Labadieville is a Bayou Lafourche town in Assumption Parish — sugarcane fields, the mill, and generations of families who have followed Highway LA-1 south to the Gulf for offshore work. Bayou Lafourche is the corridor that connects towns like Labadieville to Port Fourchon and the offshore energy industry, and many local men and women spend their hitches on platforms, rigs, liftboats, and crew and supply vessels far from home. When one of them is seriously hurt offshore, the family is left dealing with lost income, mounting medical bills, and a complicated set of laws. Kopfler & Hermann has represented injured offshore workers out of Houma since 1977.
Offshore injuries are governed by federal maritime law, not ordinary Louisiana workers’ compensation — and which law applies depends on where and how you were hurt. A worker with a substantial connection to a vessel (a crew boat, liftboat, jack-up, or supply vessel) may be a Jones Act seaman, able to hold an employer accountable for negligence and to pursue maintenance and cure and an unseaworthiness claim. A worker on a fixed platform or doing loading and unloading work may instead fall under the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. These distinctions decide what you can recover, and companies and their insurers understand them well — which is why injured workers should too.
Depending on how your case is classified, you may be able to pursue:
Offshore evidence — vessel logs, JSA and safety paperwork, and equipment — is controlled by the employer, so the sooner your claim is investigated, the better your chances of preserving it.
Report the injury and make sure it is documented in an accident report or the vessel’s log. Get medical care and follow the treatment plan. Get the names of coworkers who witnessed the incident. Photograph the equipment or condition that caused your injury if you can. Be cautious about signing statements or recorded interviews for the company before you understand your rights, and keep copies of everything.
We represent offshore workers and their families in cases including falls from height and slips on deck, crane and rigging accidents, dropped-object and struck-by injuries, transfer accidents (personnel baskets and swing ropes), equipment failures on unseaworthy vessels, fires and explosions, chemical and toxic exposure, and catastrophic and fatal offshore injuries.
From our office at 306 Grinage Street in Houma, we serve Labadieville and the surrounding Assumption and Lafourche Parish communities along Bayou Lafourche. We have been helping South Louisiana families since 1977, and we handle offshore injury cases on a contingency basis — no fee unless we win.
Am I covered by the Jones Act or the Longshore Act?
It depends on your connection to a vessel. Workers who spend a substantial portion of their time (often thought of as roughly 30% or more) aboard a vessel or fleet in navigation may be Jones Act seamen; others may fall under the Longshore Act. The right classification should be reviewed by a maritime lawyer.
What is maintenance and cure?
For injured seamen, it is the vessel owner’s duty to pay reasonable daily living expenses and medical care until you reach maximum medical improvement — owed no matter who was at fault.
Can I be fired for making a claim?
The law protects injured workers who pursue their legal rights. If you have concerns about retaliation, talk to a lawyer.
What does it cost to hire you?
Nothing up front — we work on a contingency-fee basis, so there is no fee unless we win.
If you or a loved one was hurt offshore, call Kopfler & Hermann at (985) 851-3311 or visit 306 Grinage St, Houma, LA 70360. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win.
We also help injured workers and families in Napoleonville, Paincourtville, Plattenville, Raceland, and Mathews, and throughout South Louisiana. Learn more on our Houma maritime injury page.
The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Viewing this page or contacting Kopfler & Hermann does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
