Undefeated Louisiana Plant Injury Lawyers
A fatal accident at the GIE plant in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, tragically claimed the life of a worker on Sunday afternoon.
Two others were seriously injured and airlifted to the scene.
What’s Known About the GIE Plant Accident
Personnel from the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police were called to GIE’s saltwater brine production facility located along Grand Bayou Road in Belle Rose at approximately 3:40 p.m. on February 22nd. According to media reports, the three workers were performing a routine pressure test on a brine well when the fitting failed, causing a high-pressure hose to break loose and strike them.
One of the workers was pronounced dead at the scene. He has since been identified as a 60-year-old man from the Lafayette area. His cause of death is still pending.
The two injured workers were airlifted to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge for treatment. So far, officials have not disclosed the nature of their injuries or their current condition.
It’s still not known what caused Sunday’s fatal GIE plant accident, although it does appear the well-being testing was not operational. Authorities have confirmed there were no off-site impacts.
Louisiana State Police Hazmat is investigating.
What to Expect After a Fatal Louisiana Plant Accident
After a fatal incident like the GIE plant accident, legal action is the last thing any grieving family wants to think about. But while you’re making funeral arrangements, notifying relatives, and trying to process your loss, the company and its insurance carriers are already working to protect their bottom line—even if that means denying you the compensation you deserve.
If you’re going to have the financial resources to provide for your family and secure your future, you need to move just as quickly to safeguard your legal rights.
Workers’ Compensation Won’t Be Enough
Although Louisiana workers’ compensation provides a weekly death benefit to eligible dependents, it doesn’t come close to replacing the weekly paycheck you and your family relied on. In fact, you only receive a percentage of your loved one’s average weekly wage:
- Surviving spouse only: 32.5% of wages
- Spouse + one child: 46.25% of wages
- Spouse + two or more children: 65% of wages
- Children only: 32.5% (one child), 46.25% (two children), 65% (three or more)
- No spouse/children: benefits may shift to dependent parents (32.5% for one parent; 65% if both)
Louisiana workers’ comp doesn’t make up for any overtime your loved one might have worked, any future raises they might have received, or their long-term earning potential. Benefits also won’t cover any of the damages that would ordinarily be available through a wrongful death lawsuit or survival claim, such as:
- Loss of companionship and guidance
- The lifetime value of lost income
- The pain and suffering your loved one experienced before death
- Accountability from parties other than the employer
Workers’ compensation is limited by design—it’s meant to shield the company from liability, no matter how negligent they were or what that might mean for those left behind. Because benefits are the “exclusive remedy” in most cases, you’re typically barred from filing negligence claims in connection with a loved one’s death.
However, there is one critical exception: families can sue when a workplace death results from an “intentional act” by an employer. But understand that these cases require you to meet a high burden of proof—either that the company consciously desired an adverse outcome or knew an adverse outcome was likely to follow their actions.
Wrongful Death Claims in Louisiana
Unlike workers’ compensation, a wrongful death lawsuit allows a family to pursue compensation for the full scope of their loss, including both the financial and emotional consequences arising from their loved one’s death. Under Louisiana law, the following relatives have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim in this order of priority:
- Surviving spouse and children
- If none, surviving parents
- If none, surviving siblings
- If none, surviving grandparents
Wrongful death damages in Louisiana are not limited to what your loved one earned over the past year; they are intended to account for decades of projected income and the real human impact of a sudden loss, including:
- Loss of financial support your loved one would have provided over their lifetime
- Loss of future earning capacity, including promotions and raises
- Loss of employment benefits, such as health insurance, retirement contributions, and bonuses
- Loss of household services, including childcare, transportation, and home responsibilities
- Funeral and burial expenses incurred due to their death
- Loss of love, companionship, and guidance
- Loss of parental instruction and mentorship
- Mental anguish and emotional suffering experienced by surviving family members
Understanding Louisiana Survival Claim
In contrast to a wrongful death lawsuit, a Louisiana survival claim enables family members to seek damages for the harm a deceased worker consciously experienced between the time of their injury and the time of death, including compensation for:
- Physical pain and suffering they experienced before death
- Mental anguish or awareness of impending death
- Medical expenses incurred prior to passing
- Lost wages between injury and death
The same relatives granted priority for a wrongful death claim — spouse and children first, then parents, siblings, and grandparents — also have the right to bring a survival action.
Third Party Personal Injury Lawsuits Allow Full Compensation for Your Losses
While your loved one’s employer may be shielded from liability because of workers’ comp, others involved don’t have the same protection. If a third party caused and contributed to their death, you have the right to take legal action against those individuals or entities, whether or not your family is receiving benefits.
Depending on the circumstances of the fatal accident, these third parties might include.
- Contractors hired to perform testing or specialized work
- Equipment manufacturers that designed or produced a defective hose, fitting, or pressure component
- Maintenance providers are responsible for inspecting or servicing the equipment
- Well operators or site owners controlling the jobsite and safety procedures
- Engineering or safety consultants responsible for system design or oversight
In our experience, industrial accidents rarely happen in a vacuum. Multiple companies are typically involved in operations like pressure testing, equipment installation, well servicing, or maintenance. When something fails, the failure usually traces back to more than one decision — and sometimes more than one company. Identifying each and every party responsible for a workplace fatality is critical to ensuring surviving family members are able to pursue all avenues of compensation available to them.
You Only Have a Limited Time to File a Lawsuit
Louisiana doesn’t give families much time to act after a fatal plant accident.
In most cases, you have one year from the date of death—the shortest statute of limitations in the nation— to file both a wrongful death claim and a survival claim. If that deadline passes, you lose your right to pursue compensation forever, no matter how strong your case might be. That one-year clock begins running on the day your loved one dies. It doesn’t stop for your grief, or while a company conducts its own internal review, and it doesn’t automatically extend because additional facts surface months later.
While a year might seem far off, you should not wait until the last minute to consult with an attorney. Companies don’t keep every record forever. Physical evidence can be lost or discarded in the normal course of operations. Failed equipment will be repaired or replaced. Witnesses move on, and memories fade.
Our undefeated wrongful death lawyers understand how far companies will go to avoid liability after a workplace fatality, and we know what steps to take to identify and ensure all critical evidence is preserved before it disappears. We also have access to a network of top engineers and accident reconstruction experts to help us determine exactly how a fatal accident occurred, how it should have been prevented, and exactly who was to blame.
Undefeated Plant Accident Lawyers: Call 1-866-603-3636 or Click Here for a Free Consult
Our Louisiana Plant Accident Lawyers have won Billions and consistently recover record-breaking verdicts and settlements—including the #1 Largest Individual Burn Settlement in U.S. History— for thousands of workers and families across Louisiana and throughout the United States.
If you or someone you love were hurt in connection with the fatal GIE plant accident in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, or another industrial disaster, call 1-888-603-3636 or fill out our confidential Contact Us form.
We’ll take the time to answer your questions, explain your rights, and provide the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family.
Your consultation is free and confidential, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.