Fracking Injuries

The noise on a Marcellus Shale well pad is a constant roar of machinery, a sign of the immense power being harnessed and the immense pressure to produce. In this environment, speed is currency. 

Every minute of downtime costs money, and safety procedures can feel like obstacles to the bottom line. In this high-stakes setting, a single moment of carelessness, a faulty piece of equipment, or a shortcut taken by another crew can lead to a catastrophic event. 

When that happens, the consequences are life-altering. The severe Pittsburgh fracking injuries that result from these failures are not just accidents; they are often the predictable outcomes of a dangerous industry where profits can be prioritized over people.

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Here are three key things to know before you read further:

• Fracking sites are multi-employer operations, meaning another company's negligence, not just your employer's, may have caused your injury.
• While workers' compensation provides basic benefits, a separate third-party lawsuit is often the only way to recover full compensation for your losses.
• Evidence on a drilling site can be altered or disappear within hours, so an immediate, independent investigation is fundamental to protecting your rights.

Actions to Take After a Fracking Site Injury

Once you have been released from the emergency room and are back home, the physical pain is only part of the burden. You are now faced with a series of decisions that will affect your health and your financial future. 

The steps you take in these first few days are critical for building a foundation for any legal action.

1. Create a detailed record of the incident: As soon as you are able, write down or record everything you remember about the accident. The details may seem vivid now, but memory fades. 

Include the following:

• The exact time and location on the well pad where the injury occurred.
• The specific task you were performing.
• The names and employers of everyone in your immediate vicinity.
• Any conversations you had immediately before or after the incident.
• A description of the equipment involved.

2. Document your injuries and recovery: Your physical condition is the most important piece of evidence. Keep a daily journal to track your progress and setbacks.
   • Take clear photographs of all visible injuries, such as burns, cuts, or bruises. Continue to photograph them as they heal.
   • Log your pain levels on a scale of 1 to 10 each day.
   • Note all doctor's appointments, physical therapy sessions, and medications you are taking.
   • Describe how the injuries affect your ability to perform daily tasks like dressing, walking, or sleeping.
3. Identify all companies on site: A fracking operation is a complex worksite with numerous contractors performing different jobs. Make a list of every company you can remember being on the pad that day. This includes the well operator, water haulers, rig movers, equipment suppliers, and any other contractors.
4. Preserve physical evidence: The clothes, boots, and personal protective equipment (PPE) you were wearing during the accident are vital evidence.
   • Place these items in a sealed bag.
   • Do not wash or alter them in any way.
   • They can show evidence of chemical exposure, burns, or equipment failure.
5. Limit your communication: You will likely receive calls from a company safety manager or an insurance adjuster. Your only obligation is to report the injury. Do not give a recorded statement or sign any documents without legal counsel. Their job is to protect their company's interests, not yours.

The Unique Dangers of Marcellus Shale Fracking Sites

A well pad is an industrial factory without permanent walls, and it contains a unique combination of hazards. These are not typical workplace accidents. They often involve massive amounts of energy, high-pressure equipment, and toxic chemicals.

• Well blowouts and explosions: The uncontrolled release of natural gas or fracking fluids can result in a violent explosion and intense fire, causing catastrophic burn injuries and blunt force trauma.
• Heavy equipment accidents: The constant movement of water trucks, flatbeds carrying pipe, and heavy machinery creates a high risk of collisions, rollovers, and devastating caught-in or crushed-by accidents.
• Exposure to toxic chemicals: Workers are exposed to a cocktail of hazardous materials. Inhaling silica dust during sand handling can lead to silicosis. Contact with fracking fluids can cause chemical burns and long-term health problems. The release of hydrogen sulfide gas can be instantly fatal.
• Falls from heights: Much of the work on a drilling rig, platform, or tanker truck takes place at dangerous heights. A fall can result from faulty safety harnesses, slippery surfaces, or the lack of proper guardrails, leading to spinal cord injuries, brain trauma, or death.
• High-pressure line and equipment failures: Fluids and sand are pumped at extreme pressures. A failure in a valve, pipe, or fitting can cause a high-pressure line to whip around violently or blast a worker with abrasive, high-velocity fluid, causing horrific injuries.

