Hurt at work in Midland: oilfield injuries, workers' comp and finding a work injury lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

Tell your employer within 30 days of a work injury in Midland, and file your claim with the state within one year.12 Many Texas employers can skip workers' comp, so check first.3 The state has a Midland/Odessa office at 4500 West Illinois Avenue, Suite 315. Call 800-252-7031 before you go.45

See if you are owed money

$0 upfront. No fee unless you win.
Road map of Midland showing West Illinois Avenue, home of the state workers' compensation office, and Loop 250, a marked truck route
Report a Midland work injury to your employer within 30 days. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

What should you do first after a work injury in Midland?

  1. Get care. Midland Memorial's emergency department is a Level 3 Adult Trauma Center,6 and the Midland Fire Department runs emergency medical service for the city and county.7
  2. Tell a supervisor, in writing if you can. You have 30 days, and a text or email gives you a date to point to.1
  3. Find out if your employer has comp. Use the state's TXCOMP system, pick Locate Covered Employer and enter the date you were hurt.8
  4. File DWC Form-041 with the state. It is due within one year of the injury, with few exceptions.92
  5. Save everything: photos of the site, names of coworkers on your crew, the rig or lease name and your pay stubs.

Does my Midland oilfield employer have to carry workers' comp?

Not always, and that surprises many people who come to the Permian Basin for work. Most private Texas employers can choose whether to carry it.3 Which side of that line your employer falls on decides almost everything that comes next.

Your situationWhat it meansYour path
Employer has compThose benefits are usually your only claim against the employer or a coworker10Claim with the state, within one year2
Employer has no compYou can sue. The company generally cannot blame you, a coworker or the risk of the job, but you must prove negligence11Lawsuit, generally within 2 years12
Someone outside your company caused itYou can take comp and also sue that outside party13Both, on their own clocks

Oil and gas sites often have several companies side by side: the operator, the drilling contractor, service crews and truckers. If you work for one and another one's mistake hurt you, that outside claim can matter a great deal. Do not assume your comp claim is the end of it.

How dangerous is oilfield and trucking work around Midland?

Statewide numbers tell the story. Texas counted 557 fatal work injuries in 2024.14 Of those, 242 were transportation incidents.15 Drivers and truck drivers had the most deaths of any occupation, with 124.16 Natural resources and mining deaths rose from 51 in 2023 to 62 in 2024,17 and support work for oil and gas operations accounted for 26.18

We could not find a published count of work injuries for Midland County alone. What we can show is the road risk that oilfield workers share with everyone here. In 2025, 536 Midland County crashes involved a commercial motor vehicle.19 If you were hurt driving for work, or in a company truck, you may have both a comp claim and a crash claim. Get the report from the agency that responded. Midland Police Records is at (432) 685-7145.20

Where can I get free workers' comp help in Midland?

Two state offices share one address, so you only have to make one trip.

OfficeWhat it doesContact
Division of Workers' Compensation, Midland/OdessaRuns the claim system. Limited lobby hours.4800-252-7031, option 15
Office of Injured Employee Counsel, Midland Field OfficeHelps workers without a lawyer, at no cost2122866-393-643223

Both are at 4500 West Illinois Avenue, Suite 315.421 Call before you drive over. Bring your claim number if you have one, the date you were hurt and the name of your employer. A letter from the insurance company matters too, because disputes have short deadlines of their own.

Who investigates a bad accident on a Midland rig or lease?

OSHA, for most private workplace safety questions. Its records list an inspection at a Midland drilling site under the Lubbock Area Office.24 That office is at 1205 Texas Avenue, Room 806, Lubbock, (806) 472-7681.25 OSHA's findings can help show what went wrong, but OSHA does not pay injured workers.

The Railroad Commission of Texas oversees oil and gas operations and has a Midland district office at 10 Desta Dr, Suite 500 E, 432-684-5581.26 It is a place to ask about a well or lease, not a place to file an injury claim.

What if a City of Midland vehicle hurt me while I was working?

Then a claim against the city has a much shorter start. The charter calls for written, verified notice to the mayor and city council within 60 days of the injury.27 Send it to Risk Management too, at PO Box 1152, Midland 79702.28 A county or state agency generally must get notice within six months.29

If the City of Midland or Midland County is your own employer, TXCOMP has a separate search for self-insured government employers.8 Your claim still goes through the state system.

When should you call a workers' comp lawyer in Midland?

The state's free office is a good start for a simple claim. It is worth talking to a lawyer when your employer has no comp, an outside company had a hand in it, the insurer denies you or you may never return to the same job.

  • Have you handled claims from Permian Basin oilfield sites?
  • Is there an outside company I could also bring a claim against?
  • If my employer has no comp, how will we prove negligence?
  • What deadlines apply to my case, and how do you track them?

Questions

How long do I have to report a work injury in Midland?

