Three People Survive Helicopter Crash in Gulf Of Mexico

At least three persons who were on a helicopter that plunged into the Gulf of Mexico this week, are believed to be safe. The three persons were on a transport helicopter that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, about 40 miles off Port O’Connor. The helicopter was operated by PHI, a Louisiana-based company that provides transport services to the oil and gas industry.

The crash occurred around 10,30 in the morning, and fortunately, the Coast Guard was able to respond in time to send a utility boat. Soon after, an offshore supply vessel picked up the three persons, and took them to a platform, from where they were again airlifted to Texas. Investigations into the cause of the crash, are ongoing.

The crash comes just as there is national and worldwide scrutiny over drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. This part of the country is the center of the nation’s oil and gas drilling efforts. It has meant great economic opportunity for those who live along these coastlines. It has also meant that oil and gas companies here are willing to go to great lengths to extract oil, drilling into the deepest innards of the earth. Unfortunately, in the quest for oil, safety precautions are often overlooked in favor of speedy drilling and profits.

That seems to be what happened in the case of the BP oil rig explosion in April that killed 11 rig workers. This careless approach to safety is also behind many of the dozens of accidents every year that occur on oil rigs and platforms, as well as on the helicopters used to transport workers to from the rigs.

The maritime lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P., Accident & Injury Lawyers represent injured oil rig workers, offshore workers and other maritime workers in accidents in Texas, across the country and worldwide.