Beyond Workers' Compensation: Identifying Third-Party Liability

When you get hurt on the job in Pennsylvania, your primary source of benefits is the workers' compensation system. This system provides for medical bills and a portion of your lost wages, but it is a no-fault system with significant limitations. 

It does not provide any compensation for your pain, suffering, or the full extent of your economic loss. However, a fracking site is almost always a multi-employer worksite. 

This means that if your injury was caused by the negligence of a company other than your direct employer, you have the right to file a separate third-party personal injury lawsuit against that company. 

This lawsuit allows you to pursue full compensation for all your damages.

Potential Third Parties on a Fracking Site

Identifying these responsible parties requires a deep investigation into the site's operations. Any of the following could be liable:

1. The well owner or operator: The company that owns the well has ultimate responsibility for overall site safety and coordination between contractors.
2. Other contractors: A water hauling company whose driver runs over another worker, an equipment delivery company that improperly secures a load, or a separate crew that creates an electrical hazard are all potential third parties.
3. Equipment manufacturers: If a valve fails, a safety harness breaks, or a piece of machinery malfunctions due to a design or manufacturing defect, the company that made the product can be held accountable.
4. Engineering and consulting firms: A company that designed a faulty wellhead or an unsafe site layout could also bear responsibility for a resulting accident.

Proving Negligence in a Fracking Injury Lawsuit

A successful third-party lawsuit depends on proving that another company was negligent. This means showing that they failed to exercise reasonable care to keep the worksite safe and that their failure directly caused your injury. 

An attorney builds this case through a methodical process of investigation and evidence gathering.

• Preserving the accident scene: The first step is to get an investigator to the site immediately to photograph and document the scene before the company can clean it up, move equipment, or alter the evidence.
• OSHA investigations: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) often investigates serious industrial accidents. Their final report, which may identify specific safety violations, can be a powerful piece of evidence proving another company's negligence.
• Witness depositions: Your legal team will take sworn testimony from everyone who witnessed the accident, including your coworkers and employees of other companies. This locks in their story and can reveal crucial information about safety shortcuts or known hazards.
• Subpoenaing company documents: We can legally compel the defendants to turn over internal documents, such as safety meeting records, maintenance logs, employee training manuals, and internal accident reports. These documents often reveal a pattern of disregarding safety.
• Hiring industry professionals: We retain drilling operation safety managers, petroleum engineers, and other industrial professionals. They can analyze the evidence and provide testimony that explains industry standards and how the defendant violated them.

Why Choose Us for Your Pittsburgh Fracking Injury Case?

A lawsuit against a multi-billion-dollar energy corporation requires a law firm with the resources, experience, and resolve to see the fight through. We are a firm of trial lawyers who hold negligent corporations accountable for the harm they cause to workers and their families.

• We conduct immediate, on-site investigations of catastrophic industrial accidents to preserve evidence before it disappears.
• Our firm litigates against the largest energy companies, contractors, and equipment manufacturers in the Marcellus Shale region.
• We hire leading industrial safety and engineering professionals to deconstruct how an accident occurred and prove exactly who was at fault.
• Our attorneys have a long history of successfully handling cases involving severe burns, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful death arising from workplace accidents.
• We manage your workers' compensation claim while simultaneously pursuing a third-party lawsuit, ensuring that all your legal rights are protected.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fracking Injury Claims

Level the Playing Field

When you are an injured worker, you are facing a corporate structure designed to protect itself. The energy company, its contractors, and their insurance carriers have teams of lawyers and investigators whose sole purpose is to minimize or deny your claim. 

They have the power, the money, and the resources. At Pribanic & Pribanic, our purpose is to level that playing field. We bring our own team of investigators, legal professionals, and industry authorities to the fight.

You have one chance to get justice. Let us make it count. Contact our Pittsburgh office for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your fracking injury case. Call our personal injury lawyers for a Free Consultation: (412) 672-5444

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