On the Terrebonne\u2013Lafourche line where the bayou gives way to the marsh, Pointe-aux-Chenes is a coastal fishing and oil-and-gas community. Its people work the water and the offshore energy industry, often far from shore. When someone from Pointe-aux-Chenes is hurt offshore, the company’s insurer begins protecting the company immediately.
Kopfler & Hermann has represented injured South Louisiana workers since 1977. We know the vessels, platforms, and maritime law that govern offshore work along the lower bayous. Call (985) 851-3311 for a free, confidential consultation — no fee unless we win.
An offshore or on-the-water injury is not an ordinary “work accident.” Depending on where you were and what you were doing, your claim may fall under federal maritime law — not the Louisiana workers’ compensation system most people expect. Getting this wrong can cost you. The main frameworks:
Every case is different, and no honest lawyer can promise a number. What the law generally allows an injured seaman or offshore worker to pursue includes:
Which deadline applies depends on your job and where you were hurt:
That gap is exactly how workers lose good cases: assuming they have three years when they were really under the one-year LHWCA clock. Vessels get repaired and crews rotate off, so evidence disappears too. Don’t guess which deadline is yours — call us and we’ll tell you.
We know you can’t always reach a lawyer right away, and the company will want a report fast. Protect yourself:
Our Houma office represents injured offshore workers, mariners, and commercial fishermen throughout lower Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes and South Louisiana, including Pointe-aux-Chenes, Montegut, Bourg, Chauvin, and Golden Meadow. If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you.
Generally, if you have a substantial connection to a vessel (or fleet) in navigation and contribute to its work — courts often look at whether you spend roughly 30% or more of your time aboard — you may qualify. It’s fact-specific, and the company’s insurer has every incentive to answer it in its favor. We look at it independently.
Almost certainly not. Injured workers nearly always have to give an incident report before they can reach a lawyer. What matters most is what you signed and whether an insurer later got a recorded statement out of you. Bring us whatever you have.
Nothing up front. We handle these claims on contingency — no fee unless we recover for you. Consultations are free.
That\u2019s exactly what trips workers up. Depending on whether you were on a vessel or a fixed platform, your claim may fall under the Jones Act, the LHWCA, or OCSLA — each with different rules and deadlines. We handle that analysis so you don\u2019t lose rights by guessing.
Don’t let the company decide what your injury is worth. Call Kopfler & Hermann at (985) 851-3311 for a free, confidential consultation. No pressure. No fee unless we win.
Kopfler & Hermann, Attorneys at Law — Helping Houma and the bayou since 1977
306 Grinage St, Houma, LA 70360 · (985) 851-3311
This page provides general information about Louisiana and federal maritime law and is not legal advice. Deadlines and rights vary by the specific facts of each case. Contact Kopfler & Hermann at (985) 851-3311. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Kopfler & Hermann represents injured offshore, oilfield, and maritime workers across South Louisiana. Start with our Houma Maritime & Offshore Injury Lawyer hub, or choose a nearby community:
