Houma Offshore Injury Lawyer | Kopfler & Hermann
Skip to main content
Houma Offshore Injury Lawyer | Kopfler & Hermann
Experienced Louisiana Offshore Injury Attorney
Home » Offshore Injury
Injured? Joe Knows.
No Fee Unless We Win
Hurt offshore — on a platform, a jack-up, or a supply boat? Don’t sign anything. Don’t take their doctor. Call us first. We know OCSLA, the Jones Act, and LHWCA cold, and you owe us nothing unless we win your case.
- Trusted since 1989 — 45+ years fighting for South Louisiana families
- A real person answers 24/7 — no voicemail, no robots, no out-of-state call center
- No junior associates on your case. Joe works with every client directly
- No fee unless we win. Free consultation. Multi-million-dollar recoveries.
37+Years Serving South Louisiana
1989Firm Founded in Houma
MillionsRecovered for LA Families
24/7Live Answering — No Robots
You were hurt on a fixed platform, a jack-up rig, or a supply run to an offshore facility. The operator’s claims adjuster is already circling. You need a Houma offshore injury lawyer who has sorted out OCSLA, the Jones Act, and LHWCA for South Louisiana workers for more than four decades.
Offshore Injuries in the Gulf of Mexico Are Not Ordinary Workplace Injuries.
An injury on the Outer Continental Shelf, on a jack-up rig, on a fixed platform, or in a boat-to-rig transfer sits at the intersection of federal maritime law, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA, 43 U.S.C. § 1331 et seq.), Louisiana law borrowed by OCSLA as surrogate federal law, the Jones Act (46 U.S.C. § 30104), and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA, 33 U.S.C. § 901 et seq.). Which law applies determines what you can recover — and there is often more than one path to a full recovery.
I’m Joe Kopfler. I founded Kopfler & Hermann in Houma in 1989 and have spent more than four decades representing offshore workers hurt in the Gulf. This is our home water. When you call, you get me or a lawyer I’ve trained personally — not an intake center in another state.
Injured? Call Now — 1-985-851-3311 — a real person answers 24/7. No voicemail. No robot.
Get A Free Consult
Areas We Serve
Kopfler & Hermann represents injured offshore workers throughout South Louisiana, including:
If you were hurt on an offshore facility — anywhere in the Gulf of Mexico or in Louisiana’s inland waters — we can help.
Fixed Platform vs. Vessel: Why It Matters More Than You Think
The single most important legal question after an offshore injury is often: where were you standing? A worker’s remedies depend heavily on whether the structure was a “vessel in navigation” or a fixed structure permanently attached to the seabed.
- Fixed platform in federal waters — OCSLA applies and, for personal injury, borrows Louisiana law as surrogate federal law. You get a tort recovery under Louisiana Civil Code principles, not workers’ comp caps.
- Fixed platform, worker qualifies for LHWCA — you may receive LHWCA benefits AND still pursue a third-party tort claim (against contractors, equipment manufacturers, or crane operators) under Section 5(b) of the LHWCA.
- Jack-up rig, MODU, drillship, or semi-sub — typically a vessel in navigation. Crew assigned to it are usually Jones Act seamen with a full tort recovery, maintenance and cure, and unseaworthiness rights.
- Supply boat, crew boat, tug, or barge — vessel in navigation. Crew are typically Jones Act seamen.
- Boat-to-rig transfer / personnel basket / swing rope — injury during transfer can implicate multiple regimes at once. Framing matters.
Employers and insurers routinely steer injured workers into the framework that pays them the least. Getting the framework right is the single most valuable early move in any offshore case. Call 1-985-851-3311 before you sign anything.
You don’t pay unless we win. Call 1-985-851-3311 now for a free case review.
Types of Offshore Cases We Handle
- Fixed platform injuries under OCSLA
- Jack-up rig injuries (drilling crew, roustabouts, roughnecks)
- MODU, drillship, and semi-submersible injuries
- Supply boat, crew boat, and tug injuries
- Personnel basket and swing rope transfer injuries
- Crane and rigging failures on platforms and vessels
- Well control incidents, blowouts, and kick events
- H2S and toxic gas exposure
- Fires and explosions on offshore facilities
- Chemical burns and hydrocarbon exposure
- Falls from elevation, monkey boards, and derricks
- Struck-by pipe, tongs, chains, and equipment
- Compressor, generator, and rotating-equipment injuries
- Diving injuries and decompression sickness
- Helicopter transport injuries en route to or from offshore
- Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation (LHWCA) claims and third-party suits
- Wrongful death offshore (Jones Act, DOHSA, OCSLA)
What You Can Recover After an Offshore Injury
The categories of damages depend on which law applies. Typical elements include:
- Past and future lost wages — including overtime and the value of lost benefits.
- Lost earning capacity — if you can no longer do the offshore work you were trained for.
- Past and future medical expenses — specialists, surgery, rehab, and long-term care.
- Pain and suffering — physical and mental, past and future (under OCSLA/Louisiana law and general maritime law).
- Disability and disfigurement — scarring, amputation, and loss of function.
- Maintenance and cure — if you qualify as a Jones Act seaman, an automatic daily allowance plus full medical treatment until maximum medical improvement, no fault required.
- LHWCA benefits — if you fall under LHWCA, medical treatment, temporary disability, and permanent disability benefits — and, critically, the ability to bring a Section 5(b) third-party negligence suit alongside.
- Punitive damages — where allowed (e.g., willful or arbitrary denial of maintenance and cure under Atlantic Sounding v. Townsend).
- Loss of consortium and household services — for a spouse or family member (varies by which law applies).
Common Causes of Offshore Injuries We Investigate
- Defective or unmaintained cranes, winches, rigging, and hoisting equipment
- Undermanned crews or improperly trained third-party contractors
- Broken ladders, missing handrails, ungrated walkways, and slippery decks
- Failure to lock out / tag out rotating equipment
- Improper JSA or bypassed safety procedures under management pressure
- Personnel basket and swing rope transfers in unsafe conditions
- Well control failures, blowout preventer failures, and kick mismanagement
- Improper H2S monitoring, evacuation, or personal protective equipment
- Defective valves, seals, gaskets, and process piping (product liability)
- Contractor negligence (drilling contractor vs. operator vs. service company vs. staffing agency)
Call 1-985-851-3311 right now. A real person answers 24/7. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
Why Choose Kopfler & Hermann
- Handling offshore injury cases since 1989 from our Houma office — not a satellite branch of a bigger firm.
- Joe Kopfler has represented Terrebonne Parish oilfield workers since 1989 and continues to work directly with every client.
- A real person answers your call 24/7. When you’re hurt offshore and cell service comes back, you reach us — not a voicemail.
- No fee unless we win. You pay nothing up front and nothing at all unless we recover for you.
- Local trial experience in the 32nd JDC and federal court — and we know the drilling contractors, service companies, and defense firms on the other side.
- We lock down evidence fast. JSAs, safety meeting minutes, incident reports, well logs, BOP data, dashcam/CCTV, and vessel logs can “disappear.” We send preservation letters the same day you hire us.
- Multi-million-dollar offshore recoveries across South Louisiana (see verdicts below).
Common Offshore Injuries We See
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) from falls, struck-by, and blast events
- Spinal cord injury and paralysis
- Amputation and loss of limb (cranes, winches, pipe, tongs, hatches, doors)
- Severe burns (fuel, chemical, electrical, steam, hydrocarbon flash fires)
- Herniated discs and lumbar injuries from lifting, line-handling, and slips
- Torn rotator cuffs and shoulder injuries
- Knee and ankle injuries from wet decks and unsafe walkways
- Multiple fractures from falls and struck-by
- Crush injuries from equipment, containers, and cargo
- Chemical inhalation and H2S exposure
- Decompression sickness and diving injuries
- Hearing loss from prolonged noise exposure
- Post-traumatic stress from explosions, fatalities, and man-overboard
- Wrongful death offshore
What Should You Do After an Offshore Injury?
