Four Missing and Presumed Dead Following Crash of Helicopter Departing Oil Rig Platform

Three Crew Members Onboard have Ties to Houston Walter Oil & Gas Corporation

2022 ended in tragedy when a helicopter carrying its pilot and three oil workers with ties to a Houston company crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana when lifting away from a rig platform. The crash occurred on Thursday, December 29, with the U.S. Coast Guard immediately initiating a search and rescue operation. The search was suspended Thursday night and it is unclear as to whether or not it will resume on Friday.

Search for Missing Houston Oil and Gas Company Workers Called Off

Lt. Commander Kevin Keefe of the Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator noted that “it is always a difficult decision to suspend a search.” Before the suspension, the Coast Guard had searched an area covering approximately 180 square miles. Thus far, all that has been discovered is debris through to be from the fateful helicopter that plunged into the ocean waters earlier in the day. No signs of people onboard the aircraft, living or deceased, were discovered anywhere within the search zone.

Houston Oil and Gas Company Has Yet to Release Statement on Rig Accident

Headquartered in Houston, Walter Oil & Gas Corporation has yet to release any statement on the Gulf oil rig accident that appears to have taken the lives of three of its own workers as well as the chopper pilot. According to Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, the company is a family-owned oil and gas exploration and production company. The company maintains operations exclusively offshore in the Gulf of Mexico as well as onshore along the coasts of both Texas and Louisiana. Walter Oil & Gas Corporation considers itself is a highly successful operation that creates value “through the full exploration and production cycle, with growth primarily driven through the drill bit.”

Despite Walter Oil & Gas Corporation not yet releasing a statement on what appears to be the loss of four lives off of one of its oil rigs, at least one family member has spoken with the media. According to reports from the Sun Herald newspaper, one of the workers involved in this latest oil rig accident is David Scarborough, a 36-year-old from Lizana, Mississippi. He has been employed with Walter Oil & Gas Corporation for some time and recently received a promotion, according to his wife. The couple is expecting a baby. This is the second incomprehensible tragedy for this family in 2022, their young son having died in a drowning accident earlier this year

Investigation Into the Walter Oil & Gas Corporation Oil Rig Accident Commences

While questions remain as to whether or not the search for any possible survivors will re-commence on Friday, what is known is that the National Transportation Safety Board has already initiated an investigation into the helicopter crash off of the Walter Oil & Gas Corporation Gulf of Mexico oil rig. Other agencies are also likely to become involved in the investigation process in the coming days.

The team at The Doan Law Firm is monitoring the situation surrounding the Walter Oil & Gas Corporation oil rig helicopter crash closely. We will follow up with any additional relevant information arising from this catastrophe. If you have questions about the Walter Oil & Gas Corporation oil rig helicopter accident, you can reach our firm any time of the day or night by calling us at (832) 835-0000. The offshore oil rig accident lawyer team at our firm has extensive experience in working for families of disasters such as what has occurred in the Gulf with the Walter Oil & Gas Corporation workers.

The Doan Law Firm is located in Houston at:

1 Riverway

Suite 2500

Houston, Texas 77056

(832) 835-0000