St. Martinville Personal Injury Lawyer
Getting hurt in a wreck or on someone else’s property in St. Martin Parish is only the first problem. The harder one is turning that injury into medical care that gets paid and compensation that reflects what you lost. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Louisiana and Mississippi injury and workers’ compensation firm, and our St. Martinville personal injury lawyer team represents people hurt in car and truck accidents, premises liability incidents, and wrongful death cases across St. Martin Parish and South Louisiana.
St. Martinville sits in a part of Louisiana where crash and injury cases often have more than one layer. Residents commute along routes toward Lafayette, Breaux Bridge, and New Iberia, and many work in oilfield service, sugar and agricultural operations, trucking, and industrial jobs. A collision involving a work truck, a fall on a contractor’s site, or a crash with a commercial driver can create a personal injury claim and a workers’ compensation claim at the same time, and the two need to be handled together.
The deadlines are short enough that early decisions matter. Louisiana’s rules on fault changed recently, and how much blame an insurer can pin on you may decide whether you recover anything at all. The sections below explain how these cases work for St. Martin Parish residents.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a St. Martin Parish Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including St. Martinville and the surrounding South Louisiana communities. We also handle car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death claims. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español).
Rob Lunsford, our founding partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both partners, have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
That depth matters when an injury has a work connection. Our results include a $385,000 settlement for a project manager with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, a $600,000 settlement for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and a $221,000 settlement for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, communicates, and stands up to the insurance company.
Types of Injury Claims We Handle for St. Martinville Residents
- Car Accidents: Crashes on the roads linking St. Martinville to Breaux Bridge, Lafayette, and New Iberia often involve rear-end impacts, intersection collisions, and drivers carrying minimum coverage, which makes insurance dynamics central to the claim.
- Commercial Truck Accidents: Oilfield service vehicles, sugar cane haulers during harvest, and long-haul freight all move through the area, and these cases can involve the driver, the trucking company, and a cargo or maintenance contractor.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: When a worker is hit by a negligent driver while on the job, there may be a workers’ compensation claim against the employer’s insurer and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Premises Liability: Slip and falls, inadequate security, collapsed structures, and unsafe contractor sites at stores, rental properties, and job locations can make the property owner or operator responsible.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial plants, rigs, and job sites produce severe burns, crush injuries, and spinal trauma that call for lifetime medical planning, not a quick settlement.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated discs and cervical injuries are common after collisions and falls, and insurers frequently blame degenerative changes that were already there.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears often require surgery, and adjusters sometimes call them old sports injuries.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal crash or workplace incident takes a family member, survivors may pursue claims for their loss, with timing rules that differ from ordinary injury cases.
What to Do After an Injury in St. Martin Parish
Get medical care first and make sure the records say how you were hurt. Gaps in treatment give insurers room to argue the injury was minor or came from something else. Follow your doctor’s instructions, keep appointments, and keep every bill and prescription receipt.
Report the accident to the proper authorities. For a crash, that means a police report from the responding agency, whether a local department, the parish sheriff’s office, or state police. Photograph the scene, vehicles, hazards, and your injuries, and collect names and contact information from witnesses. If the injury happened on someone’s property, report it to the owner or manager in writing and keep a copy.
Watch the deadlines. For injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives you two years from the day the injury or damage is sustained to file most injury lawsuits. Injuries before that date remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims follow a one-year-from-death or two-years-from-injury rule, whichever is longer. If you were hurt at work, you must also notify your employer within 30 days, and a formal workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident.
Be careful with the insurance company. Adjusters often call within days and ask for a recorded statement. What you say about your pain, your activities, or what happened can be used to assign you a share of the blame. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and it is wise to talk with a lawyer before doing so.
Cases in St. Martin Parish are generally filed in the state district court serving the parish, and appeals from that area go to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. Federal claims, which can arise in some trucking and diversity cases, belong to the Western District of Louisiana, which holds court in Lafayette. Knowing which forum applies shapes strategy from the first filing.
