Skip to content
Charleston Oilfield Injury Lawyer
- Why Choose Our Oilfield Injury Attorneys in Charleston, WV
- Testimonials From Injured Workers
- How Does Liability Work When You’re Injured in an Oil Rig Accident?
- What Damages Can You Recover for an Oil Platform Injury?
- Can You File an Oil & Gas Accident Claim for a Loved One’s Death?
- Common Types of Oil & Gas Accidents We Handle
- Dealing With Insurance Companies After an Oil and Gas Injury
- How Long Do You Have To File an Oilfield Injury Claim?
- We’re Ready To Help With Your Oilfield Injury Case
- Meet Our Attorneys
An oilfield accident can cause severe injuries that turn your life upside down. You may be unable to return to work, face costly medical bills, or suffer ongoing pain. Compensation is likely available to you, but getting the amount you deserve can be challenging.
That’s where Waner Law Offices comes in. Our Charleston oilfield injury lawyers can advocate for a fair outcome while you focus on your recovery. We’re a small firm that gets big results for our clients, and we’re ready to go to work for you.
Why Choose Our Oilfield Injury Attorneys in Charleston, WV
Nearly all employers in West Virginia must carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover employees’ work-related injuries and illnesses. Thus, if you are injured while working for an employer in the oil and gas industry, you likely can pursue a workers’ compensation claim. However, if a third party is responsible for your accident, you might be eligible to pursue a personal injury claim.
While insurance likely covers your workplace injury, insurance companies will likely try to minimize your compensation. You have the right to negotiate a fair settlement for your oilfield injuries, but it’s not an easy feat without legal representation. You have enough to deal with after your injury—allow Warner Law Offices to handle the legal details and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Our oil rig injury lawyers have over 20 years of experience advocating for West Virginians injured in heavy industry accidents. We level the playing field between you and powerful oilfield companies by providing aggressive advocacy at every turn. This approach has earned us many professional recognitions, including Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney in 2024 – Best of the Best Attorneys.
Founding attorney Bobby Warner was raised in West Virginia and knows the Charleston area well. He has a reputation for giving back to the community, such as donating car seats to needy families. This personal connection to the community drives our law firm’s commitment to getting justice for injured oil and gas workers. We value your hard work in building our state’s economy and believe you deserve fair treatment after an injury.
Testimonials From Injured Workers
We’ve helped countless people in West Virginia and beyond get meaningful results after a workplace injury. Read these valued clients’ thoughts on how we served them in their time of need:
How Does Liability Work When You're Injured in an Oil Rig Accident?
You may not have to prove liability to receive compensation for an oil rig accident. If you were working for an employer when the accident occurred, your workers’ compensation insurance should cover your medical expenses and some of your lost wages. Workers’ compensation coverage is available no matter who’s at fault for the accident.
However, workers’ compensation may not be enough to cover all of your damages after an oilfield injury. And if you were working as a contractor, it won’t be available at all. In that case, you’ll need to prove that someone else is liable for your injuries to receive additional compensation through a personal injury claim. Third parties that may be held liable for your injuries include the following:
- Contractors and subcontractors
- Oil and gas companies
- Landowners
- Equipment manufacturers or distributors
- Vendors
West Virginia only allows employees to sue employers in cases involving deliberate intent. If your employer intentionally caused your injury, you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim against it.
Understanding which of these options apply to you can be tricky. Our oil injury attorneys can determine who’s liable for your accident and what type of compensation you’re entitled to. We can then help you pursue either or both options.
"Injured employees should take stock of what caused those injuries to occur and consider whether co-workers and supervisors knew about an unsafe condition before the injury, the frequency and sufficiency of training, whether the employer was required to conduct an inspection or assessment, if the employer clearly communicated safety rules to employees, whether a Job Hazard Analysis (“JHA”) applied to the task, and did a supervisor direct the injured employee to perform his or her job, even though the supervisor had a conscious awareness of an unsafe condition."
What Damages Can You Recover for an Oil Platform Injury?
