A Gulf Coast gas well owned by Texas Petroleum Investment Company exploded Tuesday, injuring at least seven workers, four seriously. The blast occurred just off the coast of Louisiana in the Belle Isle Field, which is located near St. Mary Parish in Louisiana.
The explosion accident involved a gas well that technically had been abandoned by Texas Petroleum Investment Company. Contractors had been hired by the owner to plug the well. Work on plugging the well commenced on Sunday, a couple days before the explosion. As of this time, there is no information available from the company regarding how long the well had been abandoned. Additionally, the company has not advised as to whether some incident occurred that warranted the plugging process to begin on Sunday. In other words, whether the company was aware of some dangerous condition that precipitated the explosion is not available as of this time.
In addition to a lack of background of information about what led up to the explosion, little else publicly is available about the explosion itself. What is known is that the Louisiana Gulf Coast gas well explosion was caused by a spark that somehow ignited the blast. There is no specific information about what caused the blast. With that said, the spark likely was the result of the work being undertaken to plug the gas well.
The injuries sustained by two workers as a result of the Louisiana Gulf Coast gas well explosion were so severe that they were airlifted to two different major medical centers. One of the severely injured workers was flown to a hospital in New Orleans, another to a medical center in Lafayette. Although this has not been confirmed, reasonable speculation is that these two workers have sustained significant burn injuries. These two hospitals evidently do have specialized burn units.
Two other workers were transported by ground ambulance to a medical center in New Orleans. The extent of injuries sustained by this pair of workers is not precisely known. They do appear to have sustained burn injuries, including to their faces. However, their injuries appear to have been at least somewhat less severe than those sustained by the airlifted workers.
Three other workers also went to an area hospital. These individuals evidently were transported to a hospital in private vehicles.
The three individuals who “drove themselves” to a hospital likely have been treated and released as of this time. These is no available information about when the four other workers will be able to leave the hospital. Indeed, these is no current advisement on their medical status as of this time.
The only public advisement on the state of the workers came from the hospital at which three of the crew members transported themselves:
“As medical professionals, caring for our communities is our sole focus,” the hospital said in a statement. “Ochsner (the hospital) has provided emergency response support for patients involved in this incident and are currently treating three patients who are listed in stable condition.”
As of this time, the Louisiana State Police are heading up the investigation. Due to the nature of the explosion accident, it is likely that other state and federal agencies may end up involved in the investigatory process.
If you or a loved one was injured in the Louisiana Gulf Coast gas well explosion accident, or a similar type of incident, the legal team at The Doan Law Firm at (800) 349-0000 is here for you. Our gas explosion accident hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, including major holidays.
A nationwide law firm, we can schedule a meeting with a gas well explosion accident lawyer at any one of our 40 offices, including offices serving injured workers in the Gulf Coast area. We can also arrange a virtual case consultation and evaluation with a Louisiana Gulf Coast gas well explosion accident victim online as well. There is never a charge for an initial consultation with a Doan Law Firm gas well explosion accident attorney.
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