Destrehan Personal Injury Lawyer
A Destrehan injury case is rarely just one claim. The refinery operator, the barge crew, the delivery driver and the plant electrician all live on the same stretch of River Road, and when one of them gets hurt, the question of who pays has more than one answer. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation and injury law firm serving injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we work with Destrehan personal injury lawyer clients in St. Charles Parish who were hurt in car and truck crashes, on unsafe property, or in accidents that cost a family a loved one.
The industrial corridor along the Mississippi River puts a large share of the area’s workforce on the road, on docks and inside plants. That mix matters. A worker struck by a negligent driver while on the clock may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate personal injury claim, and handling one badly can damage the other. The insurers on each side have different incentives, and they do not coordinate for your benefit.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Destrehan Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people throughout South Louisiana, including Destrehan and the rest of St. Charles Parish, as well as across Mississippi. Workers’ compensation has been the center of the firm’s practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed or cut off. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you owe nothing unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos espanol).
That background is useful when a Destrehan injury sits between two systems. Rob Lunsford, our founding partner, 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 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict.
Our results show the kind of injuries we handle: a $685,000 settlement 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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently tell us that our attorneys listened, stayed in contact and stood up to the insurance company on their behalf.
Injury Claims We Handle for Destrehan and St. Charles Parish Residents
- Car and Truck Accidents: Interstate 310 and River Road carry commuters, plant traffic and heavy trucks serving the river industries. Crashes involving commercial vehicles often bring in the driver, the carrier and sometimes a shipper or maintenance contractor.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: When a worker is hit by a negligent third party while driving for an employer, comp benefits cover medical care and wages, while a separate claim against the at-fault driver can reach losses comp does not.
- Premises Liability: Unsafe stairs, poor lighting, wet floors, inadequate security and neglected maintenance at stores, apartment complexes and commercial sites can make a property owner responsible for injuries.
- Industrial and Contractor Site Injuries: Plants and job sites use layers of contractors. An injured worker may have comp against an employer and a negligence claim against a different company whose unsafe conduct caused the harm.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires, explosions, falls from height and crush injuries can mean surgeries, long rehabilitation and permanent limits on work. These cases need careful documentation of lifetime medical needs.
- Back, Neck and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations are common after crashes and heavy physical work, and insurers often blame degenerative changes. Medical evidence showing what changed after the incident is central.
- Shoulder, Knee and Fracture Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, meniscus tears and broken bones often require specialists and surgery, and insurers may call them old injuries.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal accident takes a family’s provider, surviving relatives may pursue a claim for the loss, and a worker’s death can also trigger death benefits under workers’ compensation.
What to Do After an Injury in Destrehan
Get medical care first, and tell every provider exactly how you were hurt. Records created in the first days carry weight later, and gaps in treatment give insurers room to argue the injury was minor or came from somewhere else. Follow your doctor’s instructions and keep the paperwork.
If the injury happened at work, tell 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 accident. If compensation payments were made, the deadline can extend to three years from the last payment, but do not rely on that. If a denial or a dispute over treatment arises, the deadlines tighten sharply: a challenge to a treatment denial through the Office of Workers’ Compensation is due within 15 calendar days of written notice, and a later step after the medical director’s decision must be filed within 45 days of the decision being issued. A judgment by a workers’ compensation judge can be appealed, and for St. Charles Parish that appeal goes to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes.
For a car crash or premises injury, the clock is different. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives two years from the day the injury is sustained to bring a civil claim; injuries before that date remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death follows its own rule: one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer, with a one-year limit for death claims based on medical malpractice.
Photograph the scene, the vehicles, your injuries and any hazard that caused a fall. Get names and contact details for witnesses. Report the crash to law enforcement so an official record exists. Do not give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer before speaking with a lawyer, do not post about the accident online, and be careful with any early settlement offer, because accepting one usually ends the claim for good.
How Fault Is Decided and Why It Changes the Value of a Claim
Louisiana law now bars recovery for a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, and juries must be told that a plaintiff at that level takes nothing. Below that threshold, the award is reduced by the plaintiff’s share of fault. Earlier claims remain under pure comparative fault. In practical terms, the insurer’s first move is often to push a share of the blame onto you, because every percentage point comes out of your recovery and a high enough number ends the claim entirely.
That is why evidence gathered early matters: traffic and scene photographs, vehicle data, witness accounts, maintenance and safety records, and medical opinions tying the injury to the event. An injury attorney in Destrehan builds that proof before the insurer settles on its story.
When a Work Injury Is Also a Personal Injury Case
Workers’ compensation pays medical treatment and wage benefits regardless of fault, but it does not compensate for pain and suffering. A claim against a third party, such as a negligent driver, a contractor or a property owner other than your employer, can. Louisiana’s supplemental earnings benefits, which apply when an injured worker returns at reduced pay, run up to a 520-week maximum, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that total. Weekly compensation rates are set by the date of the accident and tied to the statewide average weekly wage.
Coordinating the two claims matters. A settlement in one can affect the other, and the comp insurer may have reimbursement rights from a third-party recovery. Our attorneys handle both workers’ compensation and personal injury, so the strategy is built as a whole rather than in pieces.
Destrehan Personal Injury Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a car accident claim in Destrehan?
Not every minor fender bender requires one. But if you were hurt, if fault is disputed, if a commercial vehicle was involved or if the insurer is delaying or lowballing, a lawyer can change the outcome.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
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, delictual actions generally prescribe two years from the day the injury or damage is sustained. Injuries before that date remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death follows one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower share reduces the award proportionally. Earlier claims fall under pure comparative fault. Because fault percentages decide so much, they are worth contesting with evidence.
Can I file both a workers’ compensation claim and a personal injury claim?
Often yes, when someone other than your employer caused the injury. Comp provides medical care and wage benefits, while a third-party claim can seek damages comp does not cover.
What should I tell the other driver’s insurance company?
Give basic identifying information and nothing more. Decline recorded statements and avoid guessing about fault or your injuries until you have spoken with an attorney.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Many people use health coverage while a claim is pending so treatment is not delayed, and reimbursement issues are sorted out when the claim resolves. Do not skip care because of cost; delays can hurt both your recovery and your case.
My injury happened on a job site run by a contractor, not my employer. Who can I pursue?
Your employer’s comp carrier covers your medical bills and wages, and you may also have a negligence claim against the other company if its unsafe conduct caused the injury.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
No. 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 us so we can review your options.
What if the insurer says my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the accident or your work caused, worsened or sped up the condition, you may still recover. Medical evidence comparing your condition before and after the event is what answers this argument.
Do you handle wrongful death cases?
Yes. We represent families after fatal crashes and workplace accidents, and we can explain which time limits and claims apply to your situation.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, 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 Destrehan and the River Parishes
Our work for Destrehan injury clients starts in St. Charles Parish, including Destrehan itself and neighboring communities such as Hahnville, Boutte, Luling, Norco and St. Rose. We also represent people in nearby Jefferson Parish communities, including Kenner, Harahan, Metairie and River Ridge, and across the New Orleans area. Beyond that, we serve injured people in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana.
Our reach extends into Mississippi, where we represent clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast and the Delta, as well as north Mississippi. Whether the accident happened on a river-parish highway, inside a plant, or on a work trip across the state line, our attorneys handle both the injury claim and any workers’ compensation benefits that come with it.
Talk With a Destrehan Personal Injury Attorney Today
Insurance companies move quickly to shape the record, and deadlines in Louisiana run on tight clocks. If you were hurt in a crash, on someone’s property or on the job, speak with a Destrehan personal injury attorney from our team before you sign anything or give a statement. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call us to talk through what happened and what your options are.
