Find an oilfield accident lawyer in El Paso: Permian jobs, the refinery and comp

El Paso County shows no oil or gas production in state data. Oilfield injuries here usually come from Permian Basin work to the east or from the Marathon refinery. Tell your employer within 30 days. File your comp claim within 1 year. A non-subscriber employer can be sued within 2 years.

Last checked November 9, 2026 · Official sources (42)

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Road map of West Texas running east from El Paso along Interstate 10 toward Culberson and Reeves counties
El Paso County has no oil production; the Permian is to the east. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Are there oilfields in El Paso, Texas?

Not producing ones, according to the state. The Railroad Commission's May 2024 report shows zero gas, crude and condensate for El Paso County. The same report lists Reeves, Loving and Culberson counties at the top for condensate. TxDOT says the area from Van Horn to Orla is more and more important to the Permian energy business.

So a lawyer in El Paso is often helping someone who lives here and works hours east. Culberson County falls within TxDOT's El Paso District, while the Railroad Commission treats El Paso County as part of its Midland district. The main oil job site we verified inside the county is the Marathon refinery, three miles east of downtown, with about 400 employees.

Who pays if you were hurt working an oilfield job out of El Paso?

Your situationWho paysYour deadline
Employer has Texas compComp carrier. You generally cannot sue your employer.Tell employer in 30 days, claim in 1 year
Employer has no comp (non-subscriber)The employer, if you prove negligence2 years to sue
Another company's crew or equipment caused itThat company, on top of comp2 years to sue
A well site ownerOnly if it kept some control over the work2 years to sue
Crew truck or road crashThe driver's company and its auto coverage2 years to sue

Ask in writing whether your employer has coverage. It has to tell you. Texas also publishes a list of registered non-subscribers. A non-subscriber cannot argue you assumed the risk. That makes those cases very different from a comp claim.

Watch for contract language too. Texas limits one company's promise to cover another's own negligence on oil and gas jobs. Where one-sided coverage is allowed, the required insurance may not exceed $500,000. If another company's insurer says you signed something away, have that paper read.

What if the crash happened on the drive to the Permian from El Paso?

That is the most common way oilfield workers die. Highway crashes are the leading cause of death in this industry, about 4 of every 10. El Paso County alone had 1,014 crashes with a commercial vehicle in 2025, and 7 people were killed. A long drive after a long shift matters, so save your schedule, your timesheet and your phone's location history.

Oilfield truck drivers get special hour rules, including a restart after 24 hours off. Ask if your driver followed them. Trucks hauling hazardous loads inside El Paso must also stick to listed routes, such as I-10 and Loop 375.

Which agencies help after an oilfield or refinery injury in El Paso?

  1. Get care. UMC is the region's Level 1 trauma center. If hydrogen sulfide was involved, say so. It can overcome workers almost immediately.
  2. Report your injury to a supervisor in writing, and keep a copy.
  3. Use the state's free help. OIEC is at 401 East Franklin Ave., Suite 330, and 866-393-6432. State claim help is at 800-252-7031, in English or Spanish.
  4. Call OSHA if something was unsafe. Its office for El Paso is at 4849 North Mesa. The agency cannot cite an incident more than 6 months old.
  5. If you were punished for speaking up, you have only 30 days to file a retaliation complaint.

A work death must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours, and a hospitalization or amputation within 24 hours. The El Paso and Lubbock OSHA offices signed a Permian Basin safety alliance together, and OSHA has a program aimed at upstream oil and gas sites in Texas. Your immigration status does not limit your right to a safe workplace.

What if you were hurt at the El Paso refinery?

The refinery can process about 133,000 barrels of crude a day, and its products move by truck, rail and pipeline. If you work for a contractor at the refinery, your comp usually comes through that contractor, and you may still have a claim against the refinery or another crew. Write down which company signed your check, and which company told you what to do that day.

If a worker died, the family may have a claim for punitive damages for intentional acts or gross negligence even when comp applies. We are sorry for your loss. OIEC also helps families after a work-related death at no cost.

Questions

Are there oil wells in El Paso?

State data shows no production in El Paso County as of May 2024. Most oilfield work is east, in counties like Reeves and Culberson.

How long do I have to report an oilfield injury in Texas?

You have 30 days to tell your employer and 1 year to file the comp claim.

Can I sue if my oilfield employer has no comp?

Yes. You must prove the employer's negligence, and the employer cannot say you assumed the risk.

Which OSHA office covers El Paso?

The El Paso Area Office at 4849 N. Mesa, Suite 200.

