Roswell Oilfield Accident Attorney

Tens of Millions Recovered Fighting for Injured Oilfield Workers Across New Mexico & Texas

Oilfield work in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas carries risks that few other occupations match. Chaves County sits at the edge of one of the most active energy corridors in the country: the Permian Basin, which stretches through Lea and Eddy counties and across the state line into West Texas. New Mexico ranks as the second-largest oil-producing state in the country, and the accident and fatality rates that come with that output are severe. When workers are hurt or killed, the financial and legal consequences hit fast.

We represent injured oilfield workers and surviving family members throughout New Mexico and West Texas. Our cases have included oilrig trucking accidents, explosions and fires, falls, toxic exposure, pipeline incidents, and more. When an accident results in catastrophic injury or wrongful death, we pursue every avenue of recovery available. B.J. Crow is licensed in both New Mexico and Texas, which matters when the accident site, the employer, and the relevant law straddle the state line. Free consultations are available, including virtual consultations if you can’t come to us.

Contact us online or call (575) 222-2702 today to get started with a free consultation.

How Oilfield Accidents Happen

Oil and gas operations are primarily governed by OSHA’s General Industry Standards under 29 CFR 1910, with the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act requiring employers to provide workplaces free of recognized hazards where no specific standard applies. Despite those requirements, accidents occur with alarming frequency across the region.

Common causes we see in oilfield accident cases include:

• Safety regulation violations
• Improper supervision or rushed production schedules
• Lack of sufficient training on equipment operation
• Defective or poorly maintained equipment
• Failure to conduct required inspections
• Inadequate safety protocols at the drill site

When supervisors, co-workers, inspectors, and oil companies cut corners, workers pay the price. We pursue claims against every party whose negligence contributed to an accident, including the site operator, the employer’s personnel, and third parties whose failures created the dangerous condition.

Oilfield Injuries & What They Cost Workers

The physical consequences of oilfield accidents are severe. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of oilfield fatalities nationally, and in southeastern New Mexico, heavy commercial truck traffic through oilfield corridors makes that hazard especially acute. Beyond trucking incidents, workers face traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crush injuries, compound fractures, amputations, severe burns, and chemical exposure injuries from substances including hydrogen sulfide and benzene.

We handle cases involving:

• Injuries from oilrig or vehicle collisions
• Getting pinned, caught between, or struck by machinery at the drill site
• Burns caused by explosions or fires
• Broken bones and serious injuries from falls
• Electrical shock
• Injuries from defective equipment or improper training

Injuries serious enough to take a worker off the job create immediate financial pressure: lost wages, mounting medical bills, and real uncertainty about returning to a high-paying field. We also represent families who have lost a loved one in a fatal oilfield accident.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for an Oilfield Accident

New Mexico workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against a direct employer for covered workplace injuries. But it doesn’t stop there. Workers’ comp doesn’t bar claims against third parties whose negligence contributed to the accident, and oilfield worksites typically involve multiple parties. The site operator, drilling contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, and on-site supervisors each occupy distinct roles and can carry separate legal responsibility.

Third-party personal injury claims may allow recovery beyond what workers’ compensation provides, including lost wages, pain and suffering, and other non-economic damages where available. Equipment defects may support a product liability claim against a manufacturer entirely separate from any comp claim. New Mexico follows a pure comparative fault rule, meaning an injured worker can pursue recovery even if they were partially at fault, with damages reduced proportionally. When a fatality occurs, surviving family members may have grounds for a wrongful death claim under New Mexico law. Identifying every potentially liable party is one of the most consequential decisions in an oilfield injury case, and it’s one we work through carefully from the start.