8 Offshore Rig Workers Killed in Helicopter Accident in Gulf of Mexico
Investigations are ongoing in an early January helicopter crash in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana that killed 8 offshore rig and maritime workers and injured at least one person.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting investigations in the crash involving a Sikorsky S-76C owned by Petroleum Helicopters Inc. (PHI), a Lafayette based company. The helicopter was on its way to a Shell Oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico when it crashed into a marsh near Bayou Penchant. The 8 people killed in the crash were offshore rig workers. At least one family has already filed a lawsuit against Petroleum Helicopters Inc.
In recent years helicopters have become one of the main modes of transportation used to ferry rig workers and maritime equipment to offshore platforms. As technological advances allowed the construction of rigs in deeper waters, maritime companies and oil companies began to find it cheaper and more efficient to transport rig workers and equipment by helicopter rather than by ship, as was the case earlier. According to statistics from the Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference, which collects data from about 15 operators in the Gulf of Mexico region, close to 3 million passengers on 600 helicopters traveled the Gulf of Mexico region last year. With more and more helicopters being pressed into service, the risk of accidents has increased.
According to an earlier report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the Gulf of Mexico helicopter fleet is at a higher risk for accidents than the national rate. Petroleum Helicopter Inc. operates 162 aircrafts that regularly transport workers and equipment to platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. In the past decade alone, accidents involving helicopters owed by the company have killed at least 30 people, including those who died in January.
Offshore workers like engineers, riggers and laborers are constantly required to travel between platforms. While workers may disregard such nominal things as transportation risks, the fact is their mode of transportation is a risky one.
Investigating a Maritime Helicopter Accident
There are several factors that can go into the investigation of a maritime helicopter crash. Fleet records should be investigated to rule out mechanical malfunction of the chopper, and the possibility of pilot error must be probed thoroughly. A maritime accident lawyer must have access to resources that will make such investigations possible.
At Arnold &Itkin LLP, we have represented dozens of maritime workers over the years and have obtained fair and just compensation.
If you have been injured in a maritime helicopter accident, contact a Louisiana maritime accident lawyer at Arnold & Itkin LLP.
