At work
Odessa oilfield injury lawyer.
On a Permian Basin well site, the operator, the drilling contractor and a half dozen service companies can all be working at once, and the company that caused your injury is often not the one that signs your check. That matters, because it can open a claim against another company even if your employer has workers' comp, and a direct lawsuit if your employer does not. Our Odessa office on Diego Road handles explosions, flash fires, H2S exposure, falls and crush injuries from the rig floor to the pipeline yard. Call us before you sign anything the company hands you.
Right now
If you were just hurt in the oilfield.
- 01
Get medical care in town, not just the company medic
Go to Medical Center Hospital, Odessa Regional or your own doctor and say it happened on a well site. Burns, H2S exposure and head injuries can look minor at first.
- 02
Write down every company on location
The operator on the lease sign, the rig name and number, and the service companies on the trucks and trailers. Note who the company man and the toolpusher were.
- 03
Report it in writing
Text or email your supervisor with the date, time, location and what happened. If your employer has workers' comp, the deadline to notify it is 30 days. Keep a copy.
- 04
Do not sign a release or statement
Some companies ask injured hands to sign a statement blaming themselves, or to accept benefits in exchange for giving up the right to sue. Let us read it first.
- 05
Save photos and texts
Photos of the location, the equipment and your injuries, and any texts or group chats about the job, the schedule and safety problems.
- 06
Call our Odessa office
432-315-3392. Rigs move and locations get cleaned up fast. The consultation is free, in English or Spanish.
Key deadlines and numbers
- Deadline to sue
- Generally 2 years from the injurySource: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 16.003
- Notice to an employer with comp
- Within 30 days of the injurySource: Tex. Labor Code 409.001
- Non-subscriber employers
- Cannot blame you, a coworker or say you accepted the riskSource: Tex. Labor Code 406.033
- Operator's liability to a contractor's hand
- Only if it controlled the work and actually knew of the dangerSource: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 95.003
- H2S operations
- Railroad Commission Rule 36 sets safety requirements where hydrogen sulfide is presentSource: 16 Tex. Admin. Code 3.36
Texas law
Who can be responsible on a well site.
Oilfield work is built on contracts between companies. Those contracts decide who controls what, who insures whom and who pays in the end, but they do not take away your right to bring a claim against a company whose carelessness hurt you.
| Company | Role | When it may be responsible |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Owns or runs the well, often has a company man on site | When it controlled the work and knew of the danger |
| Drilling or workover contractor | Runs the rig and the crew | Unsafe rig conditions, rushing, poor training, fatigue |
| Service companies | Frac, wireline, cementing, flowback, coil tubing, rental tools | A crew that caused a blowout, pressure release, fire or dropped load |
| Equipment makers | Valves, iron, BOPs, tongs, cranes, gas monitors | A defective part or missing warning |
| Trucking and hauling companies | Water, sand, crude and equipment hauls on lease roads | A truck that backed over or struck a worker |
Third-party claims are the heart of most oilfield cases
Even if your employer has workers' comp, you can usually bring a claim against another company on location that caused your injury. That claim can include pain, impairment and lost earning capacity that comp does not pay.
Operators have a special defense
Under Chapter 95, the operator or property owner is liable to a contractor's worker only if it exercised some control over the work and had actual knowledge of the danger. The company man's daily reports and orders on location are often the key evidence.
Source: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code 95.003Master service agreements and indemnity fights
Companies sign master service agreements that shift who defends and pays for injuries. Texas limits many of these indemnity clauses in oil and gas contracts, with exceptions tied to insurance. Reading those contracts helps us find every policy that can pay.
Source: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code ch. 127Many oilfield employers are non-subscribers
If your employer has no workers' comp, you may be able to sue it directly, and it loses the defenses of your own carelessness, a coworker's fault and assumption of risk. Long hitches and 12-hour shifts that wear crews down can be part of the negligence.
Source: Tex. Labor Code 406.033How we work
How we build an oilfield case.
Mr. Estrada reads your file and sets the strategy. Our team in Odessa and Dallas works the details with him, and you get updates in English or Spanish.
