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.
A lumberjack turned away from a hospital emergency room after a limb struck his leg behind his knee lost his leg because of the misdiagnosis of a vascular injury which would have been easily treatable if detected. The case was successfully concluded for a confidential sum.
A bosen’s mate operating a thinner recovery unit on an offshore oil and gas semi-submersible drilling rig suffered painful burns when the thinner recovery unit burst open and splashed him with the hot chemical. A thorough review of the maintenance records from the thinner recovery unit showed that this very problem had occurred only a month before but that no one had communicated the fact of the previous occurrence to the mate or anyone else on the rig. We were able to prove that the latches that were supposed to secure the lid of the thinner recovery unit could easily dislodge under high pressure and cause the contents and steam to shoot out from the rim.
A mate trying to secure a line to a derrick barge to hold it in rough seas sustained traumatic aggravation of a fatty lymphoma, tethering his spinal cord, necessitating spinal surgery. It took the testimony of the chief of neurosurgery at a leading educational institution to make the crucial diagnosis of injury. The mate attained full compensation in the face of defense doctors who claimed the mate was not injured.
A deckhand on a sulphur barge ruptured a disc in his low back while lifting a transfer hose. Lifting cases are particularly difficult because they require proof in a scientific context of the degree of force placed on the human back by a particular weight and lifting technique. One of the leading professors in human biomechanics assisted Kopfler & Hermann in presenting evidence that showed conclusively that the sulphur hose was too heavy for a deckhand to lift without a jib crane or other lifting device. The case resolved successfully before trial.
A crew boat captain returning from shore fell between the dock and the adjacent boat because of defects in the dock, causing a spinal injury resulting in major surgery. The case is in litigation in south Louisiana.
A deckhand attempting to transfer from his tugboat to a cargo barge sustained a disabling knee injury when he was flung across the bulwarks by high seas during the transfer maneuver. By proving that the transfer maneuver was difficult, even in calm seas, and that the captain on duty had infrequently performed the task in the past, our firm attained full compensation for the disabled deckhand after trial.
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.
