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.

Kopfler & Hermann resolved a collision case in the 17th Judicial District Court for Lafourche Parish in April 2019 for $665,000. The matter arose from a serious motor vehicle collision involving commercial vehicles, requiring detailed accident reconstruction and depositions of multiple eyewitnesses and first responders.

The case required coordination with experts in accident reconstruction, biomechanics, and life care planning to fully document the injured client’s past medical expenses, future treatment needs, and lost earning capacity. Settlement negotiations were extensive, with the case concluding only after mediation produced a result that fairly compensated our client for the lasting impact of the injuries.

If you have been seriously injured in a collision in Lafourche Parish or anywhere in South Louisiana, please contact Kopfler & Hermann.

A 74-year-old man who lost his wife of 50 years to the hands of a drunk driver received $650,000.00 in settlement of his case. The drunk driver, who had left Memphis, Tennessee, early that morning and who had apparently been drinking all day, struck the rear of the client’s wife’s vehicle at more than 90 mph, propelling the wife’s vehicle into the rail of the Hale Boggs Bridge in Luling, Louisiana, resulting in her instantaneous death.

A collision case originating in Terrebonne Parish was settled during trial in the 32nd Judicial District Court in September 2022 for $513,000. The case had been set for jury trial after extended pretrial litigation, and the settlement was reached only after the jury had been selected and opening statements were underway.

Our client suffered injuries requiring orthopedic treatment and ongoing pain management. The defense had taken the position throughout pretrial litigation that liability and damages were significantly disputed. Trial preparation included expert witness testimony from treating physicians, accident reconstruction analysis, and a life care planner who calculated the cost of our client’s future medical care. The defense’s position changed once the trial began and the evidence started to come in, which led to the mid-trial resolution.

When a case is prepared properly for trial — not just for settlement — the leverage often produces a better outcome for the client. If you have a serious injury claim that is being undervalued by the insurance company, please contact Kopfler & Hermann.

Kopfler & Hermann represented a client who was rear-ended in a passenger vehicle and sustained injuries requiring orthopedic and neurosurgical treatment. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and resolved in 2020 for $387,500.

The case involved disputes about the speed of impact, the mechanism of injury, and whether our client’s symptoms were caused entirely by the collision or by a combination of pre-existing degenerative changes and the trauma. Through depositions of the treating physicians and the use of biomechanical analysis, our firm was able to establish a clear causal link between the rear-end impact and the disabling injuries our client experienced.

If you have been rear-ended and the insurance adjuster is offering you a settlement that does not reflect the full extent of your medical care or your lost income, call Kopfler & Hermann.

Kopfler & Hermann represented a client in an underinsured motorist (UIM) claim arising from a collision that originated in Lincoln Parish. The at-fault driver carried only minimum liability coverage, which was inadequate to compensate our client for the injuries sustained. The matter was litigated in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and resolved for $250,405.

UIM cases turn on the careful application of Louisiana’s underinsured motorist statute and on a detailed reading of every insurance policy that may apply to the client’s loss. Many injured drivers do not realize that their own auto insurance — including stacked UIM coverages from household policies — can provide significant additional recovery when the at-fault driver was underinsured. Our firm regularly identifies UIM coverage that other firms have overlooked.

If you were hit by a driver with limited insurance, do not assume your case is over once that liability policy is exhausted. Call Kopfler & Hermann to evaluate every available source of recovery.

A school teacher sustained injuries in a chain-reaction collision in Lafourche Parish. Kopfler & Hermann pursued the claim in the 17th Judicial District Court and resolved the matter for $225,000 in June 2025.

Chain collisions present unique legal challenges because liability is often disputed among multiple drivers, and the precise sequence of impacts must be reconstructed through eyewitness testimony, vehicle damage analysis, and accident reconstruction. The investigation in this case included photographing each vehicle’s damage pattern, mapping the position of each car at the moment of impact, and obtaining detailed statements from witnesses on the scene.

Our client’s injuries required ongoing medical treatment, and the case also included a claim for lost wages and benefits from time missed during the school year. The settlement compensated her for past medical expenses, projected future care, lost income, and general damages.

If you were injured in a multi-vehicle collision, please contact Kopfler & Hermann.

Kopfler & Hermann represented a client who sustained an internal injury when a properly worn lap-and-shoulder seatbelt prevented her from being ejected during a collision but caused a bowel obstruction from the force of the harness across her abdomen. The injury required emergency surgical intervention and an extended hospitalization. The case was resolved in the 32nd Judicial District Court for Terrebonne Parish for $212,080.

Internal injuries from seatbelts — sometimes called “seatbelt syndrome” — are legitimate, well-documented mechanisms of injury that insurance adjusters routinely undervalue or dismiss. Documenting these cases requires medical experts who can explain to a jury how the harness, while saving the client’s life, also caused real and lasting internal damage. Our firm worked with the treating general surgeon and an expert in trauma medicine to establish the causal link between the collision and the bowel obstruction.

If you have suffered an internal injury, abdominal injury, or any injury that resulted from the force of a seatbelt during a collision, call Kopfler & Hermann.

A motor vehicle collision on the Bourg-Larose corridor — Louisiana Highway 24, one of the primary routes between Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes — resulted in serious injuries to our client. Kopfler & Hermann pursued the claim and resolved the matter for $172,000.

