Louisiana Industrial Accident Attorney

Some of the largest manufacturing facilities and petrochemical plants in the U.S. call Louisiana their home. Our great state is among the top suppliers of energy products in the country: we rank second for crude oil production and third in natural gas. With all the heavy industry in our state, there’s a good chance that you or someone you care about works in an industrial setting.

These thriving industries offer high-paying jobs and positive impacts to the economy of our state. However, these benefits can come with a personal cost to the hard-working men and women of the industrial sector. Too often, management focuses on increasing productivity and profit, rather than ensuring the safety of their employees.

Poor safety protocols, oversight, and training, as well as a lack of proper safety equipment and outdated facilities, can all contribute to an unsafe industrial work environment. These unsafe environments can easily lead to industrial accidents, a form of disaster caused by industrial companies through accident, negligence, or incompetence. If you or someone you love has been injured in one of these disasters, call a personal injury lawyer specializing in industrial accidents. The lawyers at Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys will help you find the compensation you deserve.

Statute of Limitation Changes in Louisiana:

Recent changes in Louisiana law have extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims occurring on or after July 1, 2024, from one year to two years. Any injuries that occurred before July 1, 2024 will still have a 1-year statute of limitation. Learn more about Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations here.

• 1-year for injuries sustained before July 1, 2024.
• 2-years for injuries suffered after July 1, 2024.

The statute of limitations is a legal deadline that sets a time frame for filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this is known as the “prescriptive period,” which determines how long you have to take legal action against the responsible party after an injury occurs.

The Most Common Industries in Louisiana

The energy sector is one of the biggest economic engines for Louisiana’s economy, generating over 260,000 Louisiana jobs. It also directly employs 44,500 people with an average salary of nearly $100,000, according to the Grow Louisiana Coalition. Oil refineries, like ExxonMobil and Shell, produce the gasoline that powers our vehicles in Louisiana and around the country.

Manufacturing employs thousands of Louisianans all over the state. In fact, 4,396 manufacturers employ over 178,000 workers in Louisiana, according to a report by Industry Select. Baton Rouge has the most industrial workers, followed by Houma, Shreveport, New Orleans, and Lafayette. 

Chemical processing plants, like Dow and BASF, make the plastics and other additives behind many of the conveniences of modern life. Other top manufacturers include industrial machinery, fabricated metals, and food processing plants.

With the deep food culture in Louisiana, it’s no surprise that food manufacture and processing is one of the state’s biggest industries. Some of the biggest companies in this space include Community Coffee, the McIlhenny Company (who make Tabasco® brand hot sauce), and Reily Foods.

Of course, Louisiana is home to a number of other industries too. There are workers in defense, mining, lumber and logging, and even more that call Louisiana home. While these industries bring economic opportunity to our state, they’re also physically demanding jobs that can be dangerous. Industrial accidents include plant explosions, chemical burns and other exposures, machinery malfunctions, and more.

Common Industrial Accidents in Louisiana

Sadly, injuries are fairly common at industrial sites due to the machinery, chemicals, and other dangers industrial workers are subjected to on a daily basis. In addition to the common accidents any employee might face, industrial workers have to contend with the following risks:

• Chemical spills
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Plant Explosions
• Fires
• Exposure to harmful substances
• Being struck by objects or machinery
• Machinery malfunctions
• Over-exertion or muscle strains
• Crashes and collisions

Common Industrial Injuries

Accidents at processing plants and other facilities can be much more serious than at other workplaces. When an employer fails to maintain a safe working environment or follow proper safety protocols, their negligence can lead to major injuries. Some of the more common injuries industrial workers experience include

• Spinal cord damage can result from crashes, falls, or body crushes. These injuries can cause partial or complete paralysis, and often require ongoing medical care and expensive assistive devices.
• Severe burns from fires, explosions, and chemical exposures can cause intense pain, damaged tissue, and disfigurement.
• Amputations can be caused by heavy equipment malfunction, explosions, vehicle crashes, and other accidents. Limb loss can be mentally devastating, and can prevent someone from ever working again.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are serious injuries that can cause permanent mental and physical disability. TBIs can be caused by a number of accidents that involve hard blows to the head.
• Broken bones are common industrial injuries, and back injuries caused by heavy lifting are a common complication of an industrial job. Their prognoses range from temporary discomfort to painful injuries that may require months or years of therapy and multiple surgeries.
• Eye injuries resulting in blindness or otherwise-impaired vision can be devastating, especially if they result in permanent disability.

Injured in a Workplace Accident? You Need an Advocate.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an industrial accident, you need a compassionate personal injury lawyer to help you find healing. Whether you’re looking to file a workers’ compensation case or personal injury claim, Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys can help. We can even help you figure out which applies in your case.

Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have helped hundreds of Louisiana personal injury clients recover fair compensation, with over $3 Billion recovered in our 679+ years of combined legal experience. When you give us a call, a staff lawyer will give you a free legal consultation as to your options.

Bring those who are responsible for your injuries to justice, and get the help you need to heal from your injuries and move on with your life. Call Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys at 888.501.7888 today for a free consultation. If we don’t win your case, you won’t owe us a dime, that’s the G Guarantee.