Harvey Personal Injury Lawyer
Harvey sits in Jefferson Parish, and that fact shapes how an injury claim here moves. Jefferson Parish sits within the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal and the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Louisiana’s fault rules and filing deadlines apply to every crash, fall, or workplace incident that happens along the West Bank. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles injury claims and workers’ compensation cases for people hurt in Harvey and across South Louisiana and Mississippi, and a Harvey personal injury lawyer from the firm can tell you quickly which kind of claim you actually have.
Harvey is a working community. Warehouses, industrial yards, shipping operations, and constant truck traffic mean a large share of injuries here happen on the job or in a work vehicle. That matters, because a hurt worker often has two separate claims at once: workers’ compensation against the employer, and a personal injury claim against whoever else caused the harm. Getting that split right at the start protects both.
Louisiana also changed its fault rules recently. A person found 51 percent or more at fault for an accident that arose on or after January 1, 2026 recovers nothing, while a lower share of fault reduces the award proportionally. Insurers know this rule and push hard to assign blame to injured people early.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Harvey Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people in Jefferson Parish, Harvey, and communities throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi. Workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice, and its attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that were denied, delayed, or cut off. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and you pay nothing unless there is a recovery. Phones are answered around the clock, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
The results bear on Harvey-type cases directly. The firm secured $385,000 for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, a fact pattern that sits right between comp and third-party injury law. It also obtained $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury. Clients describe the team as easy to work with, attentive, and willing to fight the insurance company at every step.
Rob Lunsford, 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 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, which matters when an insurer will not make a fair offer. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Injury Situations That Come Up for Harvey Residents
- Work Vehicle and Delivery Truck Crashes: A driver hit while on the clock can claim comp benefits from the employer and sue the at-fault driver separately. The two claims have to be coordinated so one does not undercut the other.
- Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Truck Accidents: Heavy freight moves through Harvey constantly, and these wrecks tend to cause spine, neck, and fracture injuries that require surgery and long recovery.
- Industrial and Yard Injuries: Falls, crush injuries, and equipment accidents at plants and shipping facilities often involve a contractor or equipment owner besides the employer, which opens a third-party claim.
- Burn and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil field, plant, and industrial site burns can mean skin grafts, months of treatment, and permanent limitations.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs are among the most common serious injuries, and insurers routinely blame degenerative disease instead of the accident.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears from lifting, pulling, or falls are frequent, and employers sometimes call them old sports injuries.
- Premises Liability: Unsafe stores, apartment complexes, and job sites that cause falls or other harm can support a claim against the property owner.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal crash or workplace accident takes a family member, survivors may have claims in addition to death benefits.
What to Do in the Days After a Harvey Injury
Get medical care first and tell the provider exactly how you were hurt. Medical records created close in time to the incident carry real weight later. If you were hurt at work, report it to your employer right away. Louisiana requires notice to the employer within 30 days of the injury, and a formal workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury. If comp payments have already been made, the deadline can stretch to three years from the last payment, but do not count on that.
Photograph the scene, your injuries, and any vehicles or equipment involved. Get names and contact information for witnesses. Ask for a copy of any police or incident report. Keep every bill, pay stub, and piece of correspondence from an insurer. Do not give a recorded statement to an adjuster before talking to a lawyer, and do not sign a medical release that opens your entire health history.
The deadline for a standard injury lawsuit in Louisiana is two years from the day the injury was sustained for injuries on or after July 1, 2024. Earlier injuries stay under the old one-year period. A wrongful death claim runs one year from the date of death or two years from the day the injury occurred, whichever is longer, though a death claim based on medical malpractice stays limited to one year from the date of death.
Comp disputes have their own short clocks. If a treatment request is denied through utilization review, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from written notice to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation. After the medical director rules, a further 45 days from issuance applies to file Form 1008. A final judgment from a workers’ compensation judge can be appealed to the Louisiana Court of Appeals within 30 days of notice, and an appeal that does not suspend the judgment has a 60-day window. Missing any of these can end a claim that was otherwise strong.
How Workers’ Comp and a Third-Party Claim Work Together
Workers’ compensation pays medical treatment and wage benefits regardless of fault, but it does not compensate pain and suffering. A third-party claim against a negligent driver, contractor, or property owner can. When both exist, the comp insurer usually has a right to be reimbursed from the third-party recovery, and how that reimbursement is handled can change what you actually take home. Settling one claim carelessly can damage the other.
Wage benefits in Louisiana follow a weekly cap tied to the date of the accident, and the cap is not adjusted later. Supplemental earnings benefits apply when an injured worker returns to work but cannot earn at least 90 percent of the pre-injury wage. They equal two-thirds of the difference between the old wage and what the worker earns or is able to earn, and they can last up to 520 weeks, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit.
Where a claim goes to a hearing, the worker chooses the parish: where the injury happened, where the worker lived at the time, or where the employer has its principal place of business. Harvey injuries from Jefferson Parish are appealed through the Fifth Circuit, which covers Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes.
Harvey Injury Claim Questions
How much does a Harvey injury lawyer cost?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if there is a recovery. In workers’ compensation cases, attorney fees are also limited and approved under state law.
Do I have a comp claim, an injury claim, or both?
If you were hurt doing your job, you likely have a comp claim. If someone other than your employer contributed, such as another driver or a contractor, you may also have a personal injury claim. Many Harvey cases involve both.
How long do I have to report a work injury in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after the injury. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury.
How long do I have to sue after a car or truck crash?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives two years from the day the injury was sustained. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period.
What if I was partly at fault?
Fault below 51 percent reduces your award by your share. Fault of 51 percent or more bars recovery for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026. Insurers try to inflate your share, so the fault evidence matters early.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Louisiana and Mississippi both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell your attorney during your consultation.
What if my injury involved a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the job or the accident caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, benefits may still be owed, and strong medical evidence is how that gets proven.
My treatment request was denied. What happens next?
You have 15 calendar days from written notice to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation. The medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. Do not let that first window pass.
Will health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often yes, but the health insurer may later seek reimbursement from a settlement. Tell your attorney about every payer so repayment claims are negotiated rather than ignored.
Can a family member bring a claim if a loved one died in a crash or job accident?
Yes. Wrongful death and survival claims run one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer, though a death claim based on medical malpractice is limited to one year from the date of death. Workers’ compensation death benefits may also be available if the death was work-related.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury?
If the insurer is paying and you are recovering fully, you may not need one. If benefits are denied, delayed, or cut off, or the injury keeps you out of work, a lawyer can change the outcome significantly.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Harvey and Jefferson Parish Injury Clients
Our work starts in Harvey and the surrounding West Bank of Jefferson Parish, where we help people hurt in crashes, on job sites, and on other people’s property. We also represent clients in the neighboring communities of Marrero, Gretna, Westwego, Terrytown, Algiers, and Belle Chasse, and across the river in New Orleans and Metairie. Farther out, we serve injured people in Kenner, Harahan, River Ridge, Houma, Thibodaux, and the rest of South Louisiana.
The firm’s reach extends statewide in Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as north Louisiana. In Mississippi, we represent clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Whether the case is a Harvey truck wreck or an industrial burn, the same attorneys handle both the comp claim and the injury claim.
Talk With a Harvey Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in Harvey, the clock on your claim has already started. Call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC, speak with a Harvey injury attorney, and get a clear answer on whether you have a workers’ compensation claim, a personal injury claim, or both. The call is free, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits or a settlement for you.
