Louisiana Refinery Accident and Explosion Lawyers
Undefeated Louisiana Refinery and Plant Injury Attorneys
The petrochemical and refining industries are major players in Louisiana’s economy.
In fact, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the state’s 15 oil refineries accounted for one-sixth of the nation’s total refining capacity as of 2023. Meanwhile, chemical processing ranks as Louisiana’s leading manufacturing sector, comprising 17% of its industrial workforce. Enabling thousands of men and women across the state to earn a decent living.
Unfortunately, as confirmed by the state’s rising number of industrial explosions, these jobs are some of the most dangerous in the country. Refinery and plant workers caught up in an explosion, fire, or accident may be left permanently disabled, disfigured, and unable to work and provide for their families for the rest of their lives. When such injuries prove fatal, the financial hardship is only amplified by profound grief, inflicting an overwhelming burden on those left behind.
If you or someone you love was severely injured, catastrophically burned, or tragically killed while working at a plant or refinery, you can’t depend on the company to take care of you and your family. No matter what they promise, their number one priority is saving money.
They do that by downplaying your injuries, blaming you for the accident, and trying to limit your compensation to Workers’ Compensation benefits, which pay pennies compared to the damages you could recover in a personal injury lawsuit.
Contact Our Undefeated Refinery Accident and Explosion Lawyers for a Free Consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here
In addition to being Undefeated, our Louisiana Refinery Accident and Explosion Lawyers have consistently recovered the largest verdicts and settlements in history on behalf of injured industrial workers and their families.
Most recently, for example, we obtained the #1 Largest Burn Injury Settlement in History for a client who suffered third-degree burns to 52% of his body during an oilfield blowout.
Less than one year earlier, our Undefeated Plant Explosion Lawyers negotiated a $100 Million Settlement in connection with a major refinery explosion after defeating the company’s attempt to limit our clients to less than $50,000 in Workers’ Compensation benefits. The settlement is one of the largest industrial accident settlements in history.
If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed in a refinery explosion, fire, or accident, our Refinery Injury Attorneys will devote whatever resources are necessary to ensuring that you receive the maximum compensation possible for your injuries and losses. Simply call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Confidential Consultation.
All consults are free, and you’ll pay nothing unless we win your case.
Louisiana Plant and Refinery Explosions Are Preventable
Having recovered Billions on behalf of thousands of injured plant and refinery workers in connection with the worst industrial disasters in recent history, we’ve seen first-hand that these disasters are entirely preventable and typically result from refinery owners and operators putting profit above worker safety.
Consider a sampling of some Louisiana plant and refinery explosions:
West Lake Chemical St. Charles Explosions
On September 27, 2021, an explosion erupted West Lake Chemical’s Petro Complex 2 Unit, an ethylene production facility located roughly 21 miles from Lake Charle. Five workers were injured, including one man who was burned over 50% of his body.
The blast occurred during a maintenance turnaround. OSHA ultimately fined West Lake Chemical and three other companies a total of $139,000 for 11 serious violations uncovered during its investigation of the incident, including confined space permit violations; confined space training, exposure to airborne concentrations of benzene; struck-by hazards; flash fire and explosions hazards and not performing process equipment inspections.
Just four months later, in January 2022, a tank explosion injured six workers at the same facility. The storage tank contained ethylene dichloride, a chemical that can harm the human nervous system, liver, and kidney, as well as cause breathing and heart problems, nausea, and vomiting if inhaled.
ADA Carbon Solutions Explosion
On April 22, 2021, an explosion at the ADA Carbon Solutions plant in Coushatta, Louisiana, left two workers badly burned.
Few details of the ADA Carbon Solutions explosion were ever made available, as confidentiality contracts prohibited the Red River Parish Fire Department and other responding agencies from commenting further. While OSHA records indicate the company was cited for lacking an adequate emergency action plan, the citation was deleted following an “informal settlement.”
PCA Papermill Explosion
In February 2017, two workers were killed when an explosion ignited during a maintenance shutdown at the Packaging Company of America (PCA) papermill in DeRidder, Louisiana.
The blast occurred as a crew was welding water pipes connected to a 10,000-gallon-capacity hot condensate tank. Their hot work activities ignited flammable materials inside, causing it to explode. The tank was separated from its base and launched over a 6-story structure before it landed on equipment some 375 feet away.
A final report from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) detailed multiple ways PCA could have prevented the explosion. While acknowledging that OSHA’s process safety management regulations did not apply to the mill’s non-condensable gas system, the Board’s investigators noted hat PCA had not even followed voluntary guidelines.
ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery Fire
On November 22, 2016, four workers were critically injured in an explosion on the sulfuric-acid alkylation unit at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Operators performing maintenance were attempting to open a plug valve, but the valve came apart and released flammable hydrocarbons., and the resulting vapor ignited.
CSB investigators concluded that the explosion would have been prevented had the older valves been updated to a safer design, something that had already occurred in 97% of the unit’s valves. OSHA ultimately fined the refinery $165,000 in connection with the incident, including a $12,675 penalty for each of 8 violations deemed serious and a $63,000 penalty for the refinery’s failure to carry out external visual and ultrasonic inspections of the refinery’s piping.
Williams Olefins Explosion
One of the most devastating plant explosions in recent years occurred on June 13, 2013, at the Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana. Two workers were killed in the blast and more than 70 others were injured.