Bayou Region drivers know the Bourg-Larose stretch. It is a high-traffic, often-congested two-lane route that connects Houma and the surrounding parishes to the Larose area and points south toward the oilfield. Collisions on this corridor frequently involve commercial traffic, oilfield workers commuting on shift changes, and varying speed conditions, which can complicate liability determinations.

If you have been injured in a collision on Louisiana Highway 24, Highway 90, or any of the corridors connecting Houma to surrounding communities, please contact Kopfler & Hermann.

Kopfler & Hermann represented a client injured in a left-turn collision in Terrebonne Parish. The case was filed in the 32nd Judicial District Court and resolved in 2026 for $125,233.

Left-turn collisions present a recurring pattern of liability that defense counsel often try to dispute by arguing comparative fault. In Louisiana, however, the burden generally rests on the left-turning driver to demonstrate that the turn was made safely and without yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic. Our firm developed the case using witness testimony, accident scene photographs, and vehicle damage analysis to establish that the at-fault driver bore the responsibility for the collision.

If you were struck by a driver who turned left in front of you, call Kopfler & Hermann.

A computer software developer was rear-ended in two accidents that occurred four days apart. While both accidents involved relatively minor property damage, the software developer actually ruptured a disc in his neck as a result of one or both of these impacts and underwent neurosurgery in Houma, Louisiana at Terrebonne General Medical Center. The insurance companies for each accident pointed the finger at the other accident as causing the damage, and the software developer eventually reached a settlement with insurers for both accidents for fair compensation. This case is extremely significant because it showed unequivocally that even minor property damages can result in serious personal injuries to drivers and passengers in the vehicle. Studies have shown this fact time and time again, but the insurance industry continues to prejudice jurors and potential jurors with untruthful statements regarding the “low impact collision.”

A mentally disabled man crossed West Park Avenue in Houma and was struck by a speeding motorist. The disabled man suffered grievous injuries and was required to be placed in a nursing home. The nursing home was covered under a government assistance program known as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. Utilizing a special needs trust, Kopfler Personal Injury Attorneys were able to preserve all benefits for the disabled man and provide many of life’s pleasures he was not able to afford under SSI and Medicaid, including prepayment of his burial insurance, regular haircuts, cable TV, medical and dental expenses, entertainment, clothing, equipment, spending money, electronic equipment, travel programs, grooming, treatment and essential dietary needs.

A woman was a guest passenger with her husband traveling on U.S. 90 in Boutte, Louisiana. The husband pulled into the center lane of the otherwise four-lane highway to make a left turn when, at the same time, a deputy sheriff illegally crossed the lanes of traffic and struck the vehicle on the passenger door where the lady was positioned. She suffered a shoulder injury and was required to undergo shoulder surgery to correct a torn rotator cuff. The Sheriff’s Office denied liability, claiming the crash was the fault of the lady’s husband. The matter was tried to a local judge and liability was found 100% against the deputy sheriff. The lady received an award for her injuries and medical treatment.

A minor impact rear-end collision caused disabling injuries to the forward vehicle’s passenger, causing the insurance company to mount its defense on the premise that a minor impact cannot cause spinal injuries. Modern biomechanical and biomedical evidence overcame those defenses so that the passenger attained full compensation for her injuries.

A job superintendent for large petroleum pipeline projects injured his neck when his vehicle was hit from behind. While the superintendent chose not to undergo any type of surgical intervention, MRI and physical evidence clearly showed the existence of internal derangement of one or two disc levels in his neck which would have the effect in the future of causing him headaches and limitation of mobility.

A worker returning home was struck head on by a vehicle which had previously run off the road into a pothole on the shoulder. The action against the state, as the owner of the road, required proof that the pothole created an unreasonable risk of injury to motorists who inadvertently run off the road as well as those, like the worker we represented, who are innocent victims of roadway defects and driver negligence. Road design and safety experts presented crucial evidence of the effect of potholes on the steering actions of motorists who strike them, resulting in a resolution of the case for full damages.

A family was traveling on Thanksgiving day to visit relatives on Highway 90 in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, when, traveling in the opposite direction, a large 18-wheeler carrying a full load of sugar cane lost a wheel from its trailer. The trailer wheel crossed the median and struck the family’s van, causing the driver to suffer a fractured leg and injuries to all the passengers. After an investigation, and extensive discovery, it was determined that the trailer was owned by a large sugar cane concern which had a contractual relationship with sugar cane farmers and truck drivers. Although there was a serious dispute as to who was responsible for the wheel coming off the trailer, we were able to successfully conclude the entire case for all the passengers involved.

A Chevrolet van was traveling on U.S. Highway I-59 in the State of Mississippi when it was negligently rear-ended by a tractor trailer, killing three of the passengers. There was a dispute as to the condition of the van and whether it had recently pulled from the shoulder into the lane of the oncoming 18-wheeler. Utilizing accident reconstruction experts, we were able to prove that the truck driver was at fault. Our personal injury lawyers represented the adopted daughter of a passenger who was killed in the crash. The adopted father was paralyzed before the accident and had adopted his wife’s daughter some four years before. Although they did not see each other much after her mother and father had separated, they kept in contact and had a close relationship. Following protracted discovery and settlement negotiations, the matter was compromised and settled in favor of the adopted daughter for the wrongful death of her father.