Dallas Oil Rig & Offshore Injury Attorney

Oil rig and offshore work is some of the most dangerous work in the country. Workers on drilling platforms, supply vessels, and offshore facilities face daily risks that most people never encounter. When a serious injury happens miles from shore, or even on a land-based rig near the Barnett Shale fields just outside Denton, the legal path to compensation is not always obvious. Federal maritime law, Texas workers’ compensation rules, and multiple federal statutes can all apply, sometimes at the same time. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys helps injured oil rig and offshore workers in Denton and across the Dallas-Fort Worth area understand their rights and fight for the full compensation they deserve. Call us at (940) 800-2500 for a free consultation.

Table of Contents

• Why Oil Rig and Offshore Injuries Are So Dangerous and So Common in Texas
• Which Federal Laws Protect Injured Oil Rig and Offshore Workers
• Texas Workers’ Compensation Rules and What Non-Subscriber Status Means for You
• Types of Compensation Available After an Offshore or Oil Rig Injury
• Deadlines to File an Oil Rig or Offshore Injury Claim in Texas
• What to Do Immediately After an Oil Rig or Offshore Injury
• FAQs About Dallas Oil Rig and Offshore Injury Claims

Why Oil Rig and Offshore Injuries Are So Dangerous and So Common in Texas

Texas leads the nation in oil and gas production, and that comes with a serious cost to workers. According to data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the most frequent fatal events in oil and gas extraction are vehicle incidents (26.8%), contact injuries (21.7%), and explosions (14.5%). These are not fringe risks. They are the everyday reality for roughnecks, drillers, and rig hands who show up to work each day.

North Texas workers often travel to job sites connected to the Barnett Shale formation, which runs directly through the counties surrounding Denton. The area around Decatur, located above the Barnett Shale northwest of Fort Worth, produced more than 1.5 million cubic feet of natural gas in March 2024 and has experienced numerous fires and explosions at nearby facilities, many resulting in serious injuries. Workers commuting from Denton along US-380 or I-35 to reach these sites are just as exposed to these dangers as workers on offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Approximately three-fourths of fatalities in oil and gas extraction identified through the NIOSH database were among contractors, which means many injured workers are not direct employees of the rig operator. That matters enormously for your legal claim, because contractors may have different rights and different avenues for recovery than direct employees.

Common injuries include traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, amputations, spinal cord damage, and broken bones. These are catastrophic injuries that can permanently end a career and alter every aspect of a person’s life. The financial consequences, including lost income, ongoing medical care, and rehabilitation costs, can be devastating for families in Denton and throughout Denton County. Getting the right legal help quickly is not optional. It is essential.

Which Federal Laws Protect Injured Oil Rig and Offshore Workers

Several federal laws govern injury claims for oil rig and offshore workers, and the law that applies to your case depends on where you were injured and what your job title was. Getting this right from the start determines how much compensation you can recover.

The Jones Act, codified at 46 U.S.C. § 30104, is the primary federal law for injured seamen. Under the Jones Act, a seaman injured in the course of employment may elect to bring a civil action at law, with the right of trial by jury, against the employer. This is a powerful right. Unlike standard workers’ compensation claims, a Jones Act claim allows you to sue your employer directly in court and demand a jury decide your case.

One feature of the Jones Act that benefits injured workers is its low burden of proof. Unlike workers’ compensation programs, which pay benefits regardless of fault, a Jones Act claim requires you to prove some degree of employer negligence, but the bar is extremely low. Courts call it a “featherweight” standard, meaning your employer’s negligence only needs to have played any part, no matter how slight, in causing your injury.

If you are not a seaman but work on an offshore platform or near navigable waters, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), found at 33 U.S.C. §§ 901-950, likely covers you. The LHWCA is a federal law that provides for the payment of compensation, medical care, and vocational rehabilitation services to employees disabled from on-the-job injuries that occur on the navigable waters of the United States, or in adjoining areas customarily used in the loading, unloading, repairing, or building of a vessel.

For workers on fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) extends LHWCA coverage even further. The OCSLA applies the LHWCA to those employed on stationary platforms on the outer continental shelf operated by the oil and natural gas industry. If a vessel’s negligence caused your injury, 33 U.S.C. § 905(b) also gives you the right to bring a third-party claim against that vessel directly.

