Several Injured in Transocean Oil Rig Explosion in Gulf of Mexico

A deadly explosion ripped through the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean and located off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 126 workers were working on the rig at the time of the explosion. Most of them were evacuated successfully. Seven people have been hospitalized with injuries. The injured persons include workers who sustained critical burn injuries and have been taken to burn centers in Alabama and Louisiana. Eleven offshore workers however, continue to remain missing. The US Coast Guard is conducting extensive marine and aerial search efforts for the missing workers. Special attention is being paid to those waters where the workers are likely to be. As darkness set in, the Coast Guard was forced to call off its aerial rescue efforts, and concentrate only on certain waters. Aerial rescue efforts will resume at daybreak tomorrow. Families of the missing offshore workers, the Coast Guard and offshore injury lawyers are keeping a continuous vigil, hoping for a miracle. At this point, it is critical that we manage to find the missing workers and get them to safety as quickly as possible. These workers are bound to have suffered an extreme amount of trauma and stress, and will require urgent medical help. Families of injured workers must also make sure that their loved ones get the high-quality emergency medical care that they need. Burn injuries can be extremely serious, and infections can quickly set in in the lack of a sterile environment and round-the-clock care. As a maritime attorney, I also hope Transocean is doing whatever it can to carry out its responsibilities and look after the medical expenses of the injured workers. Maritime lawyer Brian Beckom is a Board-Certified Trial Lawyer, whose primary focus is the representation of injured drillers, roustabouts, roughnecks, and other offshore and oil rig workers in offshore accidents in Texas, Louisiana, along the Gulf Coast, across the country and in international waters.