01
Preserve the location records
Preservation letters for daily drilling reports, the company man's reports, JSAs and safety meeting sign-ins, gas monitor data, rig and pump data, photos and the failed equipment, before the rig moves.
02
Map the contracts
Master service agreements, drilling contracts and insurance certificates show who controlled the work and which policies apply.
03
Talk to the crew
Hands move to other rigs and other basins. We find and talk to the people who were on location while they still remember the details.
04
Bring in the right help
When the case calls for it, a petroleum engineer or oilfield safety consultant, plus medical experts, life care planners and economists to measure the lifetime cost of burns, brain and spine injuries.
05
Pursue every company that shares fault
We present the claim to each responsible company and its insurer, coordinate with any comp claim, and file suit and prepare for trial when the offers are not fair.
Who handles it
The lawyer on the sign is the lawyer on your case.
Mr. Estrada has practiced in Texas since 2003, in state court and in the Northern, Eastern and Western federal districts of Texas. He reads the file and sets the strategy, with associates and staff who work the case alongside him. Everything is explained to you in English or Spanish.
What clients say
“This attorney takes his time with every client, I love that he speaks Spanish so it was nice to fully understand him.”Questions hands ask us.
- I am from out of state and staying in a man camp. Can you still help?
- Yes. Many Permian hands come from other states or from Mexico. If the injury happened in Texas, Texas law usually applies, and we can work with you by phone and video after you go home.
- Who pays my bills while I am off?
- Workers' comp if your employer has it, otherwise health insurance, a company injury plan, or doctors who agree to wait for the case. We help you line it up so treatment does not stop.
- I do not have papers. Can I still make a claim?
- Yes, injury claims do not depend on immigration status, and Texas courts have limited the use of status in injury trials. Talk to us privately. What you tell us stays between you and the firm.
Dallas and Odessa
The Permian Basin, from our Odessa office.
Our Odessa office at 2860 Diego Road serves oilfield workers hurt across Ector, Midland, Andrews, Winkler, Ward and the surrounding counties, on drilling rigs, frac sites, workover rigs, saltwater disposal sites, pipeline right-of-ways and yards along I-20, SH-191, SH-302 and US-385. If a crash on a lease road or highway caused your injury, see our oilfield truck accident page. Some of the companies that operate in the Permian are based in Dallas, and our Oak Cliff office works those cases with the Odessa team.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
Can I sue an oil company if I was hurt on a rig?
Often yes, if a company other than your employer caused the injury, such as the operator, the drilling contractor or a service company. Claims against the operator require showing it controlled the work and knew of the danger. If your employer has no workers' comp, you may also be able to sue it.
What should I do after an H2S exposure?
Get medical care right away and tell the doctor it was hydrogen sulfide. Write down whether monitors alarmed, whether you had a working personal monitor and breathing air, and who else was exposed. Then call us.
My company has an injury benefit plan instead of workers' comp. Is that the same?
No. A company plan is not workers' comp, so the employer is still a non-subscriber. These plans often include arbitration and waiver terms. Do not sign anything until a lawyer has read the plan.
How long do I have to file an oilfield injury claim?
Generally two years from the injury, or two years from the death in a wrongful death case. A comp claim has its own 30 day notice and 1 year filing deadlines. Evidence on a location disappears in days.
Do I have to come to the office?
You are welcome at our Odessa office on Diego Road, but you do not have to come in. We can meet by phone or video, in English or Spanish, and we can visit you in the hospital.
How much does it cost to hire you?
The first consultation is free. Injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, which means the fee comes out of the recovery, not out of your pocket. We explain the exact terms, including case costs, before you sign.
Related situations
- Oilfield truck accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Burn injuries
- Heavy equipment accidents
- Chemical plant and refinery accidents
- Wrongful death
- All: Personal Injury
Updated October 2026
This page is general information about Texas law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it does not create an attorney client relationship. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a future outcome.
Two offices
Oak Cliff and Odessa.
Mon to Fri 9 to 5, Sat 9 to 12. Emergencies 24/7 by phone.
Law Office of Olegario Estrada, P.C.
We explain everything.We answer 24/7.Se habla español.
Free consultation by phone, video, or in person. Offices in Dallas and Odessa.