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An oilfield accident can mean substantial injuries and, for many victims, a long road to recovery. In some cases, those accidents can mean long-lasting implications — not just the physical losses associated with the injury but also potential financial losses, particularly as medical bills mount and you cannot return to work.
If you suffered injuries on an oilfield due to the negligence of another party, or you suffered injuries while at work on an oilfield or oil rig, you may have the right to compensation for those losses. A Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers can provide you with the assistance you need to navigate your claim and recover compensation for your injuries successfully.
When you suffer injuries in an oilfield accident in Shreveport, you need a lawyer who will help guide you through the claim process and provide you with essential insights into how you can recover maximum compensation for your injuries. At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, we have successfully helped clients injured under various circumstances recover compensation for their losses.
After a Shreveport oilfield accident or injury, you need to fully identify all factors that led to your accident and injuries. If you suffered injuries as an employee on the oilfield or rig during the accident, you have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim. However, if another party’s negligence led to your accident, you may also have the right to file a personal injury claim.
At Morris & Dewett, we thoroughly investigate all the details of your accident to understand better what likely led to your injuries. Then, we collect evidence to establish the basis for your claim.
Determining how much compensation you deserve after an oilfield accident can turn complicated. You may have immense financial and non-financial losses related to your injuries. Unfortunately, the insurance company may not automatically provide fair compensation for those losses. We work with you to break down all the damages associated with your accident so you can include them in your comprehensive oilfield accident claim.
At Morris & Dewett, we understand the challenges you face as you deal with the aftermath of an oilfield accident. Not only can your injuries prove physically debilitating, they can cause a great deal of emotional upheaval. We understand those challenges and aim to help our clients maximize the compensation they can recover while providing full support throughout the claim process.
Oilfields and oil rigs are incredibly dangerous. Often, accidents result in catastrophic injuries that can permanently change the course of the victim’s life. Common incidents include:
Some incidents occur due to the hazards naturally associated with those job tasks. However, others can occur because of the negligence of another party on the job site. Working with a Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer can help you better break down liability for your specific accident.
In order to recover just compensation for the losses that followed your oilfield accident, you need to make sure that you file the correct type of claim. A Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer will provide deeper insight into who bears liability for your accident and how you can maximize your compensation.
You have the right to file a personal injury claim after an oilfield accident when another party’s negligence directly leads to your injuries. That includes:
At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, we look at several factors to determine who likely bears liability for your injuries. First, we will establish who bore a duty of care to you at the time of the accident. Any party with a duty to reduce your risk of injury and protect you may be liable.
Next, we will look carefully at any negligence that may have contributed to the incident. For example, a company that fails to issue its employees adequate safety equipment or ensure that employees receive all relevant safety training may bear liability for any incident due to those failures.
Finally, we will look at how that negligence ultimately contributed to your accident and the damages you sustained.
When you suffer injuries due to another party’s negligence, you can pursue compensation through a personal injury claim. Usually, that claim will go through the liable party’s insurance. While we cannot guarantee the compensation you will recover for your injuries, we can help you look at the damages typically included in an injury claim.
After a serious injury like the ones often sustained on an oilfield, from brain injuries to broken bones, you may find yourself with immense medical expenses. You can include compensation for current and future anticipated medical bills as part of your injury claim.
Keep track of all medical costs related to the treatment for your injury, including co-pay and deductible costs. You may need to provide documentation of those costs to help you recover fair compensation for all medical bills.
When you suffer injuries on the oil field, you can end up out of work for quite some time. Unfortunately, that can mean immense financial challenges as you recover from your accident. Talk to your Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer to get a better idea of how you can lay out all the wages you missed because of your accident, including both time off immediately after the accident and any time you may have missed because of follow-up appointments or procedures.
In addition to claiming compensation for all the direct losses related to your oilfield accident, you have the right to include compensation for non-financial losses related to the accident. Talk to your lawyer about the suffering you have faced as a direct result of your accident and how you can include it as part of your claim. Talk about not only the physical pain from your accident but also emotional anguish, loss of independence, and lost opportunities related to the incident.
The statute of limitations outlines how long you must file a claim after an oilfield accident. In Louisiana, the statute of limitations allows you to file a claim within one year of the date of the incident. If you have a chronic stress injury or illness related to your oilfield job, you may have up to one year after the illness or injury is discovered to file a claim.