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Sources (42)

  1. Railroad Commission of Texas, checked 2026-11-09. “EL PASO | 0 | 0 | 0”
  2. Railroad Commission of Texas, checked 2026-11-09. “CULBERSON | 37,845,431 | 19,185 | 3,286,017”
  3. Marathon Petroleum, checked 2026-11-09. “Our El Paso refinery is located approximately three miles east of downtown El Paso, Texas.”
  4. Texas Labor Code 409.001, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than the 30th day after the date on which”
  5. Texas Labor Code 409.003, checked 2026-11-09. “a claim for compensation for an injury not later than one year after the date on which”
  6. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.003, checked 2026-11-09. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  7. Texas Department of Insurance, checked 2026-11-09. “In Texas, private employers can choose to carry workers' compensation insurance coverage (subscribers), but it is not required in most cases.”
  8. Texas Labor Code 406.005, checked 2026-11-09. “An employer shall notify each employee as provided by this section whether or not the employer has workers' compensation insurance coverage.”
  9. U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Texas Area Offices, checked 2026-11-08. “4849 N. Mesa, Suite 200 El Paso, TX 79912-5936”
  10. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “Highway vehicle crashes are the leading cause of oil and gas extraction worker fatalities.”
  11. TxDOT, checked 2026-11-09. “is becoming increasingly important to the West Texas Permian Basin energy sector”
  12. TxDOT, checked 2026-11-09. “Brewster, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, and Presidio.”
  13. Railroad Commission of Texas, checked 2026-11-09. “El Paso | 08 | 141 | Midland”
  14. Marathon Petroleum, checked 2026-11-09. “The El Paso refinery has a crude oil refining capacity of approximately 133,000 barrels per calendar day (bpcd).”
  15. Texas Labor Code 408.001, checked 2026-11-09. “is the exclusive remedy of an employee covered by workers' compensation insurance coverage”
  16. Texas Labor Code 406.033, checked 2026-11-09. “the plaintiff must prove negligence of the employer”
  17. Texas Labor Code 417.001, checked 2026-11-09. “may seek damages from a third party who is or becomes liable to pay damages”
  18. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 95.003, checked 2026-11-09. “the property owner exercises or retains some control over the manner in which the work is performed”
  19. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  20. Texas Department of Insurance, checked 2026-11-09. “Get a list of registered non-subscribers at Texas Open Data Portal”
  21. Texas Labor Code 406.033, checked 2026-11-09. “the employee assumed the risk of injury or death”
  22. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 127.003, checked 2026-11-09. “is void if it purports to indemnify a person against loss or liability for damage that”
  23. Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 127.005, checked 2026-11-09. “the amount of insurance required may not exceed $500,000”
  24. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “Roughly 4 of every 10 workers killed on the job in this industry are killed as a result of a highway vehicle incident”
  25. TxDOT, 2025 CMV Involved Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “El Paso 7 7 14 15 117 165 84 119 780 2,327 12 114 1,014”
  26. eCFR, 49 CFR 395.1, checked 2026-11-09. “any period of 8 consecutive days may end with the beginning of any off-duty period of 24 or more successive hours”
  27. El Paso Municipal Code § 12.88.110, checked 2026-11-08. “Interstate Highway 110 between Interstate 10 and south city limits (International Boundary at Cordova Port-of-Entry: Bridge of the Americas)”
  28. UMC El Paso, 2024 Annual Report, checked 2026-11-08. “UMC Receives Reverification as Level 1 Trauma Center”
  29. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “It can quickly, almost immediately, overcome unprepared workers, including rescue workers.”
  30. Office of Injured Employee Counsel, Field Offices, checked 2026-11-08. “401 East Franklin Ave., Suite 330 El Paso, TX 79901-1250”
  31. Office of Injured Employee Counsel, Contact Us, checked 2026-11-08. “All field offices can be reached at [email protected] or 866-393-6432”
  32. Texas Department of Insurance, DWC contacts, checked 2026-11-08. “Call and speak to a customer assistant at 800-252-7031, option 1.”
  33. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “OSHA can not issue violations for safety and health incidents that occurred more than six months prior”
  34. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “you can file a whistleblower complaint within 30 days of the retaliation”
  35. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “A fatality must be reported within 8 hours.”
  36. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.”
  37. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “(Alliance signed by El Paso and Lubbock Area Offices.)”
  38. OSHA, checked 2026-11-09. “This Instruction applies to all worksites in Oklahoma, Texas”
  39. U.S. Department of Labor, checked 2026-11-09. “You have the right to a safe and healthy workplace regardless of your immigration status.”
  40. Marathon Petroleum, checked 2026-11-09. “Products are delivered from the El Paso refinery by truck, rail, and pipeline.”
  41. Texas Labor Code 408.001, checked 2026-11-09. “does not prohibit the recovery of exemplary damages by the surviving spouse or heirs of the body of a deceased employee”
  42. Office of Injured Employee Counsel, Ombudsman Services, checked 2026-11-08. “All OIEC services, including ombudsman services, are provided at no cost.”

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