The Midland Reporter-Telegram reported that locals in West Texas have begun describing U.S. Route 285 as “Death Highway” after 93 individuals were killed in truck accidents on West Texas of the Permian Basin alone.
The Midland Reporter-Telegram suggested that the increase in truck accident deaths was linked to a boost in oil prices. Fatalities decreased in 2015 before the rise; however, a need for more truck drivers had developed last year. Since inexperienced drivers may lack experience handling their vehicles and seasoned drivers may be tired from working hazardous hours, truck accidents appear to be more common.
Did you suffer severe injuries, or was your loved one killed in a truck accident in the Permian Basin or somewhere else in West Texas? If so, the truck accident attorneys of Joe I. Zaid & Associates are here to assist you and look for justice. We can answer all of your concerns during a free consultation as soon as you call or contact us online.
A Rise in Trucking and Automobile Accidents
The oil market has boomed in West Texas. A stretch of land in the Permian Basin covers more than 75,000 square miles in Texas and New Mexico. Yielding more than 3.9 million barrels of oil every day.
This oil boom has had a massive influence around cities in the Permian Basin, including Pecos, Midland, and Odessa. Thousands of oilfield workers drive into the area daily to extract and drill. Fleets of trucks going back and forth to transfer the crude oil to refineries and doubling back to make the journey again have resulted in a surge of trucking and car accidents in West Texas.
Accidents in the Permian Basin have increased by 67%, and commercial truck vehicle accidents have increased by 160%.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 49,410 traffic accidents have occurred in the Permian Basin in 2017. Those accidents caused 1,321 severe injuries and 485 deaths.
Statistics reveal that deadly traffic accidents in the Permian Basin are a grave concern since 7 percent of the state’s population lives there. Furthermore, 13 percent of all fatal crashes in the state of Texas happen on those roads. Not only that, fatal crashes seem to be occurring more frequently as the Permian Basin oil boom and the drastic boost in deadly accidents go hand-in-hand.
We Handle All of West Texas Oil Fields and Trucking Accident Cases
Joe I. Zaid & Associates understand that any unanticipated accident can change the course of your life forever. It can cause irreversible physical, emotional, and financial damage. Our attorneys will be by your side and help you recover the settlement you deserve from the parties at fault.
Joe Zaid represents clients who have been hurt in all types of oil fields and trucking accidents in West Texas, including but not limited to:
- Workover rig mishaps
- Pipeline explosions
- Gas explosions
- Drilling rig accidents
- Electrocutions
- Blowouts during drilling operations
- Tank battery accidents
- Compressor accidents
- Equipment malfunctions and failures
- Construction accidents
- Fires
- Direct exposure to corrosive chemicals
- Silica exposure
- Oil and gas industry-related car and truck accidents
- Wrongful death, and more.
After your accident, it is important to reach out to a West Texas oil surge and truck accident attorney for aid immediately. If you want to recover the compensation you deserve, a comprehensive and timely investigation is vital. Joe Zaid can begin to dig into the circumstances surrounding your oil field or trucking accident immediately. All you need to do is give our law firm a call to begin on your case today.
Why is The Permian Basin So Dangerous?
The Permian Basin is hazardous because jobs in the oil field industry are among the most dangerous jobs in the world. Between 2008 and 2017, 1,566 oil field workers were killed while extracting gas or oil in the U.S.
Employers in West Texas have a duty of care to provide workers with essential safety devices and take the necessary steps to ensure that working conditions are safe.
Instead, oil companies:
- Hire inexperienced truck drivers and oil field employees
- Fail to train and monitor their employees effectively
- Fail to inspect worksites for hazards and risks to employees
- Increase profits and cut safety corners to save costs
- Don’t have required emergency materials on hand
- Overwork workers, causing them to get really tired and distracted
- Fail to expend needed resources to keep employees safe, and
- Ignore Texas state and federal safety standards.
These are all typical causes for oil field and trucking accidents in West Texas. Accidents are inevitable if an employer asks too much from an employee or puts too much pressure on them. Especially when employees aren’t given the tools, they need to finish the job in the safest method possible.
Dedicated Personal Injury Lawyers Committed to Your Case
Joe I. Zaid & Associates is dedicated to representing the rights of the injured both in Texas and across the country.
Since 2013, Joe has represented numerous clients in personal injury and wrongful death cases and has recuperated millions of dollars in settlements, consisting of various 7 figure settlements on behalf of individual clients. Joe specializes in personal injury cases, varying from small impact collisions to those resulting in life-altering injuries. Through his diligence and substantial caseload experience, Joe has a keen ability to identify essential elements easily overlooked in the client’s case.
A Voice For Accident Victims
Our firm has an established network of qualified professionals and investigators to ensure that clients receive the highest level of representation. We know how to negotiate with the insurance companies so that you do not have to. We have fought for our clients to recover millions of dollars in settlements. Most of our firm’s cases come from referrals from other lawyers and former clients who know firsthand the quality of representation provided by our team is a testimony to our firm’s success.
