Workplace accidents can happen anywhere, but the hazardous conditions present at an oil field can cause particularly catastrophic injuries. Common injuries that happen while working on oil fields include burns, falls, and exposure to dangerous chemicals – injuries that can lead to severe disability or even death, leaving injured workers or their loved ones unable to pay medical bills or provide for their families.
Learn more about what steps you should take after you’ve been injured working on an oil field.
Notify Your Employer Immediately
Most of the time, oil field injuries are so catastrophic that employers are on notice. If not, it’s vital that you notify your employer at once. Failure to do so can have adverse effects on your ability to seek damages or file a workers’ compensation claim. Different states have different rules as to how you must notify your employer. Many states require the notification to be in writing, while some states also require you to fill out a specific government form. Your employer may also have its own form for you to complete. Even if your state only requires verbal notice of your injury, providing written notice helps document your claim.
Seek Medical Attention
When a workplace injury is severe, it’s obvious what to do: someone will call 911. If your injury is not immediately obvious, seeing a medical professional as soon as possible is important. This will make it more difficult for your employer or its insurance company to claim your symptoms aren’t the result of your injury. Exposure to toxic chemicals, for example, may not always cause immediate symptoms. Visiting a medical professional immediately will give you the necessary diagnosis to demonstrate what caused your injuries.
Hire Top Personal Attorneys
Oil field injuries are complex. It’s important to seek assistance from highly experienced oil field accident attorneys as soon as possible following your injury. Due to the dangerous nature of oil fields, many federal and state regulations are in place to maintain safe and environmentally conscious work environments. However, when these regulations are skirted or violated, workers may be severely injured or killed, entitling them or their families to damages.
The Fitzgerald Law Firm in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has more than 40 years of experience handling cases of serious injury and death on oil fields. Our firm holds the record for the largest verdicts ever upheld on appeal in Wyoming, and we’ll work hard to hold those responsible for your injury accountable.
If you or a family member has been injured on the job in an oil field, contact us to discuss the details of your case.