People just like you make up the clientele we serve. From deckhands to galley hands, housewives to husbands, welders to blasters and painters, ordinary people from all walks of life have sought our help. We are committed to the basic principles of honesty, integrity and hard work, and we also see our clients as friends who are not forgotten when a case is resolved. Presented below are a few of the many types of cases we have handled over the years. You can see from these case spotlights the divergence of the clients themselves and the variety of ways injury and disability strike the unfortunate.
Kopfler and Hermann recently concluded at mediation a claim for a 54 year old female school psychologist. The settlement amount was $1.5 million. The psychologist was returning home from work when a Mike’s Filter and Supply Inc. tank truck sideswiped her vehicle as she exited US Highway 90 in Terrebonne Parish.
Immediately following the crash she had no complaints, but later that day felt discomfort. She saw her family physician the next day, and within weeks, an MRI of her cervical spine was performed. The radiologist interpreted the MRI as showing damage to her spinal cord.
She then treated with neurosurgeon Lindsey Lasseigne MD at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, who promptly diagnosed her with myelopathy and recommended a cervical fusion. After the cervical fusion, the psychologist continued working and attending physical therapy, but her pain persisted. A series of nerve conduction and EMG testing determined the trauma to her spinal cord remained, requiring her to undergo pain management. Epidural injections were not helpful, leading to the implantation of a spinal cord stimulator.
There was a claim for lost sick leave for days missed for treatment, but the psychologist was able to continue working. A large part of the damages were for general damages and future and past medical expenses. Kopfler and Hermann utilized as expert witnesses the treating physicians, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist who served as a life care planner and a forensic CPA to assist in the cost of future medical treatment.
If you are involved in a crash with an 18-wheeler, call Kopfler and Hermann to assist you with your claim.
A Croatian immigrant who was a cross-country 18-wheel truck driver suffered a severe neck injury when his rig was broad-sided by another 18-wheeler on the Airline Highway north of Baton Rouge. The injury resulted in numerous epidural steroid injections and, ultimately, an anterior cervical fusion and discectomy. Restrictions in this man’s neck motion after the accident affected his ability to drive trucks and he was thus relegated to other types of work activity that were not as lucrative as his truck driving business. The case settled for $495,000.00.
A husband and wife enjoying a road-side fishing expedition were seriously injured when an out-of-control 18-wheeler crashed into their vehicle during a heavy thunderstorm. Kopfler & Hermann used sophisticated computer animation to show the severity of the impact and resulting injuries. A 15-minute video settlement brochure, which incorporated the computer animation with real life video scenes and still photos, provided the key tool in educating the truck company’s insurers of the seriousness of the couple’s injuries.
