Gas Tank Explosion Lawyers
Industrial explosions hit like bombs, killing in nanoseconds. The worst blast in
Hundreds Died in Disaster
The blasts killed 581 and injured hundreds. They knocked people 10 miles away in
Lawyers Win Millions For Victims, Benefit Public
Today, as lawyers win large wrongful death settlements and injury settlements for victims, they are also reaping big benefits for the general public. David Michaels, a professor at George Washington University’s School of Public Health who heads its Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy, says the huge settlements show “the power of litigation” to force safe practices on factories. He says the massive 2005 BP explosion and fire in Texas City ( video) that killed 15, Injured 180 and damaged property a quarter of a mile away is a case in point.
OSHA Fines Not Enough
OSHA fined British Petroleum $21 million after the explosion. But a company with annual revenues of more than $22 billion can easily shrug off such amounts, Michaels says. The refinery, one of the largest in the
Offshore oil workers face injury from explosions, toxic gases, drowning, and risks associated with diving, deafness, burns, fires, helicopter accidents, hurricanes, icebergs – and while rare, earthquakes and tsunamis.The Jones Act, a major maritime law, protects them from an employer’s negligence in these situations. It also protects seamen and those who work on cruise ships and commercial vessels of all types, including river boats and tug boats, fishermen and fish processors, among others. Important amendments were added to this 1920’s federal law in 2006. Chances of recovery under the Jones Act are enhanced since the injured worker only has to show that “employer negligence played any part, even in the slightest, in producing the injury…..” Offshore oil workers may even recover damages if they are hurt in vehicular accidents traveling from one company location to another. Scientists on oceanographic research vessels are now included on the list of those covered by The Jones Act. Benefits under The Jones Act include weekly checks and medical care. But Jones Act cases can be complex. Injured workers should never communicate or negotiate with an employer before contacting a lawyer.
