In a recent ruling handed down in Federal District Court in New Orleans, Federal District Judge Carl Barbier assigned the majority of the responsibility to BP for the 2010 explosion of Deepwater Horizon. Judge Barbier found the discharge of oil to be the result of BP’s “gross negligence” and “willful…
The Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) 2014-15 officers and members of the Board of Governors were installed June 5, in conjunction with the LSBA’s Annual Meeting in Destin, Fla. Lafayette lawyer, Blake R. David, was installed by Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson as the Third District Member of…
While the number of motor vehicle drivers killed in Louisiana declined in 2012, twenty-four bicycle riders were killed in Louisiana in 2012, the highest number in ten years. East Baton Rouge Parish and St. John the Baptist Parish contained the most bicycle crash fatalities with five and three respectively. “Many…
A five-car accident on the Westbank Expressway in Marrero has sent three people to the hospital with injuries, including an eight-year-old boy, who the police say is in serious condition. A pick-up truck struck two vehicles before careening down an exit ramp at a high rate of speed before colliding…
An explosion at an offshore oil platform on the Gulf of Mexico in November 2012 killed three workers and severely injured two others. A consultant who carefully reviewed the deadly accident concluded that the explosion was the fault of unsafe welding practices by a subcontractor of Grand Isle Shipyards, Inc.…
A recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention study reveals that oil and gas industry workers are seven times more likely to be killed while working than all other workers in the United Sates. Offshore fatalities from 2003-2010 were used in the study, based on data from the Bureau of…
An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded and caught fire off the coast of Grand Isle, tragically killing three workers. Out of twenty-four workers on the platform at the time of the explosion, four workers also suffered serious burns. One worker who suffered severe burns died after the…
The U.S. Supreme Court began its 2012 term hearing a case that could clarify whether floating structures qualify as vessels under federal maritime law. The determination of this issue could have a serious impact on floating homes and floating businesses. In Lozman v. Riviera Beach, Fane Lozman, a Florida man…
A helicopter carrying 19 men to an oil rig in the North Sea was forced to ditch when mechanical issues were reported by the pilot. The investigation of the ditching is ongoing, but a failed gear-box is believed to be a factor. A nearby tanker and helicopter offered assistance and…
A fire started on a W&T Offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico last week about 30 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The company evacuated the platform and extinguished the fire. One worker reported minor injuries. The Jones Act and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA)…