Because of Louisiana’s short statute of limitations, you may need to move forward with your injury claim faster. Get in touch with a Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Workers’ compensation, unlike a personal injury claim, will take care of the direct medical costs related to your accident as they occur. Instead of you receiving the bill and taking care of the payment and receiving compensation later, workers’ comp will pay your medical care providers directly. In some cases, you may need to submit for reimbursement for medical costs that workers’ comp did not pay upfront.
As you recover from your oilfield injuries, workers’ comp will pay out a percentage of your income, usually two-thirds of what you would make if you were able to work normally. Those payments will come in as long as you remain out of work, and will stop once you can return to your normal work schedule.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is widespread in the oil and gas industry. It poses several potential dangers to workers, including using toxic chemicals and gases that raise the risk of developing serious health concerns. Workers have a high risk of developing silicosis, an incurable lung disease. In addition, workers often face the risk of catastrophic injuries on the job, including the risk of:
Amputations
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Crush Injuries
Severe Burns
Spine Injury
Neck Injury
Chemical/Acid Burns
Electrocution
These injuries frequently mean long-term health impacts, the inability to engage in the activities that the worker enjoyed before the incident, and long-term financial challenges.
Catastrophic injuries mean high-value claims, which means the insurance company may fight harder to reduce the compensation it has to pay out following the incident. If you do not have a lawyer on your side, it can prevent you from obtaining fair compensation.
Because of the devastating nature of many injuries on an oilfield or oil rig, working closely with a Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer can prove essential to your claim. An attorney can protect your rights after your accident and increase the odds you will recover fair compensation.
You may notice several immediate signs that you need an attorney as soon as possible.
Some accidents in the oilfield occur because of the hazardous nature of the job. Others, however, result directly from another party’s negligence. Any time you believe that you have grounds for a personal injury claim, including a claim against your employer or an equipment manufacturer, you need an experienced oilfield accident lawyer on your side to help you collect the evidence you need, establish your right to compensation, and put together a comprehensive injury claim.
After an oilfield accident, you may have catastrophic injuries that lead to high medical bills. Often, that means a claim that includes substantial compensation. However, the insurance company may not automatically provide the compensation you deserve for your losses.
The insurance company may provide a very low settlement offer that fails to fairly encompass the losses you sustained in the accident. If you receive a low settlement offer, or if you receive a settlement offer before you have a chance to fully understand the damages that went along with your accident, contact a lawyer as soon as possible.
The insurance company may use a number of strategies to deny liability for the incident. It may try to claim that it does not cover the specific type of incident, that the party that caused the incident is not covered by its policy, or that your injuries must have occurred at another time. Often, a lawyer can look over the policy or provide the evidence needed to show that the insurance company does, in fact, need to provide coverage and compensation for the incident.
Insurance companies may try to downplay the severity of the damages you have to deal with following an oilfield accident. For example, the insurance company may insist that you did not need all the medical treatment you claimed after the accident. A Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer can better show the full extent of the losses you sustained and what compensation you should receive as a result.
Workers’ comp pays for your medical bills directly, so you will typically need approval from workers’ comp before moving forward with a medical need.
Sometimes, however, workers’ comp may deny approval for those procedures, leaving you unable to get the medical care you need to recover as fully as possible after your accident. A lawyer can help you fight to protect your rights, including your right to needed medical care.
You should not have to return to the oilfield before you receive medical clearance. Not only can trying to go back to work too soon make your injuries worse, it can put your coworkers in danger since you cannot safely operate equipment or fill your usual role.
If your employer pressures you to get back to work too soon, bring in a lawyer as soon as possible to help protect your health.
Sometimes, however, workers’ comp may deny approval for those procedures, leaving you unable to get the medical care you need to recover as fully as possible after your accident. A lawyer can help you fight to protect your rights, including your right to needed medical care.
Even when you can return to work, you may need accommodations or a change in duties to protect your health and wellness. If your employer will not offer the accommodations you need or are denied despite explicit instructions from a medical care provider, a lawyer can fight on your behalf.
If you suffered injuries in an oilfield accident, whether you need to file a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury claim, you need a lawyer on your side. Contact Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers to connect with a Shreveport oilfield accident lawyer who will guide you through the claim process. We fight for your best interests, protecting your right to compensation every step of the way.
“We focus on being the best at 3 things: preparing hard for our cases, making sure we deliver what clients need, and making sure they are treated well throughout the process.”
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