Texas Workers’ Compensation Rules and What Non-Subscriber Status Means for You

Texas is the only state in the country that does not require most private employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. This unique rule has major consequences for injured oil and gas workers based in or around Denton. Whether your employer has workers’ comp coverage, or has opted out as a “non-subscriber,” changes your legal options significantly.

Under Texas law, administered by the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation (TDI-DWC), private employers can choose whether to carry workers’ compensation coverage. A workers’ compensation insurance policy provides lost wages and medical benefits to employees injured on the job. However, when an employer carries coverage, it generally limits that employer’s liability if an employee files a lawsuit, except in cases involving gross negligence that results in a fatality.

Employers who do not carry workers’ comp coverage are called non-subscribers. Non-subscribing employers must report to the TDI-DWC that they do not have coverage, and they must also report any work-related injuries resulting in more than one day of lost time, as well as all work-related illnesses and deaths. Critically, non-subscribers lose several key legal defenses in a lawsuit. They cannot argue that you assumed the risk of injury, that a co-worker caused the accident, or that your own negligence bars your claim.

This means that if your oilfield employer in the Barnett Shale region near Denton is a non-subscriber and you are injured, you may have a stronger path to a full personal injury lawsuit than workers in other states. The personal injury lawyers at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys know how to identify whether your employer is a subscriber or non-subscriber and build the right legal strategy based on that answer.

If your employer does carry workers’ comp, you may still have a third-party claim against a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or other negligent party who contributed to your injury. Texas law does not prevent you from pursuing those claims alongside a workers’ comp benefit.

Types of Compensation Available After an Offshore or Oil Rig Injury

The compensation available to you depends on which law applies to your claim, but injured oil rig workers generally have access to a broad range of damages. Understanding what you can recover helps you avoid accepting a settlement that falls far short of your actual losses.

Under the Jones Act, recoverable damages include medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, physical pain and suffering, and mental anguish. If a jury finds that your own negligence contributed to your injury, it assigns a percentage of fault to you and reduces your damage award by that percentage, but your own negligence does not bar you from recovering entirely. That is a significant protection that does not exist in all personal injury cases.

Under the LHWCA, the law provides medical care, vocational rehabilitation, and wage replacement, typically two-thirds of weekly wages, for injuries on navigable waters or adjoining areas like docks, piers, and terminals. If your injury causes permanent disability, you may also recover for your reduced earning capacity going forward.

When an oil rig injury results in death, surviving family members have additional rights. Under the LHWCA, a widow and any surviving children of a deceased worker who dies from a work-related incident are entitled to a portion of the deceased worker’s average weekly wage following death, with the surviving spouse entitled to 50% of the average weekly wage of the deceased. General maritime law, as established in Moragne v. States Marine Lines, 398 U.S. 375 (1970), also provides a wrongful death remedy under federal maritime law for deaths on navigable waters.

Beyond these categories, if a defective piece of equipment caused or contributed to your injury, you may have a product liability claim against the manufacturer. Rig collapses, blowouts caused by faulty blowout preventers, and injuries from defective personal protective equipment all fall into this category. These claims run alongside, not instead of, your maritime or workers’ comp claims.

Deadlines to File an Oil Rig or Offshore Injury Claim in Texas

Missing a filing deadline in an offshore injury case is one of the most common and most costly mistakes an injured worker can make. Different laws impose different deadlines, and they do not pause while you recover in the hospital or negotiate informally with your employer’s insurance company.

For Jones Act claims, a Jones Act personal injury claim must be filed within three years from the date the injury occurred or was discovered, and missing that deadline almost always kills the case permanently. Three years sounds like a long time, but building a strong offshore injury case requires gathering evidence, identifying all liable parties, and working with experts. Starting early gives your legal team the best chance to preserve critical evidence.

For LHWCA claims, injured workers must notify the employer within 30 days of the injury and file a claim for benefits within one year, and failure to follow these schedules may result in the claim being denied. There are limited exceptions, such as when an employer takes over a year to file an injury report or when the injury is a gradually developing condition, but you should never rely on an exception to protect your rights.

For Texas personal injury claims against non-subscribing employers or third parties, the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code generally imposes a two-year statute of limitations from the date of injury. If a wrongful death claim arises, surviving family members also typically have two years from the date of death to file under Texas law.

If you were injured on a rig and you are not sure which deadline applies to you, do not wait to find out. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 right away. Our office is conveniently located to serve workers throughout Denton County, whether you are recovering at home near the Denton Square, at a facility near Texas Woman’s University, or anywhere along the I-35 corridor.

