Tangipahoa Parish Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Hurt on the job in Hammond, Ponchatoula, Amite, or anywhere else in Tangipahoa Parish, and now trying to decide whether to hire someone before the adjuster’s next phone call? Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Louisiana and Mississippi, including the Tangipahoa Parish communities where warehouse, hospital, trucking, and construction work keeps people on their feet and on the road every day. If you need a Tangipahoa Parish workers’ compensation lawyer, the sooner you talk to one, the more of your case can still be shaped by what you do in the first few weeks.
The decisions that matter most in a Louisiana comp claim tend to happen early and quietly. What you tell your supervisor about how the injury happened, which doctor you see first, whether you sign a recorded statement, and whether you meet the 30-day notice requirement all feed into how the insurer evaluates you. Carriers do not need to deny a claim outright to hurt it. A delayed approval for an MRI, a pre-existing condition argument, or benefits that stop without warning can leave a worker without treatment or income for months.
Your claim will be decided by the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, not by a jury and not by your employer. Louisiana law, with its own benefit categories, filing deadlines, and appeal clocks, governs the outcome. Knowing how those pieces fit together before the insurer sets the terms is the practical reason to get legal help early.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Tangipahoa Parish Comp Claim
Most attorneys who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one happens to come through the door. This firm was built the other way around. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. For someone in Tangipahoa Parish, that focus means the person handling your file has seen the insurer’s playbook many times: the accident “didn’t happen at work” argument, the degenerative disc disease explanation, the push to return to work before your doctor clears you.
The firm’s results include 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. Those cases reflect the kinds of injuries that come out of the industrial, medical, and construction settings common across southeast Louisiana.
Rob Lunsford, the firm’s 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 in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out a team that handles claims before workers’ compensation judges and takes appeals when a ruling is wrong. Clients consistently describe the same things in their reviews: attorneys who listen, who stay professional, and who fight with the insurance company at every step.
The practical terms are simple. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call. Hablamos espanol.
Work Injuries We See Across Tangipahoa Parish
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are the most common serious claims we handle, and they are the ones insurers most often blame on degenerative disc disease. Lifting in distribution and warehouse settings, repetitive bending on construction crews, and patient handling in hospitals and care facilities can cause or aggravate these injuries, and the medical evidence has to show that connection.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow falls, overhead work, or twisting on uneven ground. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the timeline of symptoms and the treating surgeon’s opinion carry real weight.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Interstate and highway traffic through the parish puts drivers at risk of wrecks, and loading and unloading injuries are just as common. A crash on the job can produce both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Fractures of the Feet, Ankles, and Hips: Falls from ladders, scaffolds, and loading docks frequently produce breaks that need specialist care and surgical repair, with long stretches away from work while the bone and hardware heal.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial plants, job sites, and oil and gas work can cause severe burns and other life-altering injuries. These claims often involve permanent disability benefits and can reach into the six-figure range, as with a $221,000 burn settlement for an oil rig worker.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are recognized categories of claims that require careful medical and occupational proof.
- Third-Party Injury Claims: When a negligent driver hits your work vehicle or an unsafe contractor causes a fall, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits, and the two need to be coordinated rather than allowed to collide.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Tangipahoa Parish
Report the injury to your employer right away, and do it in writing if you can. Louisiana requires notice to the employer within 30 days of the injury, and missing that window gives the insurer an easy argument. Be specific about what happened, when, and which body parts hurt, even if some symptoms have not appeared yet. Back and neck injuries in particular often worsen over the following days. Then get medical care promptly, tell every provider that the injury happened at work, and keep copies of every record, work restriction note, and bill that comes in.
Be careful with the insurer. An adjuster may call quickly, sound friendly, and ask for a recorded statement. What you say can be used to argue that the accident was not work-related or that your condition predates the job. It is reasonable to speak with an attorney before giving any recorded statement. Also keep a simple record of missed shifts, reduced hours, and any light-duty offers, because those details drive wage benefits.
Know the deadlines. A formal claim in Louisiana generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury, and that period can extend to three years from the last compensation payment when benefits have been paid. Treatment disputes run on a much shorter clock. If the insurer denies a recommended treatment through utilization review, the dispute is filed on Form 1009 within 15 calendar days of written notice of the denial, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. If you disagree with that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to file Form 1008. These windows are short and they do not pause while you wait for the insurer to change its mind.
Claims that are not resolved are heard by a workers’ compensation judge in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Louisiana law lets the worker choose where the hearing is held: the parish where the injury happened, the parish where the worker lived at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. Our firm handles these matters throughout the state, and a Tangipahoa Parish case can be positioned in the venue that makes the most sense for you. The decision of the workers’ compensation judge is final unless appealed. Cases from this part of the state are reviewed by the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, and an appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within 30 days, while one that does not suspend it can be filed within 60. From there, a party can ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review by applying for a writ of certiorari within 30 days of notice of the judgment.