The catastrophic explosion was attributed to a rupture in a heat exchanger located in the facility’s propylene fractionation unit. The rupture allowed a release of highly flammable propylene gas, which ignited, resulting in the explosion and the subsequent fire. OSHA later cited Williams Olefin for six process safety management standard violations, including one willful violation, in connection with the explosion.
What to Do After a Refinery Explosion or Accident
Within hours of an industrial explosion or accident, the refinery operator will have already assembled a team of lawyers to help them avoid responsibility and restrict the injured workers and their families to workers’ compensation benefits, which only pay a small fraction of the damages they might otherwise recover through a personal injury lawsuit.
Unfortunately, if you don’t take immediate steps to protect your rights and your family’s future, you’ll likely never receive maximum compensation for all of your injuries and losses.
Head to the ER, No Matter What
Even if you don’t think you were seriously injured, you must get checked out at the emergency room or by a doctor of YOUR CHOICE immediately after a refinery accident or explosion because it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and the adrenaline rush many people experience after traumatic events can mask the severity and extent of their injuries.
Getting checked out at the ER will ensure any injuries you suffered are documented and treated right away. Waiting, even just a few days, to seek medical attention will also give your employer an excuse to downplay and dispute the severity of your injuries.
Demand to See the Doctor of Your Choice
Plant and Refinery Operators are notorious for forcing injured workers to see doctors and other medical providers selected – and paid for – by the company or its Workers’ Comp carrier. But no matter what they tell you, you have the right to demand follow-up medical care with the healthcare providers of YOUR CHOICE.
You’re under no obligation to see company-paid doctors and specialists who are financially incentivized to downplay and ignore your injuries.
Keep a Record of Everything You Can Remember
As soon as you’re able, take some time to write down and record everything you remember about the explosion or accident, including:
- Everything that happened in the moments before.
- Where you were and what you were doing in those moments.
- Names and phone numbers of any witnesses in the area.
Record as many details as possible, no matter how trivial they might seem.
Follow Your Doctors’ Advice
If you miss medical appointments or fail to follow your doctors’ advice, your employer will almost surely use that information to question and trivialize the severity of your injuries and avoid paying you and your family all that you are owed. It’s also a good idea to keep a written record of your treatments and care, including co-pays and the cost of any prescription medications and medical supplies related to your physical recovery.
Don’t Put Your Faith – Or Your Future – in the Hands of Your Employer
Plant and Refinery owners will do everything possible to save money after a serious accident or explosion. No matter how convincingly they promise to take care of you, you can’t afford to take them at their word and place your future in their hands.
You should NEVER agree to provide a recorded statement, sign ANY paperwork, or accept any money from the company (other than your regular paycheck) before speaking with an experienced Refinery Injury Lawyer with a track record of successfully representing industrial accident and explosion victims.
Our Approach to Record-Setting Verdicts and Settlements
How do we continuously set records for our clients?
Once we’re hired, our Industrial Accident Lawyers immediately assemble a team of the best engineers, safety experts, and doctors in the country to determine why the refinery explosion or accident occurred, how it could (and should) have been prevented, and what it will cost to make sure that our clients have the financial resources to take care of themselves and their families for the rest of their lives. If the refinery operator refuses to offer a settlement that fully compensates our clients for all their injuries and losses, we take the case to trial — where our lawyers remain undefeated.
Our approach has led to highly favorable – and often record-breaking – verdicts and settlements in connection with the worst industrial explosions in recent history, including the:
- Williams Olefins Explosion in Geismar, Louisiana
- Williams Gibson Explosion
- BP Texas City Explosion
- BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion
- Imperial Sugar Refinery Explosion, and
- International Paper Refinery Explosion
An Unparalleled Commitment to Injured Refinery Workers and Their Families
Having successfully represented thousands of plant and refinery accident victims across Louisiana, Texas, and the United States, we understand that a full recovery is our client’s first (and most important) priority. In every case we’re involved with, we make sure that our clients have access to the best doctors and medical providers in the country, including burn and reconstructive surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, and psychologists.
We also make arrangements to ensure that our clients are able to pay their bills while their cases are pending and, once their cases have resolved, connect them with the best tax and financial advisors who make sure that their recovery will last a lifetime.
Our lawyers and staff are always there for you—both while your case is pending and long after it’s been resolved, which is why so many of our clients continue to say that “we’re more than lawyers – we’re like family.”
But you don’t have to take our word for it. Hear directly from our clients by viewing our Client Video Review Page or our firm’s YouTube Channel.
Undefeated Louisiana Refinery Explosion Lawyer with Billions Won: Call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consultation
In just the past 10 years alone, Our Undefeated Louisiana Refinery Explosion Lawyers have won Billions, including the Largest Individual Burn Settlement in US History, for workers severely injured, catastrophically burned, or tragically killed following the worst industrial explosions, accidents, and disasters in history.
If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed while working at a Louisiana refinery, please call 1-888-603-3636, use the “chat” button on our homepage, or click here to send us a confidential email through our “Contact Us” form.
Our Refinery Accidents Attorneys will answer all of your questions, explain your rights, and provide the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.
Consultations are always free, and you won’t owe us a dime unless we win your case.
Call 1-888-603-3636 or click here to send us an email through our “Contact Us” form.
Plant and Refinery Explosion Video Resources
- Our Success in Plant and Refinery Explosions
- Plant and Refinery Explosion Video Information Page
- Injured in a Plant Explosion: Who is Responsible?
- The Most Common Causes of Plant and Refinery Explosions
- Plant Explosion Victim Discusses How Zehl & Associates Won Record-Setting Settlement for His Family