National Oil Spill Panel Reveals Poor Decisions In Advance Of Deepwater Horizon Tragedy
A presidential panel is bringing to light the corporate carelessness that led to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster and the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, according to Houston maritime attorneys Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin.
Coverage in the Los Angeles Times indicates that during the panel’s recent hearings, co-chairman William Reilly said that BP, Halliburton and Transocean were each responsible “for one or more egregiously bad decisions” leading up to the disaster, while the other panel chair, Bob Graham, said the companies had created “a culture that did not promote safety, and that culture failed.”
The attorneys "look forward to seeing the panel’s ultimate findings, which we believe will show that the carelessness of each of these companies contributed to this tragedy,” says Arnold, a founding partner of the Houston maritime law firm, Arnold & Itkin LLP.
The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling has been investigating the disaster since May. The panel’s final report is expected to come out in January.
"We expect this panel will reveal how these companies, which were facing financial pressure at the time, rushed through a series of decisions without any regard for the consequences to their workers,” says Itkin, another founding partner of Arnold & Itkin LLP.
Arnold and Itkin have shared their maritime law expertise and insights about the incident with national and local media in the aftermath of the disaster, including National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” the Houston Chronicle and Houston’s ABC television affiliate, among others.
The law firm is representing several offshore workers who were injured in the explosion.
To discuss a case with an experienced maritime lawyer, contact a maritime attorney online at Arnold & Itkin LLP, or call the maritime law office of Arnold & Itkin LLP toll free at 866-222-2606.