In a third-party personal injury lawsuit, you can seek compensation for the losses resulting from your oilfield injury. The following damages are often available in oilfield injury cases:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost income for work missed during your recovery
- Lost earning capacity for the injury’s long-term impact on your ability to work
- Disability-related expenses, such as home modifications and mobility equipment
- Travel expenses for accessing medical care
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Scarring and disfigurement
Economic damages, such as medical expenses and lost wages, are usually available in both workers’ comp and personal injury claims. Non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, are only available in personal injury claims. Death-related compensation is also available in both types of claims if you lost a loved one in a workplace accident.
Our oilfield injury law firm will seek to maximize your compensation for all the ways your injury has impacted your life. This approach has allowed us to achieve many multi-million-dollar settlements for injured workers, including $12 million for an oil and gas worker who was severely injured due to unsafe working conditions. We also recovered $3 million for the family of a coal miner who died in an underground collision due to unsafe conditions.
Can You File an Oil & Gas Accident Claim for a Loved One's Death?
The oil and gas industry has one of the highest fatality rates in the United States. If your loved one died while working in an oilfield, you may have the right to seek compensation through a wrongful death claim.
To succeed in a wrongful death claim, you must prove your loved one died because of someone else’s negligence or intentional actions. Only the personal representative of the victim’s estate may file a wrongful death claim in West Virginia, but close family members may receive the compensation. The victim’s spouse and children have priority to receive wrongful death compensation, but other relatives may also be eligible.
If a personal injury claim isn’t an option, you may still recover funeral expenses and certain other death-related costs through workers’ compensation.
Common Types of Oil & Gas Accidents We Handle
The oil and gas extraction industry caused more than 2,100 severe injuries between 2015 and 2022. It’s a dangerous line of work that exposes workers to a wide range of hazards. We handle cases involving all types of oil and gas accidents, including:
- Explosions
- Fires
- Vehicle collisions
- Slips and falls
- Exposure to toxic fumes
- Electrocutions
- Rig collapses
- Machinery malfunctions
Dealing With Insurance Companies After an Oil and Gas Injury
Tread carefully when interacting with insurance companies after an oilfield injury. While they may act like they’re on your side, their goal is to settle your case for as little money as possible. They may try to get you to say something that hurts your case, sign documents limiting your rights, or accept a subpar settlement offer.
You have the right to decline to speak with insurers until you’ve hired an oil accident attorney. We can handle the insurance negotiations on your behalf.
In the meantime, document everything related to your accident and injuries. Hold on to your medical records and any treatment-related bills. Write down what happened leading up to the accident and how the accident has affected you.
Additionally, learn your insurance policy details and coverage limits to better understand what you’re entitled to and prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of you. Our attorneys can review your policy and help you understand your options.
"When I show up at a job site where one of my clients was injured, I bring a team of experts to determine how and why the accident happened. The experts are able to rebuild the case and find out whether state or federal regulations were violated, whether company policies were violated; did the company know about the unsafe conditions? Call us, and we'll build your legal team, and we'll win your case."
How Long Do You Have To File an Oilfield Injury Claim?
Under West Virginia’s statute of limitations, you must file a personal injury claim within two years from the accident date. Wrongful death claims also have a two-year deadline, which begins to run on the date of death.
Workers’ compensation claims have a significantly shorter filing deadline. You must apply for workers’ compensation benefits within six months of your injury.
If you miss your case’s deadline, you may be unable to recover compensation. Waiting too long to file can also cause evidence to fade before you can use it in your case. Hiring Warner Law Offices as soon as possible after an oilfield injury gives us plenty of time to build a strong case while the evidence is fresh.
We're Ready To Help With Your Oilfield Injury Case
Someone’s failure to follow safety protocols may have caused your oilfield injury. At Warner Law Offices, this injustice motivates us to fight for fair compensation.
We understand how much an oilfield injury can disrupt your life, and you can trust our attorneys to handle your case with care. If you or a loved one has been injured in an oilfield accident, we’re ready to explain your options and lay out a plan for your case.
Contact us online or call (304) 345-6789 for a free consultation with a Charleston oilfield accident attorney today.
Consultation
Charleston, WV 25301
Bobby has received many accolades throughout the years from both his peers in the legal community, as well as the media. The National Trial Lawyers association named Bobby a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and he has been selected as a Member of the Nation’s Top One Percent. Additionally, he has been named a Best Attorneys of America by Rue Ratings, which also named Warner Law Offices to its Best Law Firms of America.