Our Pittsburgh-based PA, WV & OH plaintiff’s lawyers represent oilfield workers seriously injured or killed in oil and gas well and drilling rig accidents, such as blow-outs and gas well explosions on the Marcellus Shale and Utica Shale in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.
We know oil and gas drilling rigs, operations, and terminology. We know the hard work roughnecks, roustabouts, drillers, toolpushers, rig managers, company men, mud loggers, other rig hands, oilfield service company employees, consultants, and contractors perform, and the dangers these workers face on the job.
Before returning to the northeast, G&O attorney Fred Goldsmith was a trial lawyer at two law firms in Houston, Texas, where he represented major and independent oil and gas companies, onshore and offshore drilling contractors, oilfield service contractors and suppliers, and commercial vessel operators, in admiralty & maritime, personal injury and death, property damage, and commercial claims and disputes which arose in the oilfields of Texas, Louisiana, and the Gulf of Mexico. He and his partner, Rich Ogrodowski, have built on this experience in oilfield injury litigation to help injured rig and pipeline workers and their families in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio.
We handle oilfield, gas well explosion and fire, pipeline explosion, drilling rig serious injury and death cases on a contingent fee basis. We also advance the costs for the lawsuit, including the fees of experts and consultants. This means a client will not owe us a fee unless and until there is a settlement or judgment in the client’s favor. When/if such occurs, the client would then owe us the agreed-to fee and any case expenses (such as court reporter charges, medical records fees, expert witness fees, etc.).
We know hard work wins cases and details matter when it comes to investigating and preparing an oilfield injury or wrongful death case for trial. We are known for our thorough research into the facts and the law of the cases we take on, and the compassion we have for our clients and their families.
Having been deeply involved in significant personal injury and wrongful death litigation for collectively more than 45 years, we understand the medical issues surrounding the serious injuries that can occur in oilfield injury cases, such as orthopedic injuries, neurological injuries, and serious burns. We also know how devastating, both economically and emotionally, it can be to lose one’s ability to earn a living, and for a family to lose a loved one.
If you or others are injured, call 911 for EMS and, if applicable, local or state police, sheriff, etc.
If no EMS/hospital treatment is obtained, see your own doctor or hospital Emergency Room ASAP, as your medical condition indicates.
Get photos, even with a cell phone camera, of the accident scene, vehicles, equipment, products, involved.
If possible, preserve the accident scene and any vehicles, equipment, or products, involved, until it can be investigated.
Write down the name, address, and phone number of all witnesses.
Immediately report the accident orally and in writing, describing the highlights of how all persons, vehicles, equipment, and/or products played a part.
Try to avoid discussing the accident or giving a written or recorded statement until you have the opportunity to talk to your lawyer. You can call G&O 24/7 at 412-281-4340 or toll-free at 877-40-GO-LAW (877-404-6529).
If a motor vehicle accident, report it to your insurance company (but see #7), exchange vehicle, driver, insurance information.
If you’d like us to mail you a free credit-card style heavy duty plastic post-accident checklist (see below) with our 24/7 contact info on the other side, just call us (412-281-4340 or 877-404-6529) or send us an e-mail and we’ll get one right out to you.