The most common mistakes are waiting to report, downplaying symptoms, returning to full duty before a doctor approves it, and assuming the insurer’s first denial is the end. A denial is often where the real work begins.
How Louisiana Comp Benefits Actually Work
Louisiana workers’ compensation pays for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury, and it replaces part of your wages while you cannot work. Temporary total disability pays roughly two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you are unable to work at all. The weekly rate is capped by a maximum set each year from the statewide average weekly wage, and the cap that applies to you is fixed by your accident date and is not adjusted later.
When you can return to work but cannot earn what you made before, supplemental earnings benefits come into play. These benefits equal two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, and they apply when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of your pre-injury pay. They continue until you are released to full duty, return to your pre-injury earnings, or reach the 520-week maximum, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit. Disputes over what you are “able to earn” are common, and they turn on your restrictions, your job history, and what work is realistically available near you.
Permanent disability, catastrophic injury, and death benefits sit on top of these. Because insurers often try to settle early or cut off benefits at the point they find convenient, understanding what your injury is realistically worth, including future surgery and lost earning capacity, should happen before any settlement conversation, not after.
Questions Tangipahoa Parish Workers Ask About Comp Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and fees are collected only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury and file a claim?
Report your injury to your employer within 30 days. A formal claim in Louisiana generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though the deadline can extend to three years from the last payment if compensation has been paid. Because exceptions are narrow, filing early is safer than relying on them.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go, demoted, 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 your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering this argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Louisiana gives injured workers some say in choosing a treating physician, but the rules around the first choice, changes of provider, and referrals to specialists are technical. Before you switch doctors or accept the insurer’s referral, ask an attorney how it may affect your claim.
The insurer denied my MRI or surgery. Is that the end?
No. A treatment denial can be challenged through the utilization review process. You must file Form 1009 within 15 calendar days of receiving the written denial, and a medical director decision follows. After that, a further dispute is filed on Form 1008 within 45 days of the date the decision was issued. Missing either window can cost you the right to contest the denial through that route.
How do supplemental earnings benefits work if my employer offers me lighter duty at lower pay?
If light duty pays you less than 90 percent of what you earned before the injury, you may qualify for supplemental earnings benefits equal to two-thirds of the difference. Accepting a reduced-pay position does not waive those benefits, but you should document your earnings carefully and keep every pay stub.
I was hurt in a wreck while driving for work. Can I also sue the other driver?
Often yes. Workers’ compensation is not your only avenue when someone other than your employer caused the injury. A claim against the at-fault driver can recover damages that comp does not cover, and Louisiana’s fault rules now include a 51 percent bar for causes of action arising on or after the start of 2026, so how fault is assigned matters more than it used to. Coordinating the two claims protects the reimbursement rights the comp insurer may have.
What happens if the workers’ compensation judge rules against me?
You can appeal. Cases from this region go to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. An appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within 30 days, and one that does not suspend it within 60, running from the later of the judgment’s signing or the mailing of notice. Appeals are decided on the record built at the hearing, which is why the evidence at the trial level matters so much.
How long does a contested comp case take to resolve?
Timelines vary with the injury, the medical picture, and how hard the insurer fights. Cases involving surgery or disputes over disability often stay open until you reach maximum medical improvement, because settling before you know your long-term condition can leave you undercompensated. We will give you a realistic picture of your case during a free consultation.
Do you handle claims for Spanish-speaking workers?
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 Injured Workers Across Tangipahoa Parish and Southeast Louisiana
Our work for Tangipahoa Parish clients begins in Hammond, the parish’s largest city, and extends north through Amite City and Independence, south and east through Ponchatoula and Loranger, and into the smaller communities of Kentwood, Roseland, Tickfaw, Husser, Natalbany, Robert, Akers, and Fluker. Whether you work at a hospital, a distribution center, a construction site, a farm, a school, or behind the wheel on the highways that run through the parish, we represent workers throughout the parish.
We also serve neighboring parishes and the wider region, including St. Tammany, Livingston, Washington, and the greater Baton Rouge and New Orleans areas, along with Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across south and north Louisiana. Across the state line, our Mississippi practice reaches Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Wherever you were hurt, the same principle applies: the sooner you have a lawyer who focuses on comp, the more leverage you keep.
Talk With a Tangipahoa Parish Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job and the insurer is questioning your claim, delaying treatment, or cutting off benefits, a Tangipahoa Parish workers’ compensation attorney from our team can review what happened and explain where you stand. The call and the consultation are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
Our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC to schedule a consultation. We help injured workers. That is what we do.