Louisiana’s 51 Percent Fault Rule and How It Changes Your Case
Louisiana moved away from pure comparative fault. For claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing. Below that line, your award is reduced by your percentage of blame. Earlier claims remain under the older pure comparative system. Jurors are now told directly that a plaintiff at 51 percent or more takes nothing.
This makes the fight over fault the center of many cases. Insurers look for any argument that you were speeding, distracted, not wearing a seatbelt, or failed to watch where you were going. Evidence gathered early, such as photographs, vehicle data, witness statements, and surveillance footage, can be the difference between a reduced recovery and none at all.
When a Work Injury Also Creates a Personal Injury Claim
Workers’ compensation covers medical treatment and wage benefits regardless of who caused the accident, but it does not pay for pain and suffering and it does not allow suits against your own employer in most cases. When a third party, such as a negligent driver, a subcontractor, or an equipment maker, caused your injury, you may be able to pursue that party in a separate injury case.
The two claims interact. Comp benefits may carry reimbursement rights, settlements need careful structuring, and positions taken in one case can affect the other. Because workers’ compensation is the core of what our firm does, we can keep both tracks consistent. Louisiana comp claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges, with appeals to the Louisiana courts of appeal, and our team handles that process alongside the injury claim.
Questions About St. Martinville Injury Claims
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover for you.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the period is two years from the day the injury or damage is sustained. Earlier injuries fall under the former one-year period. Because the date of injury controls which rule applies, confirm your deadline with an attorney quickly.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, you recover nothing if you are 51 percent or more at fault. Below that, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For earlier claims, fault reduces your recovery without barring it.
Do I have to talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
You should report the accident to your own insurer as your policy requires, but you are not obligated to give the other side a recorded statement. Those statements are often used to shift blame onto you.
Can I file both a workers’ compensation claim and an injury claim?
Often yes, when someone other than your employer caused the injury. A negligent driver or an unsafe contractor can be pursued in a separate injury case while comp benefits cover your treatment and wages.
What if my family member died because of someone else’s negligence?
Louisiana wrongful death claims must be filed within one year of the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. A wrongful death claim based on medical malpractice remains limited to one year from the date of death.
Will the insurance company blame a pre-existing condition for my back or neck injury?
It is one of the most common arguments. A prior condition does not end a claim if the accident caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Strong medical evidence comparing your condition before and after the event is the answer.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor accident?
If your injuries are minor and fully healed, you may not need one. If you need ongoing treatment, miss work, or the insurer is disputing fault, a lawyer can make a real difference, since an early low settlement closes the claim permanently.
What if I was hurt while driving for work and the other driver has little insurance?
Your workers’ compensation benefits still apply, and depending on the coverage available, other insurance sources may be worth reviewing. We look at every possible source of recovery before advising on a settlement.
Does Louisiana’s fault rule apply to my case if I was hurt a while ago?
The 51 percent bar applies only to causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026. Earlier cases remain under pure comparative fault, so the date of your accident matters.
Can I recover if the at-fault driver was a minor or the vehicle belonged to a business?
Possibly. Employers and vehicle owners can be responsible in some situations, which may open additional insurance coverage. Identifying every responsible party early is part of building the claim.
Do you handle Spanish-speaking clients?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Injury Clients Across St. Martin Parish and South Louisiana
Our injury representation starts with St. Martinville and the rest of St. Martin Parish, including Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, Henderson, Parks, Catahoula, Arnaudville, and the communities along the Bayou Teche and the Atchafalaya Basin. We also serve clients in neighboring Lafayette, Iberia, St. Landry, and Vermilion parishes, and in Lafayette, New Iberia, Opelousas, Carencro, Scott, and Youngsville.
Across the rest of South Louisiana, we represent injured people in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the surrounding areas, and we handle cases statewide, including north Louisiana and Shreveport. We also represent clients across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta.
Call a St. Martinville Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, a fall, or a workplace incident, a St. Martinville personal injury attorney from our team can review what happened, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and tell you plainly where your claim stands. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call today to talk through your case.
