Oil Rig Accident Lawyer in San Antonio

Q: What are the most common oil rig accident injuries?

Oil rig workers frequently suffer burns, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, crushed limbs, and respiratory problems caused by chemical exposure. Many of these injuries require long-term medical care and may permanently affect the worker's ability to work.

Q: Who can be held responsible for an oil rig accident?

Potentially responsible parties may include the rig operator, equipment manufacturers, maintenance contractors, and the property owner. The circumstances must be investigated to identify every party that contributed to unsafe conditions.

Q: What if my employer says the accident was my fault?

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule. An injured worker may still recover compensation when the worker is not more than 50 percent responsible, although the recovery may be reduced according to the worker's percentage of fault.

Q: How long does an oil rig accident case take to resolve?

Every case is different. Some oil rig accident claims settle within months, while others take longer when litigation is required. The timeline depends on the severity of the injuries, the number of responsible parties, the evidence, and whether the defendants dispute liability or damages.

Q: Do I have to pay anything upfront to hire an oil rig accident lawyer?

No. Cesar Ornelas Law handles oil rig accident cases on a contingency-fee basis. There is no upfront attorney fee, and the firm is paid only when it recovers compensation for the client.

Whether your rig floats changes your deadline, your benefits, and who you can sue. Our San Antonio oil rig accident lawyers answer that question first.

Next Steps

First Steps After an Oil Rig Accident in San Antonio

Get the incident documented in writing and keep your own copy before you leave the rig. Ask for a copy of the accident report and note whether anyone photographed the scene. Do not sign a statement, a release, or anything describing your injury as minor. Offshore, be especially careful with early paperwork from a company doctor. Then call a San Antonio oil rig accident lawyer before your first conversation with a claims adjuster.

Local Expertise

The Question Every San Antonio Oil Rig Accident Lawyer Asks First

Was your rig a vessel? That single question decides almost everything else. Land rigs in the Eagle Ford and the Permian run on Texas law: workers’ compensation if your employer subscribes, third-party claims against the operator, service companies, and equipment makers, and a two-year deadline. Offshore is a different legal universe. Drillships, semi-submersibles, and other mobile units can qualify as vessels, and a worker with a substantial connection to a vessel in navigation may be a seaman under the Jones Act. Fixed platforms generally are not vessels, which pushes those claims toward the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act or state law applied through the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Plenty of San Antonio crews work both. A San Antonio offshore oil rig accident lawyer has to place you correctly before anything else happens, because the wrong framework can cost a claim entirely.

How We Help

A Team that fights for you

We deal with insurance

Seaman, longshore worker, or land-based employee. That classification drives your deadline, your benefits, and every defendant available to you, so we settle it at the outset.

We collect evidence

Rig floor and crane logs, JSAs, tour reports, equipment maintenance and inspection records, and for offshore incidents the vessel’s own logs and any Coast Guard or BSEE reporting.

We get you medical care

If you are a seaman, your employer owes maintenance and cure regardless of who caused the accident. When those payments stop early or come in too low, we push back.

Your compensation

What You Can Recover

Testimonials

Hear from our clients

"I've had a very positive experience with Kristi and the rest of the team at Ornelas Law. Everyone is very informative a nd helpful an d all my questions and concerns get answered in a timely manner."

Josh L.

Case type

"First time using this attorney and to be honest they are one of the best people I ever spoked to through messages and don't get me started our case manager Kristi is one of the most fun loving and so caring person I ever met through calls and messages she gets things done when we ask her to do so also she will not give up on trying to bug people for answers."

Kim G.

Case type

"I chose Mr. Ornelas because is the greatest law firm, he has helped me every step of the way. And has helped me through the process of getting my settlement and he is the nicest person ever always answers his calls and always answering my questions. He is always on the ball of making sure I got my settlement. Thank goodness for him."

Josie G.

Car Accident

Why Us

Trusted San Antonio Oil Rig Accident Attorneys You Can Count On

Our track record in energy cases includes a $23 million oil field wrongful death recovery, against a firm total exceeding $1 billion. Rig cases reward moving early for a reason particular to this work. Crews rotate off on hitch schedules and disperse across several states within weeks. Equipment gets pulled, repaired, or shipped back to a vendor. Offshore, the vessel itself may leave the Gulf. There is also the pressure problem. A rig hand on a good hitch loses serious income the day he stops working, and companies understand exactly how that math feels at week six. Our San Antonio oil rig work accident lawyers work to get benefits flowing and evidence locked down quickly, so the decision about settlement is not made by the household budget.

Your Case

Understanding Your Oil Rig Accident Case

Three years, not two. The Jones Act carries a three-year statute of limitations under 46 U.S.C. section 30106. Texas gives most injury claims two. Rig workers are told “two years” constantly, and for a seaman that is simply wrong. If you were hurt offshore more than two years ago and gave up, the door may still be open. Money that does not wait for a fault fight. A Jones Act employer owes maintenance and cure until you reach maximum medical improvement, and that obligation does not depend on proving anyone was negligent. It is close to absolute. Many injured seamen never learn they were entitled to it, or accept payments far below what their actual expenses justify. A lower bar on negligence. Jones Act negligence claims are evaluated under a causation standard notably friendlier to the worker than ordinary Texas negligence. A second claim against the vessel. Unseaworthiness is a separate cause of action against the vessel owner for an unsafe vessel, gear, or crew, and it stands independent of the negligence claim. Seaman status is the gatekeeper. Courts ask whether your duties contributed to the vessel’s function and whether you had a substantial connection to a vessel in navigation, with roughly 30 percent of work time serving as a general benchmark. Companies dispute this aggressively, because losing it moves you out of the Jones Act entirely.

FAQs

Read All FAQs

Common oil rig accident Questions

What are the most common oil rig accident injuries?

Oil rig workers frequently suffer from burns, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, crushed limbs, and respiratory issues from chemical exposure. Many of these injuries require long-term medical care and can permanently affect your ability to work.

Who can be held responsible for an oil rig accident?

Multiple parties may be liable including the rig operator, equipment manufacturers, maintenance contractors, and the property owner. Our San Antonio oil rig accident attorneys investigate every party involved to make sure no one escapes accountability.

What if my employer says the accident was my fault?

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule, meaning you can still recover compensation as long as you are not more than 50% responsible. Employers often try to shift blame onto workers to avoid liability, which is why having an experienced attorney on your side matters.

How long does an oil rig accident case take to resolve?

Every case is different. Some settle within months while others may take longer if litigation is required. Our team works efficiently to move your case forward while making sure we never settle for less than what your claim is worth.

Do I have to pay anything upfront to hire an oil rig accident lawyer?

No. At Cesar Ornelas Law, we handle oil rig accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You owe us nothing unless we recover compensation for you, so there is zero financial risk in getting the legal help you need.

Describe Your Case

If you’ve been injured in an oil rig accident in San Antonio, the team at Cesar Ornelas Law is ready to step in and fight for you. Call us today for a free case evaluation and let us get to work on your claim.

Email:

[email protected]

Phone:

(866) 377-9855

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