If you were injured working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico — whether on a fixed platform, jack-up rig, semi-submersible, drillship, supply boat, crewboat, or any other offshore worksite — the law that controls your claim depends on the type of structure you were working on and your job duties. Our Houma offshore injury lawyers handle every layer of Gulf Coast offshore claims.
At Kopfler & Hermann, our Houma offshore injury lawyers have been representing injured Louisiana clients and their families for over 45 years from our office at 306 Grinage Street in downtown Houma. We know how the trucking companies, insurance carriers, oilfield operators, and chemical plants build their defenses — and we know how to dismantle them.
Call (985) 851-3311 for a free consultation with an experienced Houma offshore injury lawyer today, or use our online contact form.
Most offshore injury cases involve one or more of these federal frameworks:
• Jones Act — for crew members assigned to a vessel in navigation. Provides full negligence damages.
• Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA) — for maritime workers who aren’t seamen. Provides workers’ compensation plus third-party claims.
• Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) — for fixed platforms on the outer continental shelf. Applies state law of the adjacent state (Louisiana) for negligence claims.
The wrong analysis costs offshore workers millions in lost recovery. Our Houma offshore injury lawyers know how to maximize claims under whichever framework applies.
Our offshore practice covers the full range of Gulf of Mexico work hazards: drilling floor accidents, BOP failures, blowouts and well control events, fires and explosions, H2S exposure, falling tubulars and tools, crane and lifting accidents, personnel basket and Billy Pugh transfers, swing rope falls, helicopter crashes, vessel allisions during cargo transfer, and slip and falls on rig floors and decks.
Most offshore worksites have multiple companies operating side by side — the operator, the drilling contractor, the well services contractors, the cement crew, the catering and quarters contractor. When another company’s negligence causes injury, third-party negligence claims unlock full damages on top of any workers’ comp or maintenance and cure.
Our Houma offshore injury attorneys investigate every contractor on the worksite to identify every available defendant.
Kopfler & Hermann has been representing south Louisiana offshore workers and their families since 1979. We know the operators, the contractors, the boats, the rigs, and how Gulf of Mexico cases get litigated. We’re 30 miles from Port Fourchon and minutes from the airboat ramps, helipads, and shipyards that put workers offshore every day.
Our Houma offshore injury lawyers see the same patterns in case after case:
Our Houma office serves injured clients throughout south Louisiana:
Depends on what kind of structure you were assigned to and what percentage of your work was on a vessel. Our Houma offshore injury attorneys analyze your specific duty pattern.
OCSLA applies to fixed platforms on the outer continental shelf, and Louisiana state law fills in the negligence standards. You may also have Longshore Act benefits.
Yes. Under maritime law, comparative negligence reduces but does not eliminate your recovery. Even if you were 50% at fault, you can recover 50% of full damages.
Three years for Jones Act, one year for Louisiana state law claims, varies for Longshore. Call immediately — evidence aboard offshore worksites can disappear quickly.
Most Houma offshore injury cases can be handled with you staying close to home. We come to you in the Gulf region, and depositions can often be scheduled in Houma or New Orleans.
The longer you wait, the more evidence disappears and the harder the insurance carriers fight. Call our Houma office at (985) 851-3311 for a free consultation with an experienced Houma offshore injury lawyer, or visit us at 306 Grinage Street in downtown Houma.
