The oil rig disaster is almost a pure case of “black swan”; in fact, it may be a red or purple swan. It was apparently caused by a huge surge of gas pressure blowing the valves, sending flammable gas to the surface. It was so large that it is unique in drilling history: there has never been a blowout like it. Safety measures in place saved over 100 of the workers; the ones who died were almost certainly at “ground Zero” in the initial explosion, and probably vaporized by it.
Such events must be treated with care in formulating standards and assigning “blame”. “Hard cases make bad law.”