- Report the injury in writing. Get it on the accident/incident report. Get a copy before you leave the rig, platform, or vessel if you possibly can.
- Get medical attention. If the company sends you to their doctor, go — but if you qualify as a seaman, you also have the right to your own doctor for maintenance and cure. Use it.
- Do not sign anything the company hands you until a lawyer has read it. Not a statement, not a release, not a medical authorization, not a “light duty” agreement.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the operator’s claims specialist or insurance carrier before talking to a lawyer.
- Preserve evidence. Photograph the scene. Get names and phone numbers of every witness. Save your PPE, work clothes, and personal gear if they show what happened.
- Call 1-985-851-3311. 24/7 live answer. We start protecting your rights the same day.
- Follow through on medical treatment. Gaps in treatment are the first thing they use to argue you weren’t really hurt.
How a Houma Offshore Injury Lawyer Can Help
From the day you hire us, we go to work:
- Send letters of representation to the operator, drilling contractor, staffing agency, and every insurer in the chain — the “quick statement” calls stop.
- Send preservation-of-evidence letters demanding JSAs, safety meeting minutes, incident reports, well logs, BOP data, tour sheets, dashcam/CCTV footage, and vessel logs.
- Get you to the right specialists — doctors who know offshore injuries, not the company clinic.
- Enforce maintenance and cure rights (if you qualify as a seaman) and file LHWCA claims where they apply.
- Investigate whether the correct legal regime is OCSLA, Jones Act, LHWCA, DOHSA, or a combination — and file under the one that gets you the most money.
- Identify every liable party — the operator, the drilling contractor, the service company, the crane operator, the equipment manufacturer, and their insurers.
- File suit in the right court (Louisiana state, federal Eastern or Western District of Louisiana) and take the case to trial if the offer isn’t right.
How Long Do You Have to File an Offshore Injury Claim?
Deadlines depend on which law applies. In general: Jones Act and general maritime cases give you three years from the date of injury (46 U.S.C. § 30106). OCSLA claims governed by Louisiana law generally have a one-year prescriptive period. LHWCA claims have their own notice and filing deadlines, some as short as 30 days for written notice of injury and one year for a claim.
The bottom line: do not wait. Vessel logs get overwritten. Witnesses transfer to other rigs. Crews rotate. Evidence gets repaired, painted over, or scrapped. Call 1-985-851-3311 as soon as you can and let us tell you exactly where you stand.
How Much Does a Houma Offshore Injury Lawyer Cost?
Nothing up front. We work on contingency — you pay only if we win. No consultation fee. No expenses out of pocket. If we don’t recover, you don’t owe us anything. That’s not a marketing line. It’s the deal.
Injured? Call Now — 1-985-851-3311 — a real person answers 24/7. No voicemail. No robot.
Get A Free Consult
Offshore & Maritime Case Results
Every case is different. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. See full disclaimer below.
- $3,200,000 — Offshore Rig Injury. Multi-million-dollar recovery in a Jones Act claim involving a serious offshore injury.
- $2,000,000 — Oil & Gas Facility Burn Injury. Older worker suffered burns over a large part of his body when a corroded high-pressure line burst; recovered over $2 million after establishing negligent installation and maintenance.
- $1,900,000 — Supply Boat Deck Injury. Jones Act settlement for a deckhand injured due to unseaworthy conditions.
- $975,000 — Crane Accident on Fixed Platform. OCSLA and general maritime claim resolved before trial.
- $650,000 — Tug & Barge Injury. Jones Act settlement for a mariner hurt during a line-handling operation.
- $495,000 — Oilfield-Service Truck Accident. Recovered on behalf of a worker in a commercial-truck collision tied to oilfield operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was hurt on a fixed platform in federal waters. What law applies to my case?
