Houma Oilfield & Offshore Injury Lawyer

Maritime and admiralty law provides financial compensation and medical benefits for injured seamen, longshoremen and other oilfield workers. Recreational boaters and passengers on cruise ships may also be entitled to compensation for injuries suffered aboard ships. Our Houma oilfield and offshore injury lawyers represent seamen, crew members of vessels, drilling rig employees, boat company personnel and maritime workers, as well as workers on offshore and onshore platforms. We also help injured passengers with personal injury claims. Maritime and admiralty claims are extremely complex. We can help you understand your rights and pursue compensation from all responsible parties. For a free consultation, please call our Houma maritime injury attorneys today.

How Serious Injuries Occur

Our Houma oilfield and offshore accident attorneys can assist injured workers and passengers with injury and wrongful death claims involving the Jones Act, the Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA) and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA). Injured workers may have an additional claim for their injuries if a negligent third party caused them. Serious and catastrophic injuries often occur to workers and passengers in accidents involving:

• Commercial vessels
• Recreational watercraft and cruise ships
• Professional divers
• Vessel and platform accidents
• Crane accidents
• Industrial accidents on land and helicopter crashes
• Dock and warehouse accidents

To learn how we may be able to help you get the compensation and medical benefits you need, contact our firm. Your consultation is free.

Speak With a Houma Oilfield and Offshore Injury Attorney Today

To seek compensation for any injuries sustained while working under DOHSA or OCSLA, consult with the experienced Houma oilfield and offshore injury lawyers today.

Parishes & Areas We Serve

Our Houma office serves injured clients across the Bayou Region and southeast Louisiana. Click your parish to learn more about how we handle cases in your community:

• Terrebonne Parish — Houma, Bayou Cane, Gray, Schriever, Bourg, Chauvin, Montegut
• Lafourche Parish — Thibodaux, Raceland, Lockport, Larose, Galliano, Cut Off
• St. Mary Parish — Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Franklin
• Assumption Parish — Napoleonville, Pierre Part
• Tangipahoa Parish — Hammond, Ponchatoula, Amite
• Livingston Parish — Denham Springs, Walker, Albany
• St. Tammany Parish — Slidell, Covington, Mandeville

For a full overview of our personal injury practice across the region, visit our Houma personal injury lawyer hub.

Related Louisiana Maritime & Injury Practice Areas

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Jones Act or Louisiana workers’ compensation cover my offshore injury?
It depends on your connection to a vessel. A worker who spends a substantial part of the job – generally around 30% or more – aboard a vessel in navigation may qualify as a seaman under the Jones Act, which allows a negligence claim plus maintenance and cure. Land-based oilfield workers are usually covered by Louisiana workers’ compensation, and many platform workers on the Outer Continental Shelf are covered under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act through the OCSLA. Because a single job can touch more than one system, it is worth having the facts reviewed early.

What is maintenance and cure?
Maintenance and cure is a benefit owed to an injured seaman regardless of who was at fault. Maintenance is a daily allowance for living expenses while you recover, and cure is payment of reasonable medical care until you reach maximum medical improvement. It is separate from, and in addition to, any Jones Act negligence claim you may have.

Can I recover more than workers’ compensation after an oilfield accident?
Often, yes. Workers’ compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your direct employer, but when a party other than your employer helped cause the injury – a contractor on site, an equipment manufacturer, or a vessel owner – you may bring a separate third-party claim for damages comp does not pay, including pain and suffering and full lost earnings. Filing for comp does not automatically give up those rights.

How long do I have to file an offshore or oilfield injury claim in Louisiana?
The deadline depends on which law applies. A Louisiana personal-injury claim for an incident on or after July 1, 2024 generally has a two-year prescriptive period (it was one year before that date). A Jones Act claim generally must be filed within three years under federal law (46 U.S.C. section 30106), and Longshore Act claims carry their own shorter notice and filing deadlines. Because more than one deadline can apply to a single accident, confirming them with a lawyer early is important.

Reviewed by Kopfler & Hermann, Attorneys at Law, serving Houma since 1977. Last updated: September 9, 2026.