Marrero Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Marrero workers get hurt in places most of the metro area never sees: on the docks and tank farms along the river, in the yards and warehouses off the West Bank Expressway, on crews running pipe and welding steel. If you were hurt at one of those jobs, the next few weeks decide whether your medical care keeps flowing or stalls. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles claims for injured workers in Marrero and across Jefferson Parish, the rest of South Louisiana, and throughout Mississippi, and a Marrero workers’ compensation lawyer from our team can step in before the insurer sets the terms.
Workers’ comp is not a lawsuit against your boss, and it is not a fault contest. It is a benefits system with its own judges, its own deadlines, and its own rules about what your employer’s insurer must pay. That difference matters most when a claim goes sideways: an adjuster questions whether the accident happened at work, a doctor is not approved, or checks stop with no explanation.
A comp claim is also easy to confuse with a personal injury claim, and the two follow different rules. Comp pays regardless of who caused the accident, but it pays on a fixed schedule. A separate injury claim against a negligent outside party can sit alongside it. Knowing which track you are on, and whether you are on both, shapes everything that follows.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Marrero Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see one when it walks in the door. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, and we serve injured workers in Marrero, throughout Jefferson Parish, across Louisiana, and across Mississippi. Clients pay nothing up front, we advance the costs of the case, consultations are free, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español) from the first call to the end of the case.
Founding Partner Rob Lunsford has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries Marrero workers suffer. We secured $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $385,000 for a project manager hurt when he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients regularly tell us the same things in their reviews: we listened, we stayed professional, and we fought the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Marrero Job Sites
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common claims from warehouse, dock, and construction work. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, and the answer is medical evidence showing how years of physical labor or a single incident caused or worsened the damage.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears follow pulling, lifting, and falls. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the timeline of symptoms and treatment matters.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plants, refineries, and industrial sites along the river corridor carry risks of fire, chemical exposure, and crushing accidents that can end a career.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls off scaffolds, ladders, and equipment often need specialists and repeat surgery.
- Truck and Vehicle Crashes on the Job: Drivers and field staff working Jefferson Parish roads and the highways around New Orleans may qualify for comp benefits and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Occupational Illness and Repetitive Injury: Conditions that develop over time, including hearing loss and lung problems from long exposure, can be covered even without a single dramatic accident.
- Death Benefits and Wrongful Death: When a worker dies from a job injury, the family may have both a comp death claim and, if a third party was negligent, a wrongful death case.
What to Do After a Marrero Job Injury, and the Louisiana Deadlines That Control Your Claim
Get medical care first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work so it is documented that way from the start. Then report it to your employer, in writing if you can. Louisiana law bars a comp proceeding unless the employer has notice within thirty days of the injury, so the clock starts the day you are hurt, not the day you decide to pursue a claim. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. If the insurer has paid benefits, that window can extend to three years from the last payment, but do not count on an exception when a simple filing protects you. Write down who saw the accident, what equipment was involved, and when your symptoms began. Keep every bill, work note, and pay stub.
Louisiana claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. A worker chooses the venue: the parish where the injury happened, the parish where you lived when hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. The district office that handles New Orleans-area claims sits in New Orleans, and others operate in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houma, Covington, Harahan, Alexandria, Monroe, and Shreveport. Which one fits a Marrero worker depends on where the injury occurred and where the employer is based.
The common mistakes are predictable. Workers give recorded statements to adjusters without preparation, skip doctor visits, return to work before being cleared, or assume a denial letter ends the matter. It does not. A denied medical treatment request has its own fast clock: the dispute form must be filed with the OWC within 15 calendar days of written notice of the denial, and the medical director then has 30 days to decide. After that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to file the next form. These windows are short and run from issuance, not from when you got around to reading the letter.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and Where Disputes Arise
Louisiana comp covers all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you cannot work, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death. Weekly compensation is capped, and the cap is set annually by reference to the statewide average weekly wage. The cap that applies to you is fixed by the date of your accident and is not adjusted afterward, so the accident date matters.
If you return to work at reduced pay, supplemental earnings benefits can make up part of the gap. They are available when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages, and they equal two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn. They continue until you are released to full duty, are earning your old wages, or reach the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that 520. Insurers often argue you can earn more than you actually do, so job search records and medical restrictions carry real weight.
If a workers’ compensation judge rules against you, the decision is final unless appealed to the proper circuit court of appeal. An appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within thirty days; one that does not suspend it has sixty days. The delay runs from the day after the judgment was signed or the day after notice was mailed, whichever is later. Marrero sits in Jefferson Parish, which falls within the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, although the court that reviews your case can depend on which OWC district heard it. Review by the Louisiana Supreme Court is by application for a writ within 30 days of notice of the appellate judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Marrero Workers’ Compensation Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Marrero?
Not every claim requires one. But if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer changes the balance. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys working for it, and you should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
Tell your employer right away, and no later than thirty days after the injury. Louisiana will not maintain a comp proceeding without that notice. A late report invites a fight you did not need.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally one year from the date of the accident. If the insurer has paid benefits, the deadline can stretch to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions depend on the payment history, speak with an attorney before assuming you have extra time.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What if my injury was caused by a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument constantly, and answering it with strong medical evidence is central to our work.
The insurer denied my surgery or treatment. What can I do?
There is a formal dispute process, and it moves fast. The form must be filed with the OWC within 15 calendar days of written notice of the denial, and the medical director has 30 days to rule. Do not wait on the insurer to reconsider.
What happens if I was partly at fault for my own accident?
Comp is a no-fault system, so your own carelessness generally does not defeat a claim. Fault only becomes a concern if a separate injury claim against an outside party is also in play, where Louisiana’s comparative fault rules apply. Those rules changed for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, and a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault can be barred from recovering.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Often yes. If a negligent driver hit your work truck or a contractor’s unsafe site caused a fall, you may have a third-party claim in addition to comp. The two claims need to be managed together so one does not undercut the other. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s general deadline for this kind of claim is two years.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Comp is supposed to pay for work-related treatment, but disputes can leave you without approved care for a time. Tell your providers it is a work injury, keep records of every bill, and talk to us before using personal insurance so that reimbursement issues do not damage the claim.
What if my employer is based in Mississippi or I work across state lines?
Our attorneys handle claims in both states, and the applicable law depends on the facts of the employment and the injury. In Mississippi, injuries must be reported within 30 days and a petition generally filed with the Commission within two years. Call us and we will sort out which state’s rules govern.
Serving Marrero Injured Workers Across Jefferson Parish and Beyond
Our work for Marrero clients extends through the West Bank communities of Jefferson Parish, including Gretna, Harvey, Westwego, Terrytown, Avondale, Waggaman, and Estelle. We also represent workers from Lafitte and Barataria, and from Belle Chasse in neighboring Plaquemines Parish. Across the river, we serve clients in New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, and Harahan, along with Chalmette in St. Bernard Parish and the River Parishes of St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist.
Beyond the metro area, we take comp claims in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Houma, Covington, Shreveport, and the rest of South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Our attorneys also represent injured workers throughout Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Whether the injury happened on a Marrero dock, a plant site, or a highway job, we bring the same workers’ compensation focus to the claim.
Talk to a Marrero Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to fight the insurance company alone. A Marrero workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain which deadlines apply to you, and start dealing with the employer and insurer on your behalf. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us to talk through your claim.
