Three workers have died after an explosion erupted at a Chesapeake Energy Corp. oil field in Burleson County, Texas in late January. The workers were apparently performing “major maintenance” when the fiery explosion occurred. One fatality was reported when emergency medical technicians arrived, and two other deaths were reported in the following days. A fourth worker has suffered severe burn injuries and is reportedly in critical condition.
Chesapeake Energy Sued for Negligence
The daughter of one of the oil field contractors who lost his life has filed a lawsuit against Chesapeake Energy already. In the wrongful death suit, $1 million dollars are demanded at a minimum. Forbes Energy Services, Eagle Pressure Control, and Halliburton Co. are also named as codefendants.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants were negligent in enforcing safety standards and performing adequate oil well maintenance. The lawsuit also claims that adequate emergency care was not provided to the injured parties.
None of the defendants have accepted any liability at this time. Most have not provided any insightful comments about what happened. A spokesperson for Halliburton did say that their company was not present at the time of the explosion and only showed up afterward for control efforts. The statement implies that Halliburton will seek to be excused as a defendant from the lawsuit sooner than later.
(More information about this ongoing story can be found by clicking here for an article from CBS 10 KWTX and here for an article from Insurance Journal.)
Filing a Lawsuit After an Oil Field Accident
You may be wondering why a wrongful death claim has been filed against Chesapeake Energy and others only a few days after the Burleson County oil field explosion. Typically, when there is good reason upfront to suspect some sort of negligence contributed to an accident, filing a claim as soon as possible is beneficial. Once a claim is filed, there is no risk of any statutes of limitations from expiring, ensuring that the claim can proceed forward while the plaintiff’s attorneys investigate and build their argument. Blocking the statute of limitations might be why the plaintiff in the Chesapeake Energy oil field accident case filed a lawsuit quickly.
Here at The Law Office of George P. Escobedo & Associates, PLLC in San Antonio, we frequently work with clients who have been injured or who have lost a loved one in preventable oil field accidents. Our hearts go out to the injured and their families during this difficult time, and we hope they can find some peace of mind and a sense of closure through a successful claim. We will be watching the news on this case closely, so be sure to revisit our blog often for important updates.
To learn more about our law firm, or if you need to file an oil field accident claim for an incident that occurred in Texas, call us at (210) 807-3178 and arrange a free initial consultation.
[This entry has been updated on 02/06/2020 to use the latest available information.]