Baton Rouge Plant Explosion Injury Attorney

Plant explosions in the United States are worryingly common: nearly every year, at least one or two massive disasters injure and kill hundreds. The worst part about these tragedies is that nearly all of them are preventable, if only the companies that own the plants were willing to make the investment necessary to keep their facilities safe.

As it is, plant explosions are incredibly dangerous, not only for the workers in the plant but for the communities nearby. The explosive impact and heat, along with the toxic chemicals released, basically guarantee that someone near the explosion will suffer a catastrophic injury like burn injuries, toxic exposure, or others.

Tragically, many workers pass away from their plant explosion injuries. Those who do survive face struggles ranging from expensive medical care, an inability to work, permanent disability, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of a Louisiana plant explosion, you could be entitled to financial compensation. However, plant owners and their insurance companies will fight tooth and nail to prevent you from recovering compensation for your damages. You need a dedicated plant explosion injury lawyer on your side to maximize your compensation so you can move on with your life.

Contact Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys to hold the people responsible for your injuries accountable for their negligence. We’re Baton Rouge personal injury lawyers with 679+ years of combined legal experience, so we know what it takes to get you the compensation you deserve.

Major Baton Rouge Plant Explosions

The stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is home to over 150 chemical plants and oil refineries. Not only do these refineries make the area generally less-safe to live in—it’s earned the moniker Cancer Alley due to the increased rates of cancer caused by proximity to the plants—those living and working near the plants also have to deal with the fallout when one explodes.

Just in this century, a number of deadly explosions have happened near Baton Rouge:

• A plant explosion killed 2 men at a Louisiana petrochemical plant due to a failure to follow safety rules in 2013.
• In 2016, Exxon Mobil’s Baton Rouge refinery experienced a catastrophic explosion leading to four workers’ injuries. The company was fined $165,000 and issued 9 citations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
• An explosion at a Baton Rouge refinery in 2020 caused a massive fire. Fire crews spent hours quenching the blaze.
• The federal government launched an investigation of a 2021 Louisiana plant explosion that resulted in severely burned workers. The victims and their families are currently working to recover compensation for their damages from the plant’s owners.

Westlake Chemical Plant Explosion

As recently as 2022, a Lake Charles chemical plant owned by Westlake Corporation suffered a major explosion that injured six workers and forced thousands of students to shelter in place at school. This came on the heels of another Westlake plant explosion in 2021, which injured at least 23 workers.

Both of these cases are egregious examples of just how bad the situation can be at Louisiana chemical plants and refineries. The hardworking men and women who work at these businesses underpin Louisiana’s economy, but their employers treat them as disposable when they fail to maintain even basic safety standards.

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys are dedicated to helping people harmed by plant explosions in Louisiana find the compensation they need to begin to move on with their lives. If you’ve been impacted by a Baton Rouge plant explosion or refinery blast, give us a call at 225.888.8888 for a free legal consultation.

Common Causes of Baton Rouge Refinery Explosions and Accidents

The plant accident attorneys on the Get Gordon team have spent our careers investigating industrial negligence cases and learning their causes. Over the years, we’ve discovered a discouraging pattern of plant explosion causes:

• Neglected safety equipment that isn’t properly maintained or repaired
• Poor safety protocols and general lack of emergency preparedness training
• A lack of oversight caused by myopic or profit-obsessed executives and managers, or from ineffective government regulators
• Unmaintained machinery in a plant is more prone to breakage, leakage, and catastrophic failure
• Other causes include faulty equipment or electrical wiring, overloaded sockets, airborne particle buildup, and human error

Refinery jobs and plant jobs are inherently dangerous. Workers regularly interact with molten metals, toxic chemicals, and other dangerous substances, and their jobs often take them to great heights and into deep wells. Proper safety practices are of paramount importance in plant and refinery work, which makes plant explosions that much more tragic and infuriating.

Injuries Sustained in Baton Rouge Plant Explosion

The injuries sustained in plant accidents and explosions can be especially serious. They can include serious, long-lasting injuries, including

• Third- and fourth-degree burns from the extreme heat of an explosion can require skin grafts, extensive physical therapy, and can result in permanent scarring or disfigurement
• Toxic chemical exposure from leaking caustic gases, acids, and other chemicals can lead to permanent tissue damage, brain injuries, suffocation, and even death
• Major internal organ damage from the percussive forces of the blast can cause a number of long-lasting side effects
• Broken bones, neck and back injuries, spinal cord injuries, and others are also likely in plant explosions
• Often, a victim’s injuries lead to their wrongful death.

What to Do After Being Injured in a Louisiana Plant Explosion

If you or a loved one has been injured because of a plant explosion near Baton Rouge, you need representation in order to ensure you’ll recover the maximum compensation you’re entitled to. Representing victims of Baton Rouge industrial accidents isn’t a job for just any law firm—you need a legal team with the experience and drive to fight for your interests against those of big corporations and their insurance.

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have been practicing law in Louisiana for decades and have won over $3 Billion in compensation for our clients. We’ve stood up to big industry and won again and again. When you hire us, you’re hiring a team who knows what it takes to get you the compensation you need to heal from your injuries and move on with your life.

Give us a call at 225.888.8888 today for a free, no-risk consultation about your options. A dedicated lawyer will listen to your story and start on your case right away.