Tell your employer within 30 days.1 File your claim with the state within one year, with few exceptions.2

Can I sue my employer after an oilfield injury in Texas?

If the employer has comp, usually not.10 If it has no comp, you can sue, but you must prove negligence.11

How do I find out if my employer has workers' comp?

Use the state's TXCOMP system and search Locate Covered Employer with your injury date.8

Is there free help for a work injury in Midland?

Yes. The Office of Injured Employee Counsel has a Midland field office and charges nothing.2122 Call 866-393-6432.23

Find out if you are owed money.

A free case review. $0 upfront. No fee unless you win.

See if I’m owed money

Keep reading

Midland

Hurt at work

Texas

Sources

  1. Tex. Lab. Code § 409.001(a), checked 2026-11-08. “shall notify the employer of the employee of an injury not later than the 30th day after the date on which: (1) the injury occurs;”
  2. Tex. Lab. Code § 409.003, checked 2026-11-08. “shall file with the division a claim for compensation for an injury not later than one year after the date on which: (1) the injury occurred;”
  3. Tex. Lab. Code § 406.002(a), checked 2026-11-08. “Except for public employers and as otherwise provided by law, an employer may elect to obtain workers' compensation insurance coverage.”
  4. TDI, DWC contacts, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland/Odessa Limited lobby hours. Call before visiting.”
  5. TDI, DWC contacts, checked 2026-11-08. “800-252-7031, option 1”
  6. Midland Health, Our Services, checked 2026-11-08. “is a Level 3 Adult Trauma Center”
  7. City of Midland, About MFD, checked 2026-11-08. “provides fire protection and emergency medical services”
  8. TDI, TXCOMP, checked 2026-11-08. “Verify an employer’s workers’ compensation coverage”
  9. TDI, DWC Form-041, checked 2026-11-08. “within one year of the dat”
  10. Tex. Lab. Code § 408.001(a), checked 2026-11-08. “Recovery of workers' compensation benefits is the exclusive remedy of an employee covered by workers' compensation insurance coverage or a legal beneficiary against the employer or an agent or employee of the employer for the death of or a work-related injury sustained by the employee.”
  11. Tex. Lab. Code § 406.033(a), (d), checked 2026-11-08. “it is not a defense that: (1) the employee was guilty of contributory negligence; (2) the employee assumed the risk of injury or death; or (3) the injury or death was caused by the negligence of a fellow employee. [...] the plaintiff must prove negligence of the employer or of an agent or servant of the employer”
  12. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues”
  13. Tex. Lab. Code § 417.001(a), checked 2026-11-08. “An employee or legal beneficiary may seek damages from a third party who is or becomes liable to pay damages for an injury or death that is compensable under this subtitle and may also pursue a claim for workers' compensation benefits under this subtitle.”
  14. TDI, 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, checked 2026-11-08. “In 2024, there were 557 fatal occupational injuries in Texas”
  15. TDI, Fatal work injury tables, 2024, checked 2026-11-08. “Total 557 75 242 10 77 62 91”
  16. TDI, 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, checked 2026-11-08. “in 2023 to 124 in 2024”
  17. TDI, 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, checked 2026-11-08. “Natural resources and mining increased 22%, from 51 in 2023 to 62 in 2024”
  18. TDI, 2024 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, checked 2026-11-08. “Support activities for oil and gas operations 30 30 26”
  19. TxDOT, 2025 CMV Involved Crashes and Injuries by County, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland 11 11 15 19 70 96 43 67 392 1,088 5 37 536”
  20. Midland Police Department, Request A Police Report, checked 2026-11-08. “MPD Records Phone: (432) 685-7145 Address: 601 N. Loraine”
  21. OIEC, Offices, checked 2026-11-08. “Midland Field Office 4500 West Illinois Avenue, Suite 315”
  22. OIEC, Ombudsman Services, checked 2026-11-08. “All OIEC services, including ombudsman services, are provided at no cost”
  23. OIEC, Offices, checked 2026-11-08. “866-393-6432”
  24. OSHA, Inspection Detail 1600456.015, checked 2026-11-08. “Office: Lubbock Area Office”
  25. OSHA, Texas area offices, checked 2026-11-08. “1205 Texas Avenue, Room 806”
  26. Railroad Commission of Texas, Locations, checked 2026-11-08. “10 Desta Dr, Suite 500 E”
  27. City of Midland Charter, Sec. 8, checked 2026-11-08. “duly verified within sixty days after the same has been sustained”
  28. City of Midland, Process for Filing a Claim, checked 2026-11-08. “Risk Management Division City of Midland PO Box 1152 Midland, TX 79702”
  29. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101, checked 2026-11-08. “not later than six months after the day that the incident giving rise to the claim occurred”

Editorial policy

See if I’m owed moneyNo fee unless you win
AccidentsCitiesStatesGuides
See if I’m owed money