<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none;" alt="" src="https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=2941673&amp;fmt=gif">
valero-plant-on-fire-texas-city
04/20/2018

VB Attorneys represents refinery workers in Valero Plant fire

Vuk Vujasinovic

Vuk Vujasinovic

04/20/2018

On April 19, 2018, authorities responded to an explosion at the Valero refinery in Texas City. Valero reports a fire broke out around 5 p.m. Smoke from the explosion and fire forced vessels out of the industrial canal. Concerns over chemical exposure caused the Coast Guard to prevent any vessels from leaving port yesterday.

Valero says all personnel are accounted for and that nobody was injured or killed in the explosion. The refinery is capable of handling 260,000 barrels of crude oil a day. It produces gasoline, kerosene, fuel gas, diesel fuel, No. 2 fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs), propylene, and No. 6 fuel oil.

Refinery workers: steps to take after an explosion or fire

When explosions and fires occur at refineries, and everyone is accounted for after evacuating, you may not realize  you have suffered injuries. And may not know if you’ve been exposed to chemicals – or show any symptoms for months or years.We have helped workers who were hurt escaping from refinery explosions and fires, workers who were hurt while evacuating an exploding chemical plant, and workers injured in major refinery incidents. We know it is important for you to watch your health in the days and weeks in case you develop any injuries. We have helped workers hurt at these Houston-area refineries and chemical plants:

As refinery workers, you carry the burden of monitoring yourselves for injuries and then getting treatment and reporting your injuries. Because injuries may take a few days or weeks to appear, you face an uphill battle getting the company to accept responsibility. That’s why you should consult with experienced personal injury lawyers as soon as possible.

Getting medical treatment is your #1 priority

As soon as you experience any pain or realize you were injured in the explosion or while evacuating the refinery, seek medical treatment. Documenting your injuries is important – not just for your own recovery, but for your injury claim with your company.

Seeing a doctor for your injuries helps you in multiple ways, including:

  • Getting you on the road to recovery
  • Providing your company with paper documentation of your injuries
  • Showing your company that you are taking steps to get better

It’s important to show your company that you’re taking steps to get better. A part of successfully being compensated for your injuries is showing that you are doing everything possible to get better. That includes going to every doctor’s appointment, going to physical therapy, and following all of your doctor’s instructions. Companies, worker’s compensation, and insurance companies would really like it if they could prove you were faking your injuries so they don’t have approve your injury claim or compensate you.

Why you must file an incident report as soon as you realize you’re injured because of the refinery fire or explosion

Incident reports start the clock on your injury claim. If the company doesn’t have a record of how you got hurt, when you got hurt, and what your injuries are, they can’t help you. So as soon as you realize you’re injured and you go to the doctor, get that incident report filed right away.

Some companies take care of injured workers right away. Everything is fine. Sometimes, companies do whatever it takes to make the claim go away. If you don’t have an incident report, if you don’t have medical records, if you aren’t getting medical treatment, and if you aren’t doing everything your doctors are telling you to do, they will do their best to avoid compensating you.

How to make sure your legal rights are protected after a refinery explosion or fire

When you are hurt on the job, in addition to working to get better, you have to protect your legal rights. The company and insurance company have an army of adjusters and lawyers – even doctors! – whose job it is to make you make a mistake. A mistake that ruins your case and prevents you from filing a lawsuit. Don’t let that happen to you.

Our experienced trial attorneys have spent decades taking on billion dollar companies and winning. We have helped workers hurt in refinery explosions and fires. We have helped workers hold companies accountable for the safety failures that led to the explosions and fires that injured our clients. We can help you, too. Call us now at 877-724-7800 for a free, confidential case evaluation. Get your questions answered, find out what your next steps should be, and make an informed decision about your claim.