Oil Refinery Accident Lawyer in Louisiana

Thousands of people in Louisiana are employed by the state’s booming petrochemical industry. For the most part, these are well-paying, highly-skilled jobs that provide families with steady income, contribute to the state’s economy, and contribute to America’s energy independence. However, those gains can come at a cost: oil refinery jobs are some of the most dangerous in the country, with accidents leading to serious injury or even death.

The danger of jobs at oil refineries and other industrial plants in Louisiana is exacerbated by the fact that many of these companies cut corners to save money, sacrificing their employees’ safety in the process. If you or a loved one has been injured while working at a Louisiana refinery, you could be entitled to compensation for the damages you’ve suffered.

What Causes Injuries at Louisiana’s Oil Refineries?

There are a number of possible causes for injury at refineries, but the vast majority of them ultimately stem from negligence. It’s the plant’s responsibility to ensure a safe workplace for its employees, which includes safety training, proper protective equipment, maintaining machinery, and more. When management fails to fulfill their responsibility, accidents can result from a number of issues:

• Lack of supervision or training
• Insufficient safety gear
• Improper safety protocols at plants and refineries
• Failures of railings and other structures
• Falling objects
• Fires, refinery explosions, and plant explosions
• Hazardous materials that have been improperly stored
• Human error or carelessness

Recent Accidents at Louisiana Oil Refineries

• In Garyville, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the Marathon Petroleum plant experienced an explosion on February 21, 2022. One contract worker was injured and the community’s air was monitored for hours.
• On April 23, 2022, a fire at the Valero Energy Corp. refinery in Meraux sent two workers to the hospital and closed the highway nearby. The workers were taken to the University Medical Center in New Orleans for treatment.
• At the Phillips 66 refinery plant in Westlake, Calcasieu Parish, a worker was fatally injured on April 27, 2022 while unloading equipment.
• A worker was injured at the ExxonMobil plastics plant in Baton Rouge on July 19, 2022 after an accident. This is an ongoing case and investigation into the cause is underway.

In addition, refineries have an ongoing problem with benzene contamination harming their employees and the surrounding communities. Benzene is extremely toxic to both humans and animals, despite its usefulness in a variety of industrial processes, and Louisiana refineries emit more than the federal limit of nine micrograms of benzene per cubic meter.

Common Injuries Resulting from Oil Refinery Accidents

Because refineries and other heavy industrial jobs are, by their nature, dangerous, when workers are injured they tend to be injured badly. In fact, injuries from refinery accidents frequently lead to life-threatening permanent disabilities or even death. Some of the most common injuries at oil refineries include

• Broken bones and crushed limbs
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Hearing loss
• Damage to the respiratory system due to toxic fume inhalation
• Exposure to asbestos and other hazardous materials, which can lead to an increased risk of cancer and other serious conditions
• Electrocutions
• Burns
• Amputations and other catastrophic injuries
• Long-term and permanent disability
• Death

Know Your Rights as a Refinery Worker

As a refinery or plant worker, you have the right to seek medical treatment for your injuries, as well as compensation for your lost earnings, if you’ve been injured on the job. Your injury might be covered under workers’ compensation, or you could open a claim alleging negligence on the part of your employer or another party.

The refinery injury lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have decades of experience fighting for refinery workers against their employers and insurance companies. These companies will fight hard to keep from paying the compensation you deserve, but we can help you recover needed funds for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

What Damages Can I Expect After Being Injured in a Refinery Accident?

Medical bills can be extremely high after a refinery accident, but they are not the only damages you can be compensated for. With an experienced attorney, you can seek damages for the following:

• Wages you’ve lost due to missing work while you heal
• Future wages that you’ll miss out on due to a permanent disability
• Hospital bills
• Rehabilitation costs
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Funeral costs, in the event of the victim’s death

What to Do After an Oil Refinery Accident

If you’ve been in a Louisiana refinery accident, try to get to safety as soon as possible, if you can. Make sure to be examined by the first responders who arrive, even if you don’t think you’re injured. Many injuries can take hours or days to develop symptoms.

You should also call an experienced oil refinery accident attorney as soon as you can. Louisiana law defines a statute of limitations past which claims are invalid, so make sure to file your claim as soon as possible.

Statute of Limitation Changes in Louisiana

In 2024, Louisiana law extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims occurring on or after July 1, 2024, from one year to two years. Any injuries that occurred before July 1, 2024, will still have a 1-year statute of limitation. Learn more about Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations here.

• 1 year for injuries sustained before July 1, 2024.
• 2 years for injuries suffered after July 1, 2024.

The statute of limitations is a legal deadline that sets a time frame for filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this is known as the “prescriptive period,” which determines how long you have to take legal action against the responsible party after an injury occurs.

Call Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys After You’ve Been Injured in a Refinery

If you or a loved one has been injured in a Louisiana oil refinery accident, call the personal injury lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys for a free legal consultation today. We’re dedicated to our clients’ health and well-being, and will do everything in our power to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Call us at 888.501.7888 for a free legal consultation, and start on your path to healing today.