BIRMINGHAM EXPLOSION LAWYER

Explosions don’t just happen in one setting. In Birmingham, they can occur at job sites, apartment buildings, industrial facilities, construction zones, or even inside vehicles. When they do, the injuries are often severe—burns, head trauma, lung damage, and other life-altering harm that can require extensive medical care and long-term recovery.

When an explosion is tied to unsafe conditions, faulty equipment, or preventable mistakes, Alabama law allows injured individuals to seek accountability. These cases are rarely simple. They often involve corporate defendants, overlapping responsibility, and technical evidence that must be carefully examined early to understand what went wrong and who may be responsible.

Explosions can occur in many environments and may involve:

• Machinery explosions
• Building explosions
• Mining and drilling explosions
• Electrical or power plant explosions
• Welding, soldering, or torch-cutting explosions
• Vehicle explosions
• Steam or pressure-related explosions
• Chemical or industrial explosions

Explosion injuries are often categorized into four blast types:

Primary Explosion Injuries

Caused by the blast’s pressure wave, these injuries often affect the lungs, ears, eyes, and brain. Victims may suffer internal organ damage, ruptured eardrums, vision loss, or traumatic brain injuries.

Secondary Explosion Injuries

These occur when flying debris strikes the body, causing blunt-force trauma, deep lacerations, fractures, or penetrating injuries.

Tertiary Explosion Injuries

The force of the blast can throw victims into walls, vehicles, or other objects, leading to spinal injuries, fractures, or crush injuries.

Quaternary Explosion Injuries

These include burns, toxic exposure, inhalation injuries, chemical damage, and other harms that don’t fall into the first three categories.

Many explosion victims suffer more than one type of injury at the same time, compounding both physical harm and long-term recovery challenges. Understanding the full scope of these injuries is a critical first step in pursuing accountability and meaningful compensation.

Your health and safety is the priority. Seek emergency medical care right away, even if injuries are not immediately visible. Explosions often cause internal injuries, inhalation damage, or delayed symptoms that may not appear until hours or days later.

If you are able, report the incident to emergency responders or the appropriate authorities so an official record is created. Try to preserve any evidence related to the explosion, such as damaged equipment, photographs of the scene, or witness contact information. Avoid giving recorded statements or discussing fault with insurance companies before understanding your legal rights, as early statements can be used to limit or deny a claim later.

Taking these steps early can help protect both your health and any potential legal claim while investigators determine what went wrong.

Liability in a workplace or industrial explosion depends on what caused the incident and who was responsible for safety at the time. In many cases, more than one party may share responsibility. Potentially liable parties may include employers who failed to follow safety regulations, contractors or subcontractors responsible for hazardous work, and property owners who did not properly maintain the site.

Other responsible parties may include equipment or machinery manufacturers if a defective product contributed to the explosion, as well as maintenance or inspection companies that failed to identify or correct dangerous conditions. Third-party vendors handling fuel, chemicals, or pressurized systems may also be held accountable if their actions played a role.

Because these cases often involve overlapping duties and complex safety standards, determining liability typically requires a thorough investigation into workplace practices, equipment history, and regulatory compliance.

Yes. Explosions caused by gas leaks, faulty machinery, defective equipment, or improper maintenance often form the basis of negligence or product liability claims. Identifying the cause of the failure is key to determining responsibility.

Depending on the circumstances, compensation may include:

• Medical expenses and future care
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Permanent disability or disfigurement
• Costs related to long-term care or rehabilitation
• Out-of-pocket expenses tied to recovery

Severe explosion injuries often require lifelong medical planning, which must be carefully evaluated when pursuing damages.

In some situations, yes, but responsibility is not always limited to the employer alone. While workers’ compensation may cover certain on-the-job injuries, employers can still face liability if an explosion resulted from serious safety violations, ignored hazards, or failures to follow required protocols.

Construction explosion cases often involve multiple parties working on the same site. General contractors, subcontractors, equipment manufacturers, fuel suppliers, or maintenance companies may also be held responsible if their actions or inaction contributed to the dangerous conditions that caused the explosion. Defective tools, improper storage of flammable materials, or failures to follow Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards can all play a role.

Because these incidents frequently involve overlapping legal claims, a full investigation is usually needed to determine whether additional compensation may be available beyond workers’ compensation benefits.

Explosion cases require detailed investigation. Morgan & Morgan works with engineers, safety experts, medical professionals, and investigators to reconstruct what happened, identify safety failures, and determine who may be legally responsible.

Burns and inhalation injuries are among the most serious and life-altering harms caused by explosions. Victims may face extended hospital stays, surgeries, respiratory therapy, and long recovery periods, with some injuries resulting in permanent impairment or reduced quality of life.

Because these injuries can affect a person’s ability to work, breathe normally, or live independently, compensation may consider not only immediate medical care but also future treatment needs, ongoing therapy, lost earning capacity, and the long-term impact on daily life.

Strict legal deadlines govern explosion injury claims, and missing them can prevent any recovery, no matter how serious the injuries are. While general time limits exist, the exact deadline can vary depending on the circumstances of the case.

Factors such as the severity of the injuries, whether a minor was injured, or whether a government entity, public utility, or municipal property was involved can all affect how much time is available to take legal action. In some situations, additional notice requirements or exceptions may apply, making early review especially important.

Acting promptly also helps preserve critical evidence, including inspection records, surveillance footage, witness statements, and expert findings that can be lost or altered over time. Speaking with an attorney early allows these issues to be identified before deadlines become an obstacle.

Yes. It’s common for explosion cases to involve multiple responsible parties, such as equipment manufacturers, property owners, contractors, or employers. Determining shared liability is a key part of these investigations.

Explosion cases are often more complex due to catastrophic injuries, technical evidence, regulatory standards, and multiple defendants. They frequently require expert testimony and aggressive legal strategy to counter powerful corporate defendants.

Explosion injury cases demand experience, resources, and determination. Morgan & Morgan has 35 years of experience handling catastrophic injury claims and has recovered $30 billion for injured clients nationwide. Our attorneys prepare every case with the strength and detail needed to pursue full accountability.

If you or a loved one were injured in an explosion in Birmingham, schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation today. We’re ready to help you take the next step forward.