Lafayette Plant Explosion Injury Attorney

Louisiana’s economy relies heavily on industries like oil refining and processing, chemical production, food processing, and others. The hardworking people at these plants generate millions of dollars in economic value for Louisiana, and their well-paying jobs support their families and thousands of others.

However, too often the owners and operators of Louisiana’s industrial plants treat their workers, not as vital assets and people to protect, but as cost centers to “optimize” (that is, minimize) as much as possible. When these owners neglect their workers’ safety, catastrophic workplace injuries can happen.

When an explosion happens at an industrial plant, its workers, their families, and the surrounding community can be harmed by the blast and ensuing fire, smoke, and toxic chemicals. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Lafayette plant explosion, call Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys at 337.999.9999 or fill out our easy-to-use online form to schedule a free consultation. We can help you recover the compensation you need to heal.

What Causes Plant Explosions in Lafayette?

Over 90% of all plant explosions and industrial accidents are completely preventable, meaning that they’re caused by negligence. All companies hold a duty of care toward their employees to keep them reasonably safe, and when a company neglects that duty, they expose their workers to the following dangers that can lead to an explosion:

• Improper wiring or unshielded equipment
• Flammable particle buildup in the air
• Poor safety training
• Poor safety protocols
• Poor emergency preparation
• Inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Human error

Industrial work is inherently more dangerous than other jobs. That’s why it’s even more vital for safety protocols to be followed and enforced by management. When safety is ignored, people can get hurt.

Chemical Plant Explosions and other Industrial Accidents in Lafayette

Too often, plants in Lafayette and around the state neglect to protect their workers, resulting in catastrophic events like fires, explosions, injuries, and wrongful death. Every explosion has the capability to send dozens of workers to the hospital and lead to increased disease and toxic exposure in their communities.

Just a few of the recent plant explosions in and around Lafayette include

• Multi-Chem Corp in New Iberia, near Lafayette, suffered a large explosion in 2011, shutting down the Acadiana Regional Airport and causing many to evacuate the town. Luckily, no one was harmed during the blast, but it put thousands of people in danger.
• In 2018, the FlowChem Technologies near Lafayette shut down miles of I-10 with huge plumes of smoke from a fire at the plant. Authorities found that Xylene, a solvent in printing, rubber, paint, and leather, was among the chemicals that burned that day.
• The Westlake Chemical Plant near Lake Charles exploded twice in six months between 2021 and 2022, injuring at least 23 workers and exposing the community to toxins.

Injuries Workers Can Suffer from a Lafayette Plant Explosion

Whenever a plant explosion happens, workers, their families, and other community members suffer catastrophe and trauma. Victims of industrial explosions often experience catastrophic injuries, such as

• Third- and fourth-degree burns that can require therapy, surgery, and lifelong treatment, as well as permanent scarring and disfigurement
• Toxic exposure due to the chemicals released into the air during an explosion or the ensuring fire, which can lead to organ damage, brain injury, suffocation, and chronic injuries like cancer
• Internal organ damage from the percussive forces of the blast
• Neck and back injuries, spinal cord injuries, and others that can lead to permanent disability and paralysis
• In the most extreme cases, wrongful death

What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt in a Lafayette Plant Explosion

If you or someone you love were injured in a Lafayette plant explosion accident, you could be eligible for compensation. You could face a long hard road to recover the compensation you’re owed, however, because the plant’s owners and insurance will try to weasel their way out of paying victims what they owe for their negligence. These damages can include any of the following:

• The costs of surgery, treatment, and other hospital bills
• Ongoing costs of medication, medical care, physical therapy, and assistive devices
• Lost wages from missing work
• Future wages lost due to a diminished earning capacity, disability, or inability to work
• Pain and suffering
• Decreased quality of life

In order to maximize your compensation from a plant explosion injury, you need a lawyer experienced in industrial injury claims who can fight on your behalf against the corporate owners. Often, the defendant will have a huge legal team to avoid their liability, so you need an injury attorney who’s just as committed to your interests.

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys is a Lafayette law firm with over 679+ years of combined legal experience fighting for victims of corporate negligence. We specialize in representing victims of industrial explosions and plant accidents, so you can trust us to prove your claim.Call us today at 337.999.9999 for a free consultation with a dedicated injury lawyer. We’ll start the process toward helping you find compensation for your injuries right away.