A tragedy of the scale of the BP gulf oil platform fire that killed and injured dozens, and the subsequent and continuing oil spill, which has and will continue to harm the personal and economic interests of millions, if not tens of millions of Americans, inevitably leads to lawsuits and lititation. Therefore, it is not surprising that many thousands of people have either contacted their lawyer or have been contacted by lawyers.
If you have been injured by the BP gulf oil spill what should you be doing right now?
First, you should take steps to minimize any further harm to your person or property. Get competent advice about the risks of oil contamination and how to avoid or deal with those risks. A good place to get information will likely be your local or State “Board of Health” or similar agency. You will also find helpful information on the U.S. EPA website (linked to in the sidebar of this website) and on the BP oil website.
After taking steps to protect yourself, your family, your pets and your property you should begin carefully documenting your losses, by photographs, videos and witness statements (neighbors, friends) who can testify as to “before and after conditions”.
Economic losses can be tricky to document, especially if you have not been entirely candid about past income. If you wish to claim significant economic losses then be prepared to prove past income that was reported on tax returns. This is a tricky area for some and requires speaking with your accountant or lawyer before presenting a claim.
Generally, the law requires that an accident victim take steps to “mitigate damages”, which means that you take “reasonable action” to attempt to mimimize losses. You need not expose yourself to unreasonable risk to do this. Since oil containment and remediation is an area of expertise chances are you will not be expected to “clean up the mess” to avoid harm. However, get information about what to do from your local health officials before attempting to do anything.
Should you “get a lawyer right now”? The answer varies based upon your circumstances and intelligence. If you have suffered significant harm and are facing immediate hardship then the answer is probably “yes” – talk to a lawyer now. If you are able to continue functioning but have suffered limited or manageable losses then there is the chance that you will either be able to settle your claim by yourslf or at a later time – allowing yourself time to carefully select a law firm to represent you for your oil spill related claims.