‘DEEPWATER HORIZON’ M O V I E R E V I E W
Who can forget the 2010 oil spill from rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast? The Deepwater Horizon rig was owned by a company called Transocean, which was hired as a contractor with British Petroleum (BP). The oil juggernaut had been steadily gaining power, money, and influence all over the world, and like the insurance companies we deal with every day, BP was more concerned with paying dividends to shareholders than it was with the safety of its rigs, platforms, and workers . At $500,000 a day and 40-plus days behind schedule, the rig was not cheap to lease. The Deepwater Horizon spill, like a lot of the injuries we see at Donahoe Kearney, was entirely preventable. At the beginning of the film, BP oil executives were shown meeting with a Transocean worker, Jimmy Harrell, who warned them about the state of disrepair of the rig. Harrell had to fight with the oil executives to run a much-needed test on the integrity of the cement because of concerns about the pressure that can routinely build up on the oil drill. Unfortunately, the oil executives decided to move forward with the drilling even though the pressure test was ambiguous. And that decision had horrific consequences. As the greed of the executives propelled the oil mission forward, the pressure that had been building on the drill resulted in a “blowout.” Pressurized gas, oil, mud, and water escaped from the well and traveled up the drill pipe, expanding, igniting, and exploding. A mechanical failure aboard the rig meant that the blowout could not be contained. And the whole rig exploded. It was an enormous tragedy resulting in the deaths of 11 men and the serious injury of 17 others. As a result of the explosion on the oil rig, millions of barrels of oil were dumped into the Gulf of Mexico and did untold damage to the environment, wildlife, and local economy.
The oil executives who pushed for moving forward with drilling despite safety concerns were initially charged with manslaughter, but those charges were later pleaded down to a violation of the Clean Water Act and an assessment of billions in fines. When a worker is injured or dies on the job, they are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits or death benefits from the workers’ compensation insurance company.
Since BP was a third-party contractor, the injured worker and their families were able to file a civil suit directly against BP for their negligence. At Donahoe Kearney, we see cases like this on construction sites or sometimes on the road: If third parties, like BP, are negligent and cause a worker’s injury, they can be held responsible. There is no happy ending for the Deepwater Horizon story. The spill had huge and long-lasting effects on many people and the local economy; seemingly everyone except for BP struggled to survive the terrible accident. But the movie was very well-done. They did a great job of framing the issues, portraying the characters, and remaking the scene of the explosion and mayhem. I highly recommend the film — if you have a chance, check it out!
-Brooke Birkey
WARNING ABOUT YOUR CAR INSURANCE
We’re predicting more and more drivers out there will be decreasing the amount of insurance coverage they have or won’t be able to pay for it at all as the economy gets worse. Plus, everyone seems to have forgotten how to drive during the shutdown. We have a number of cases where people have serious injuries and need expensive medical treatment, but the accidents were caused by drivers with limited insurance coverage. The only thing you can do to protect yourself from these drivers is increase your Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
on your auto policy. This coverage is usually not very expensive and pays for the damages if you’re hit
by an uninsured driver or one with limited coverage. So, check your auto policy and review it with your insurance agent or company. And if you’re reading this newsletter, we already have a connection, so we’re happy to review your insurance coverage with you or answer any insurance question you have — just ask! No charge, of course, and totally confidential.
202.393.3320 • 5
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