A Lake Pontchartrain gas platform explosion on October 15, 2017 sent several workers to the hospital with a variety of injuries. The cause of the explosion is not known at this time but early reports indicate that workers were cleaning the platform at the time of the explosion. As of the writing of this post, one worker was still unable to be found.
The platform is a natural gas co-commingling facility that draws production in from several nearby rigs and stores that production. The production is held there before being transported elsewhere.
One can only hope that the missing worker can be found and the injured workers are able to recover fully from their injuries. With advances in technology and additional safety practices, many offshore accidents can now be prevented. But, when accidents like this happen, they show first hand the dangers that offshore workers face every single day as they do an incredibly difficult job, a job that is vital to everybody.
Lake Pontchartrain Gas Platform Explosion Demonstrates Dangers of Offshore Work
Offshore accidents like the Lake Pontchartrain gas platform explosion still happen far too often. Although there are some times where accidents simply cannot be prevented, more often than not the cause of the accident is neglect by somebody who was involved. This may be something as simple as human error or something as complex as improperly constructed safety equipment or failsafe mechanisms.
When offshore accidents occur, you must consider all of the potentially responsible parties and understand the roles that the different companies played in the operations going on at the time. This will allow you to figure out (1) what the companies did incorrectly, if anything, and (2) who can actually be liable to the injured party. The second part is critically important because of all of the protections that employers have, such as workers’ compensation and the borrowed servant doctrine.
If you have been injured in an offshore or maritime accident, including vessel accidents, drilling rig accidents, and platform accidents, call maritime lawyer New Orleans, Mike Mahone at (504) 564-7342 today. There is no charge to discuss your potential claim with a New Orleans personal injury lawyer.
