Explosions may be a more rare form of personal injury, but whether or not an explosion happens at work or on your personal time, the effects of these accidents can be devastating. Not only can these accidents cause death, but some survivors of explosion injury can deal with significant medical issues for years – or the rest of their lives. If you’ve been injured in a gas or refinery explosion, then you will need an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Find Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers for Explosion Injury
Not just any personal injury lawyer can handle the complications of an explosion injury lawsuit. From battling for workers’ compensation and resources from your insurance company to securing recompense for wrongful death or permanent disability as a result of the accident, only an experienced lawyer will be able to navigate fair compensation for explosion accidents.
To find an experienced lawyer, you will want to look into the previous case history of the law firm you plan to use. Law firms with experience in gas and refinery explosions will have information on the common causes, injuries, and awards for settlements. It’s best for the future success of your case if you can locate a local law firm that has filed and won similar lawsuits in the past.
What Are Some Consequences of Explosion Accidents?
Explosion accidents are tragic in many ways. For one thing, whether or not the accident happens at work or your personal time, you will likely be dealing with severe injuries that will require extensive medical attention. While your health insurance, if you are insured, will cover some of the costs, most of the medical needs after an explosion accident will require ongoing medical care, and that means that you will be left with expensive medical bills that you may not be able to pay.
Along with medical bills, surviving an explosion will also mean that you will likely lose time off work, or your job entirely if you are not able to recover adequately from the accident. Loss of wages can make it difficult to pay your medical bills, your everyday living expenses, and other costs, such as your home or car. Many victims also have to deal with the loss of personal property and emotional turmoil that may affect their personal lives.
How Can a Lawsuit Help You?
Filing a lawsuit after an explosion accident is the best way to help you recover after your injury, particularly in terms of your personal finances. Your legal team will prioritize winning fair compensation for your injury and recovery, which can include several awards such as:
- Help with medical bills
- Compensation for permanent injury
- Loss of wage replacement
- Compensation for emotional turmoil
- Wrongful death or loss of life
Depending on the specific circumstances of your accident, you may be entitled to one or more of these financial compensations, either from the private party or company responsible for your accident or from your insurance company. For workers who are injured on the job, such as for refinery explosions, then you may also be entitled to worker’s compensation.
What Are Common Causes of Explosion Accidents?
In general, explosion accidents can be caused by a variety of different factors, although most often the cause is a faulty system or lack of failsafe measures to prevent accidents. Based on your type of accident, you may be dealing with a combination of causes for your accident. For example, for a gas and refinery explosion at work, your workplace could be negligent for the safety measures that are usually put in place to prevent explosions. If this is the case, then your employer will owe you more than worker’s compensation for your injury.
Outside of work, another common cause for an explosion is a propane leak, such as from a propane tank attached to a grill or from gas-powered electricity in the home. Again, the main causal factor for this type of gas explosion is related to negligence, such as from the building owner, home builder, or even the maker of the propane tank or the gas company supplying the gas line to the home. Even in these circumstances, you will need to be compensated for negligence by a third party.
Common Causes for Refinery Explosions
Refinery explosions are often more serious and catastrophic than natural gas explosions that may happen at home. For one thing, because refineries deal with a larger amount of potentially explosive materials, the amount of damage is usually more significant. Some of the most common negligence-related causes for refinery explosions include:
- Non-compliance with OSHA standards
- Poor machinery maintenance
- Improper machinery usage
- Use of bad, expired, or inappropriate chemicals
- Ignored corrosion
- Untrained or improperly trained workers
What Are the Most Common Explosion Accidents?
When you’ve been injured by an explosion, there are a few scenarios that your case may fall under. For example, apartment complex explosions and propane explosions are the most common accidents that happen outside of work. Appliances that leak natural gas, defective propane tanks, and other circumstances can cause explosions on your personal property. Other common explosion accidents include:
- Pipeline explosions
- Refinery explosions
- Plant explosions
- Oil spill explosions
What Are Common Injuries Related to Explosion accidents?
Chemical explosions, refinery explosions, and gas explosions can all cause extensive injuries – and even death when explosions are particularly significant. Not all people will suffer the same injuries to the same degree, but many injuries are common for these types of accidents. For example, you may sustain orthopedic injuries such as broken limbs that can take several months to heal at a minimum. Head trauma is also a common injury, as well as traumatic brain injury, both of which can permanently hinder your health.
The most common injuries related to explosions are severe burns that may require extensive skin grafting and several months of recovery, as well as around-the-clock care at a hospital. Burns also permanently scar the body and can create mobility issues. Many survivors of explosions also have to recover from respiratory injuries, which can include lifelong lung damage.
Can You Be Permanently Disabled?
Yes. Many people are permanently disabled as a result of explosion accidents. For example, broken limbs may heal incorrectly and severe burns on the body can restrict your range of motion, which may make you unable to complete daily personal tasks. Some brain injuries cause severe impairment and memory loss. Some survivors even lose limbs as a result of severe explosions.
In each case, these permanent injuries can make it difficult to find work or support yourself, which means you will need compensation for the wages you would have earned, along with compensation for ongoing medical bills.
Why Might You Need Help With Insurance Settlement?
Although your medical insurance may cover a portion of your medical bills, you will likely have significant medical bills that your insurance or the insurance of your company may not want to cover. However, you are entitled to a settlement that will pay your medical bills and replace your lost wages and future wages if your injuries are significant enough. To get a fair settlement, you will most likely need to file a lawsuit against the insurance company.
Only experienced personal injury lawyers will be able to help you get the compensation you deserve after a gas or refinery explosion. If you have survived an explosion injury and you are entitled to an insurance settlement for your injury, please contact Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner in Houston, TX today.