Do you need an oilfield injury lawyer in Mathews? Kopfler & Hermann has represented injured oil, gas, and offshore workers throughout south Louisiana since 1977, handling claims under Louisiana law, the Jones Act, and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA). We work on a contingency basis — no attorney’s fee unless we recover for you — and consultations are free. Oilfield and maritime injury claims carry firm filing deadlines, so it is important to speak with a lawyer promptly after an on-the-job injury.
Learn more: Houma oilfield and offshore injury lawyer. Last updated: September 14, 2026
Mathews sits on Bayou Lafourche between Raceland and Lockport, one of the bayou communities that keeps Louisiana’s oil and gas industry running. Drive Highway 1 south from Mathews and you are on the road to Port Fourchon and the offshore fields; look around town and you see the yards, service companies, and trucking outfits that supply the drilling and production work up and down the bayou. Oilfield work pays well because it is hard and hazardous. When a Mathews oilfield worker is badly hurt on a rig, in a yard, on a service job, or offshore, the compensation available depends on exactly where and how the injury happened — and getting that right can change everything. Kopfler & Hermann has represented South Louisiana’s oilfield families since 1977.
Not every oilfield injury is handled the same way, and that is where many workers lose out. An injury on a land rig, in a fabrication or pipe yard, or on a service job is generally covered by Louisiana workers’ compensation — but comp is only part of the picture. When someone other than your direct employer contributed to the accident — a negligent contractor, a company that supplied defective equipment, a careless operator on the site — you may also have a separate third-party injury claim for full damages on top of comp. Those third-party claims are often where the real recovery is, and they are easy to miss.
Oilfield work also crosses into maritime law. Many Mathews workers spend their hitches offshore or on vessels running out of Fourchon. A worker with a substantial connection to a vessel — generally around thirty percent or more of his time — may be a seaman under the Jones Act, with the right to sue for negligence and unseaworthiness and the right to maintenance and cure. Others working over water are covered by the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act. Because a single career — and sometimes a single accident — can touch more than one of these systems, an oilfield injury should be reviewed by a lawyer who handles all of them.
Depending on the facts and which law applies, you may be entitled to recover for:
Deadlines depend on the type of claim. A Louisiana third-party injury claim generally carries a two-year prescriptive period for incidents on or after July 1, 2024. A Jones Act claim generally must be filed within three years under federal law (46 U.S.C. § 30106). Longshore Act claims have their own notice and filing deadlines — typically written notice within about 30 days and a filing deadline near one year. Workers’ compensation itself has separate reporting requirements. Missing any of these can end an otherwise strong claim, so it is worth getting advice early.
Report the injury to your supervisor and make sure it is documented in writing. Get medical care and describe every symptom fully. If you can, photograph the equipment, the site, and the conditions, and get the names of coworkers and any contractors on the job. Keep copies of anything you sign, including any incident report. Be careful about giving a recorded statement to an employer’s or insurer’s adjuster before you have talked to a lawyer — those statements are frequently used to shrink or deny claims.
We help oilfield and energy workers from Mathews and the Bayou Lafourche communities with land-rig and drilling injuries, pipe-yard and fabrication injuries, pressure and equipment-failure injuries, fires and explosions, falls and dropped-object injuries, crush and amputation injuries, back and spinal injuries, chemical exposure, trucking and transport injuries, and offshore injuries for workers who spend their hitches on vessels or platforms. When more than one company is responsible, we pursue the third-party claims that comp alone leaves on the table.
Mathews, Raceland, Lockport, and the Bayou Lafourche corridor down to Fourchon are part of the oilfield country we have served for decades. From our Houma office we represent injured workers and their families throughout Lafourche, Terrebonne, and the surrounding parishes, and we handle these cases on a contingency basis.
I’m already getting workers’ comp. Why would I need a lawyer?
Comp usually pays limited benefits and does not compensate you for pain, suffering, or your full wage loss. If a company other than your employer helped cause the accident, a third-party claim can seek those additional damages. Many oilfield workers do not realize they have that separate claim.
Could my offshore hitch make me a Jones Act seaman?
It might. Seaman status depends on the nature and extent of your connection to a vessel or fleet. If a meaningful part of your work is aboard vessels, it is worth having a lawyer review whether the Jones Act — and maintenance and cure — applies to you.
What does it cost to hire Kopfler & Hermann?
Nothing up front. We handle oilfield injury cases on a contingency fee, so there is no fee unless we recover for you.
If you or someone in your family was hurt in the oilfield, call Kopfler & Hermann at (985) 851-3311 for a free, confidential consultation. There is no fee unless we win your case. Our office is at 306 Grinage Street, Houma, LA 70360 — helping Houma since 1977.
We also help injured workers and their families in nearby communities, including Raceland, Lockport, Larose, Kraemer, and Gibson. Mathews oilfield cases connect to our main Houma maritime injury practice.
The information on this page is provided for general educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Reading 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. For advice about your specific situation, please speak with a licensed Louisiana attorney.