OCSLA (43 U.S.C. § 1331 et seq.) governs, and OCSLA borrows Louisiana law as surrogate federal law for personal injury claims arising on fixed platforms on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore of Louisiana. That means you generally get a tort recovery under Louisiana Civil Code principles — not workers’ comp caps. Depending on your job status, LHWCA benefits may run in parallel.
What is the difference between OCSLA and the Jones Act?
The Jones Act protects seamen — crew members whose work has a substantial connection to a vessel in navigation. A fixed platform is not a vessel, so a worker whose work is tied to a fixed platform typically is not a Jones Act seaman and instead has OCSLA/Louisiana-law remedies (and sometimes LHWCA benefits). If you spent significant time on a jack-up rig, MODU, or drillship, you may qualify as a Jones Act seaman.
Can I collect LHWCA benefits and also sue a third party?
Yes. LHWCA Section 5(b) explicitly preserves your right to sue a third party (a contractor, an equipment manufacturer, a crane operator, or a vessel owner other than your direct employer) whose negligence contributed to your injury — even while you receive LHWCA benefits.
Should I take the company doctor?
If you qualify as a Jones Act seaman, you have the right to your own choice of physician for maintenance and cure. Under LHWCA, you can pick your own initial treating physician (subject to certain rules). Do not let anyone tell you the company doctor is your only option.
What if my employer stops paying maintenance and cure?
If you qualify as a seaman and the employer arbitrarily or willfully cuts off your maintenance or cure before you reach maximum medical improvement, you may be entitled to punitive damages and attorney’s fees under Atlantic Sounding v. Townsend. We routinely add bad-faith claims when employers play these games.
How long do I have to file an offshore injury claim in the Gulf?
General rule: Jones Act and general maritime cases have a three-year statute (46 U.S.C. § 30106). OCSLA claims governed by Louisiana law generally have a one-year prescriptive period. LHWCA has strict notice deadlines (as short as 30 days). Because deadlines vary and mistakes are hard to fix, do not wait to call a lawyer.
Do I have a case if I was injured on a helicopter en route to a platform?
Very possibly, yes. Helicopter transport is treated as part of the offshore employment. Depending on which platform you were headed to, your employer, and the aircraft operator, your case may be governed by the Jones Act, OCSLA, DOHSA, general maritime law, or a combination. This is exactly the kind of framing question we handle every day.
My family member was killed offshore. What claims can we bring?
Depending on the location, the vessel status, and the decedent’s job, wrongful-death claims can arise under the Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act (DOHSA), OCSLA (with Louisiana wrongful-death law borrowed as surrogate federal law), or general maritime law. Combining the right claims — and identifying every potentially liable party — is critical.
LET JOE FIGHT FOR YOU
If you or a loved one has been hurt, don’t wait. Call Kopfler & Hermann today for a free consultation. A real person answers 24/7 — not a voicemail, not a robot. Joe Kopfler has practiced law in Louisiana since 1977 and has spent more than four decades fighting insurance companies and getting real money for South Louisiana families. You pay nothing unless we win. Your case matters — let’s get it done.
Get A Free Consult Free Case Review
Office Location
Kopfler & Hermann, Attorneys at Law
306 Grinage Street, Suite 400
Houma, LA 70360
Phone: (985) 851-3311 | 1-985-851-3311
24/7 Live Answering | Serving Terrebonne, Lafourche & St. Mary Parish
The verdicts and settlements referenced are representative of cases handled by Kopfler & Hermann and are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any other claim. Every case is different and past results do not guarantee future outcomes. No fee unless we recover on your behalf; client may be responsible for case costs and expenses. Joseph G. Kopfler is licensed to practice law in Louisiana.
Offshore workers responding to spill cleanups deserve straight facts on where these incidents keep happening — read about the pattern of TPIC Louisiana crude releases we tracked this year.
For crews moving between inshore and offshore waters, timing matters — see how Louisiana’s shrimp season transition affects offshore injury claims and the protections deckhands carry across state and federal waters.
