The 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill was a devastating event for the Gulf Coast economy, culture, and environment. While BP has come to a settlement with many plaintiffs and the government regarding their negligence, you may still have a claim based on injuries incurred during subsequent the cleanup of the spill.

A case recently filed in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans against BP PLC, BP Exploration and Production and BP America Production Co. (“BP”) claims that BP chartered the plaintiff local resident’s fishing and shrimp boat for the cleanup and employed the resident as part of the cleanup effort. As part of that work, BP instructed him to drive his boat through the oil so that his spinning propeller would agitate or stir up the spilled oil.

As you can imagine, driving a propeller through oil causes it to become agitated and enter the air either as a vapor or liquid. There are health risks associated with breathing and coming into contact with oil. Similarly, dispersants were present in the water at the time also could become airborne as a result of this practice. It is not hard to understand that driving a boat through oil and dispersants would cause the boat to become coated with those substances. Allegedly, BP told employed boat owners that their boats would undergo extensive cleaning and detoxification.

According to the plaintiff in this case, BP’s instructions to him had several results. First, he was exposed to crude oil—both in liquid and gas form—as well as dispersants and other chemicals present in the water from both the well release and cleanup effort. He allegedly did not receive any respiratory protection such as a mask or respirator as part of his work and has suffered physically as a result. Additionally, after participation in the program, the plaintiff’s boat was not cleaned or detoxified by BP, and he was forced to bear extensive costs of cleaning and refurbishing it so that it could be used for fishing.

If you have had an experience similar to the plaintiff in this case, you may be suffering from a number of problems, such as physical ailments (headaches, trouble breathing, eye problems) and mental or emotional issues (depression, memory loss). You may also have financial damages due to having to bear the costs of cleaning a boat and lost wages while you were unable to work either due to physical problems or because your boat could not be used while it was being decontaminated. All of these damages may be actionable, or, in other words, the basis for a lawsuit.

If BP indeed placed cleanup participants in physical danger and made promises that they did not keep, there may be claims for negligence or violations of a contract.  Other claims based on safety violations. If you have suffered these injuries, whether physical, mental, emotional, or financial, you may be entitled to be made whole.

Important deadlines, statutes of limitations, and filing requirements make consulting with an experienced plaintiffs’ attorney with BP oil spill experience a vital step to protecting yourself, your livelihood, and your rights if you have suffered as a result of your participation in the cleanup.

Contact Mississippi personal injury attorney Jonathan Barrett at Barrett Law immediately to protect your rights at (601)-790-1505.

Call attorney Barrett to set up a free initial consultation. The claims you may have based on your participation in the BP oil spill response or cleanup are not simple, and you should not trust them to an attorney lacking the plaintiffs’ law and BP oil spill experience attorney Barrett possess. Call our Mississippi Personal Injury Lawyer now to protect your livelihood and life.