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Helpful tips for family members of the Transocean rig explosion victims

News sources are reporting that 11 men are still missing and that many more were injured in the Transocean rig explosion. Also, the rig just sank in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today I was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about the Transocean rig explosion and offshore safety in general.

Here are some (hopefully) helpful tips on what to expect for the families of the Transocean rig explosion victims in the coming days and weeks.

1. There will likely be swarm of attorneys and insurance adjusters contacting them trying to get them to sign papers immediately.

When a catastrophe like this strikes, insurance companies put together crisis response teams and try to get to the family members of the victims. Likewise, attorneys try to get the family members to sign papers immediately.

I would suggest that any family members of victims take a deep breath and NOT sign any papers presented to them before things have calmed down a bit. Right now, the focus should be on finding the missing men and getting to the root cause of what happened and why.

2. There will be conflicting news reports about what caused the accident

In a major catastrophe like a rig explosion, news reports will be conflicting and confusing. I would not suggest that family members rely on news sources to determine what happened and why.

3. Transocean or its insurance company may file what is called a "Limitation of Liability" lawsuit in federal court

Because this is a marine catastrophe, Transocean may attempt to file what is called a "Limitation of Liability" lawsuit in federal court quickly. The purpose of such a lawsuit is to limit its liability to the victims, their families, and any other parties which may have legal claims.

4. Transocean or its insurance carriers will set up a crisis response hotline

Offshore companies have crisis response teams designed to handle these kinds of situations. This is generally a good thing, and I would encourage family members to take advantage of these services. However, take everything with a grain of salt, and again, don't sign any papers until things have calmed down and you are in the right frame of mind.

5. The U.S. Government will begin investigating the incident immediately

Various branches of the federal government will immediately begin investigating the cause of the accident. We must let the government agencies do their work and get to the root cause of the catastrophe.

Our hopes and prayers continue to go out to the families of the victims of this explosion and we will continue following the investigation closely so we can give proper and candid legal advice to those who want our input.