After major oil spills, class action lawsuits are often filed against pipeline companies by fishermen and business owners who had economic losses due to the environmental devastation.
Need a Texas Santa Barbara Oil Spill Class Action Lawyer? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one had economic losses after an oil spill, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit in Texas.
Oil Spill Pollution
Oil spills are toxic disasters that can harm people, animals, the environment, and cause widespread economic impacts.
When freshly spilled oil washes ashore, it completely smothers animals and plants. It destroys the insulating properties of fur and bird feathers, which can make it impossible for animals to fly, swim, or stay warm.
Spilled oil also contains a poisonous mixture of chemicals. Some of these toxic, cancer-causing chemicals vaporize into the air. Others persist in the environment for decades and continue to harm the environment long after the initial spill.
Health Problems
Oil spills can be harmful to human health. Physical contact with light crude oil an cause skin irritation. Swallowing small amounts (less than a cup of coffee) can cause upset stomach, vomiting, and diarrhea, but is not likely to have long-lasting health impacts, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).
Class Action Lawsuits Filed Over Oil Spill in Santa Barbara
In June 2015, a lawsuit (PDF) was filed against Plains All-American Pipeline by a commercial fisherman who says his livelihood was jeopardized by a massive oil spill near Santa Barbara, California.
The Santa Barbara oil spill occurred on the morning of May 19, when a 24-inch pipeline carrying crude oil ruptured underground. Over 101,000 gallons of oil gushed out of the pipeline for the next three hours, flowed down a culvert, and into the ocean.
The slick killed dozens of seals and dolphins, spread for 9 miles, closed campgrounds and two state beaches, and shut down all fishing and shellfish harvesting just before Memorial Day Weekend.
In the days after the spill, evidence emerged that the pipeline had been worn down to 1/16 of an inch with “extensive” exterior corrosion problems.
The lawsuit blames Plains Pipeline for failing to adequately maintain the pipe or quickly respond to the spill, which may have caused years of environmental and economic damage to the community:
“Even after that closure is lifted — and that could be months away — the spill’s impacts on those fisheries will continue far into the future. Also, the negative publicity from the spill has and will deter seafood buyers from seeking out Santa Barbara seafood.”
2010 Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
In 2010, a blowout caused on explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killing 11 people and injuring 17 others. More than 200 million gallons of crude oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in the United States. Approximately 16,000 miles of coastline were affected in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Businesses and individuals who lost money have been paid more than $1 billion through a class action settlement led by Kenneth Feinberg. BP has also agreed to pay $2.3 billion for seafood-related claims from commercial fishermen.
1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska
In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska and spilled at least 11 million gallons of crude oil — the largest oil spill until the BP spill in 2010. The slick covered 11,000 square miles of ocean and 1,300 miles of coastline, killed thousands of animals, and had a devastating impact on the environment.
In the 1990s, a class action consisting of 32,000 fisherman, Alaska natives, landowners, and others whose livelihoods were affected by the spill were awarded $5 billion by a jury. However, the award was later reduced to $1.5 billion.
Oil Spill Class Action Lawsuits
Submit your claim for compensation. If you are a commercial fisherman, business owner, or individual in a state that was harmed by an oil spill, you could get money from a class action settlement for your economic losses, property damage, health problems, and more.
Need an Oil Spill Class Action Lawyer in Texas?
Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.
Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”
The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $260 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact our Texas oil spill class action lawyers for a free lawsuit review.