Maryland Oil & Gas Injury Lawyer

Oil spills are caused by human activities and are a form of pollution. While oil spills are often associated with marine oil spills where oil is released into the ocean, oil spills can also occur on land. Oils spills can be the result of the release of crude oil from tankers, from offshore platforms, from drilling rigs and wells. Spills can also involve refined petroleum products such as gasoline and their by-products; heavier fuels used by large ships, or spills can involve any oil refuse or waste oil.

Oil spills at sea are worse than those that occur on land as they can spread for miles and produce a thin oil slick which can cover beaches with a thin coat of oil. Fortunately oil spills on land are more manageable because the area around the spill can be more easily contained.

To date the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry was the Deepwater Horizon spill which occurred in the United States, Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Over the course of 87 days, 11 people were killed and 4.9 million barrels of oil gushed from the sea floor until it was capped on July 15, 2010. In November of 2012, BP and the United States Department of Justice settled federal criminal charges with BP ultimately pleading guilty to 11 counts of manslaughter, two misdemeanors and a felony count for lying to Congress. BP also agreed to a record settlement for $4.525 billion in fines and other payments. As of February of 2013 both criminal and civil settlements had cost BP over $40 billion.

There are millions of miles of pipelines that traverse across the United States that transports hazardous liquids, natural gas and petroleum across the nation. Outside of the United States there are large industrial tankers that transport oil and gas along the open waters. When something goes wrong on the tanker or when a pipeline breaks, oil spills can have disastrous effects, they can cause injuries or deaths to oil workers or local residents and destroy the environment.

Contact a Maryland Oil & Gas Injury Attorney

At Miller Stern Lawyers, we represent those that have suffered economic and non-economic losses as a result of oil leak/spill injuries. If your life has been adversely affected by oil contamination, we can help. As Maryland oil & gas injury lawyers we are intimately familiar with all state and federal laws pertaining to oil spills, leaks and explosions. We urge you to contact us today to schedule a free consultation with an attorney from our firm so you can learn about your legal rights.