What to Do Immediately After an Oil Rig or Offshore Injury

The steps you take in the hours and days after an oil rig injury directly affect the strength of your legal claim. Oil companies and their insurers move quickly to investigate accidents and protect their own interests. You need to move just as fast.

Get medical care first. Even if your injuries seem manageable, a thorough medical evaluation creates a documented record linking your injuries to the accident. Delaying treatment gives insurance companies an opening to argue that your injuries were not serious or were caused by something else.

Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as possible. For LHWCA claims, you have 30 days to provide notice. For Jones Act claims, prompt reporting protects your rights and prevents the employer from claiming they had no knowledge of the incident. Keep a copy of everything you submit.

Document the scene. If you are physically able, take photos of the equipment that failed, the area where you were injured, and any conditions that contributed to the accident. Get the names and contact information of any coworkers who witnessed what happened. Evidence on an active rig disappears fast, either through continued operations or deliberate cleanup.

Do not sign anything from your employer or their insurance company without legal advice. Recorded statements and early settlement offers are designed to limit your recovery, not protect it. Under federal recordkeeping rules, employers are required to electronically submit injury and illness data to OSHA, so a formal record of your incident should exist. Knowing that record exists and obtaining a copy of it is something an attorney can help you do.

Call Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500. We serve injured workers throughout Denton and the surrounding area, including those traveling to job sites near the Denton County Courthouse on Hickory Street, across Denton County, and throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Every case is evaluated at no charge, and you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.

FAQs About Dallas Oil Rig and Offshore Injury Claims

Do I need to work offshore in the Gulf of Mexico to have an offshore injury claim?

No. Offshore injury laws like the Jones Act and the LHWCA can apply to workers on rivers, lakes, bays, and other navigable waters, not just the open ocean. Workers on supply boats, inland drilling barges, and platforms on navigable waterways may qualify. Workers injured on land-based oil and gas sites in the Barnett Shale region near Denton may have separate claims under Texas personal injury law or against non-subscribing employers. The specific facts of where you were working and what your job involved determine which law applies.

What is the difference between a Jones Act claim and an LHWCA claim?

The Jones Act covers workers who qualify as “seamen,” meaning they spend a significant portion of their work time on a vessel in navigation and contribute to that vessel’s function or mission. The LHWCA covers maritime workers who do not qualify as seamen, such as dock workers, harbor construction workers, and workers on fixed offshore platforms. The Jones Act allows you to sue your employer directly for negligence with a jury trial. The LHWCA is a no-fault compensation system, more similar to workers’ compensation, but it also allows third-party lawsuits in some situations under 33 U.S.C. § 905(b).

Can I file a claim if my employer says I was partially at fault for my injury?

Yes. Under the Jones Act, your own partial fault reduces your damages but does not eliminate your right to recover. Courts apply a comparative fault approach, so even if a jury finds you were partially responsible, you still receive a proportional award. Under the LHWCA, the no-fault structure means you generally do not need to prove anyone was at fault at all to receive medical and wage benefits. If you are pursuing a third-party claim against a contractor or equipment manufacturer, Texas comparative fault rules allow recovery as long as your share of fault does not exceed 50 percent.

What if my employer does not have workers’ compensation insurance in Texas?

If your employer is a non-subscriber under Texas law, meaning they have opted out of the state workers’ compensation system, you can file a direct personal injury lawsuit against them. Non-subscribing employers lose the right to use several common defenses, including assumption of risk, co-employee negligence, and contributory negligence. This often makes it easier to prove your case and recover full damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys can check your employer’s coverage status and advise you on your best options.

How long does an oil rig injury claim typically take to resolve?

The timeline varies based on the severity of your injuries, the number of parties involved, and whether the case settles or goes to trial. Cases involving catastrophic injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, severe burns, or amputations, often take longer because the full scope of future medical needs must be established before any settlement is fair. Simple cases with clear liability may resolve in months. Complex multi-party cases involving contractors, equipment manufacturers, and vessel owners can take longer. What matters most is that your claim is handled thoroughly, not rushed. Accepting a quick settlement that does not account for your long-term needs is a mistake that cannot be undone. Past results in any case do not guarantee the same outcome in another matter, as each case depends on its own facts and applicable law.

Content provided by Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, principal office located in Denton, Texas. This page is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is evaluated on its own facts and applicable law.