FAQs

What should I do immediately after an oilfield accident in East Texas?

Get medical attention right away, even if you think your injuries are minor. Some serious injuries don’t show up immediately, and a medical record creates important documentation for your case. Report the accident to your employer as soon as possible, take photos of the scene and any equipment involved if you’re able to, and don’t give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with a lawyer. Oilfield companies often send their own investigators to accident sites quickly. Call the Roach Law Firm at (903) 645-7333 for a free consultation.

If I was hurt on an oilfield job in Texas, am I limited to workers’ compensation?

Not necessarily. Texas is unusual in that employers are not required to carry workers’ compensation insurance, so some oilfield workers have no workers’ comp coverage at all. Even when workers’ comp is available, it doesn’t cover everything—pain and suffering, for example, are not included. If a third party such as a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or another company on the site contributed to your injury, a personal injury lawsuit may need to be filed in addition to a workers’ comp claim. Doing so can result in significantly larger compensation.

Who can be held responsible for an oilfield accident?

Liability in oilfield cases often extends beyond a worker’s direct employer. Most oilfield sites involve multiple companies working at the same time, and any one of them could be responsible for conditions that caused an injury. Equipment manufacturers can also be liable if a defective tool or machine was involved. Identifying every responsible party takes a fast and thorough investigation. Failing to identify a bad actor could result in much lower compensation.

How long do I have to file an oilfield injury lawsuit in Texas?

For most personal injury lawsuits, Texas law gives you two years from the date of the accident to file your claim. If you’re filing a workers’ compensation claim, the deadlines are shorter: You must report your injury to your employer within 30 days and file that claim within one year. These deadlines are strict, and oilfield accident evidence can disappear quickly once a company’s investigators get involved. Waiting almost always hurts your case.

Do I have to pay anything upfront to hire an oilfield injury lawyer?

Not at the Roach Law Firm. We handle oilfield injury cases on a contingency basis, meaning there are no upfront fees and no out-of-pocket expenses while your case is pending. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing.

Where does the Roach Law Firm handle oilfield injury cases?

The Roach Law Firm is based in East Texas and focuses primarily on cases in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In Texas, the firm has deep roots in the communities of Tyler, Longview, Texarkana, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Paris, Marshall, Sulphur Springs, Henderson, Carthage, Jefferson, Mount Pleasant, Clarksville, Gilmer, Pittsburg, Mount Vernon, Quitman, New Boston, Linden, Hemphill, and Daingerfield, as well as the surrounding areas. Call us at (903) 645-7333 to find out how we can help.

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Case Results

$17 Billion

PART OF THE LARGEST LEGAL SETTLEMENT IN U.S. HISTORY

In 1995, Nelson J. Roach and his former firm, along with four other law firms, was selected by the State of Texas to prosecute the state’s claims against the tobacco industry, seeking to recoup state monies paid to treat smoking-related illnesses.

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$730 Million

FOURTH-LARGEST JURY VERDICT IN THE NATION

In 2021, Nelson J. Roach won $730 million in a case arising from a Texas truck accident, the fourth-largest jury verdict in the U.S. that year. The case was filed by the family of an East Texas woman who was killed in a collision with a truck hauling a propeller for a Navy submarine.

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$554 Million

DEFENDING AN INVENTOR FROM CORPORATE COPYCATS

For over a decade, Nelson J. Roach and his former firm represented DataTreasury Corporation in its efforts to hold the largest banks in the United States accountable for their infringement of the tiny company’s intellectual property. Roach and his associates won $554 million in jury awards and royalties.

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$119 Million

FORCING A MINING COMPANY TO PAY UP

Nelson J. Roach represented roughly 7,000 residents of the town of Blackwell, Oklahoma, in a class action lawsuit accusing defendants Phelps Dodge Corporation and its parent company, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc., of failing to properly address lead, arsenic, and cadmium contamination.

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$90 Million

STANDING UP FOR INJURED STEELWORKERS

Nelson J. Roach represented thousands of steel workers at the Lone Star Steel Mill when they began to suffer from breathing problems and cancer.

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$51.2 Million

FIGHTING ANTICOMPETITIVE PRACTICES IN POULTRY INDUSTRY

Nelson J. Roach and Michael L. Silverman fought for small farms hurt by the corporations that dominate the U.S. chicken-processing industry.

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$47 Million

JUSTICE FOR WORKERS EXPOSED TO INDUSTRIAL TOXINS

Several years after the Lone Star Steel Toxic Tort Litigation began, workers at the Red River Army Depot in the Northeast Texas area began to suffer from diseases caused by exposure to rubber products in the workplace.

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$1.1 Million

WALMART SLIP-AND-FALL CASE

In 2021, Nelson J. Roach won $1.1 million in a slip-and-fall case against retail giant Walmart. It was one of the largest verdicts in a personal injury case in Texarkana history.

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Awards and Recognitions

Awards and Recognitions

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