A portion of lost wages
Pain and suffering (in negligence-based claims)
Permanent impairment (in negligence claims)
Diminished future earning capacity (in negligence claims)
Injured seamen aboard qualifying vessels are also entitled to maintenance and cure, which covers living expenses and medical care during recovery, no matter who was at fault.
Standing Up to Major Offshore Operators
Platform injury cases often mean going up against some of the largest energy companies and insurers in the world, along with the contractors and subcontractors who work under them. Our team is more than up to the task. Our eight attorneys work as a team on every case, rather than leaving one person to manage it alone, and we have earned recognitions from Super Lawyers, Lead Counsel, and the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. In fact, Frischhertz & Impastato has more than 85 years of combined experience, winning hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients, and we prepare every oil platform case with trial in mind, because that preparation carries weight in every settlement discussion.
Get the dedicated, personalized representation you need from our oil platform accident lawyers in New Orleans. Tell us your story in a free consultation by calling (504) 276-6962 today.
A compilation of the Frischhertz & Impastato attorneys and staff at work and interacting with clients.
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