Texas Injury Law Blog : Dallas Accident Lawyer & Attorney : Fears Nachawati Law Firm : Personal Injury, Wrongful Death : Ft. Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Texas

Times are good for natural gas producers. Although high fuel costs hurt consumers, they’re good for suppliers. Traditionally, high natural gas prices have been particularly good news for Gulf Coast states like Texas and Louisiana and particularly bad news for the northeast. This time, however, things are a little different.

The recent discovery of the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia is good news for the east coast. The Marcellus Shale is rich in ethylene, a key ingredient in plastics, and close to markets like New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Because of its proximity to plastics manufacturers, costs to consumer will be cheaper. Also, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other “Shale states” will benefit from the additional tax revenue flowing from natural gas extraction. Local economies will boom, too, thanks to the estimated 10,000 new, “Shale jobs.”

There’s just one catch: natural gas production can be dangerous. Every year hundreds of workers and thousands of residents are injured as a result of natural gas leaks and explosions. If you or a loved one leave Texas to work the Marcellus Shale, you should know about the risks of natural gas – and, in particular, ethylene – cracking. Talk to the experts at Fears | Nachawati to learn everything you need to know about the law governing occupational injuries. Call 1.866.705.7584 or email info@fnlawfirm.com. 

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Yesterday, a Coast Guard helicopter saved the lives of father and son sailors, plucking them out of Galveston Bay after their 18-foot pleasure boat capsized unexpectedly. Fortunately, Richard Rasmussen and his son, Robert, survived their two-hour ordeal in choppy water because they wore their lift preservers. 

The surprise rolling of the Rasmussen’s vessel raises important questions about the quality of the boat’s construction. In 2010, the Coast Guard identified more than 4,500 recreational boating accidents involving nearly 700 deaths, more than 3,000 injuries and $35.5 million in property damage. In many of these accidents, poor construction played a significant role in causing injury and death!

If you’re concerned about the seaworthiness (or lake-worthiness) of your boat or if you are involved in a recreational boating accident this summer, contact the personal injury experts at Fears | Nachawati. With years of experience handling all types of injuries, we’re prepared to help you! For a free consultation, call us at 1.866.705.7584 or send an email to info@fnlawfirm.com. Put our expertise to work for you.

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There have been several significant recent developments in the Gulf Oil Spill investigation:

Investigators now believe that BP knew of problems at the offshore rig hours before it exploded.  The well had failed a key pressure test hours before the explosion.  The failure of that test may indicate that pressure was building in the well.  Even though a pressure build up could lead to an explosion, BP apparently declined to suspend operations and investigate the build up.  

President Obama has asked Congress to raise the cap on liability for BP.  The administration also asked that a per-barrel tax on oil companies be increased in order to provide more funds for cleanup.  Finally, the President also proposed additional unemployment assistance and food stamps for Gulf Coast workers affected by the oil spill. 

BP has placed a new, smaller containment box on the floor of the Gulf.  Workers plan to move the cylinder, nicknamed a "top hat", on top of the well, and hope to avoid problems they encountered with a bigger box previously used to try to stop the flow of oil. 

Fears | Nachawati represents victims of the Gulf Oil Spill and explosion.  If you have been affected by the spill, please call us at 1.866.705.7584 to discuss your situation with one of our attorneys.

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BP has pledged that it will not seek to prevent lawsuits arising from the Gulf Oil Spill based on controversial releases obtained from victims of the blast.  Early reports accused the oil giant of improperly asking workers who survived the incident to swear that they weren't injured and promise they won't sue.  Reports say that workers were presented with these agreements immediately after being rescued, under highly distasteful (and potentially actionable) circumstances.  Fears | Nachawati represents victims of the Gulf Oil Spill, including those who have signed releases under questionable circumstances and those who have been asked to sign releases.  If you have been affected by the Gulf Oil Spill, call us today at 1.866.705.7584 to discuss your situation with our experienced legal staff.  

In other Texas legal news, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that ice does not create an unreasonable risk of harm that would expose a landowner to premises liability for a business invitee.  In the case at hand, a man was injured when he slipped and fell on accumulated ice in the parking lot of a hospital.  He sued the hospital for his injuries.  The Court's ruling means that the hospital isn't liable for injuries caused by icy conditions that occur naturally.  If the hospital had created the icy condition, or had altered the parking lot in such a manner that a dangerous situation arose, the result would likely have been different and the man could have possibly sued for his injuries.   

In national legal news, President Obama has nominated Elena Kagan to be a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.  Ms. Kagan currently serves as the Solicitor General of the United States, where she argues cases in the Supreme Court on the government's behalf.  Prior to that appointment, Ms. Kagan was the Dean of Harvard Law school.  She has been nominated to fill the seat being vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens.  If confirmed, Ms. Kagan will be President Obama's second appointee to the Supreme Court. 

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