What Should I Do If I Am Injured In An Oil Field Accident?

Oilfield accidents are common occurrences and many times the workers are injured while there is no immediate supervision around. Knowing what to do in the vent of an accident is always important in dangerous working conditions like those in oilfields, even if you are not the individual who is injured. Many times the injured worker is not capable of reporting themselves, but there is a specific protocol associated with workers compensation injury claims. Regardless of how the injury occurs or what transpired that caused the injury, it will be very important to contact an oilfield accident lawyer as soon as possible following an oilfield injury because evidence can evaporate quickly, especially in remote locations.

Notify Your Employer
Oilfield accidents are essentially worker’s compensation claim issues, but there can also be extenuating circumstances that could result in third parties being negligent and liable as well for additional litigation. The facts of how an accident occurs can be very important when the injured worker attempts collecting damages following an oilfield accident injury. It is the responsibility of the employer to file an accident report and submit the information to the worker’s compensation board. The problem is that many times an employer will act in bad faith or attempt to deny the claim from the very beginning. At least report the injury.

Seek Medical Treatment
Even when the employer fails to file an injury report, call 911 or go to an emergency treatment facility anyway. This can serve as documented evidence that an injury occurred and an official emergency report can provide information with respect to time, place, and causation. With injuries that manifest later, such as a back injury, it is vital to go ahead and seek medical treatment as soon as the injury is recognized, and then the injury should be reported to your employer as soon as possible.
It is always important to call an oilfield lawyer immediately following medical evaluation because they can conduct an independent investigation into what caused the accident or injury and if there are multiple negligent parties who can be pursued for damages.

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