Houma Work Injury Lawyer
A back that gave out on a supply boat, a hand crushed on a fabrication yard, a fall from scaffolding at a Terrebonne Parish plant: injuries on the job in Houma are tied to an economy built around the water, the oilfield, and heavy industry, and the paperwork that follows begins almost immediately. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm representing injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Houma work injury lawyer from our team can take over the claim while you focus on treatment.
Houma sits in a part of Louisiana where a large share of the workforce does physical, hazardous, and often offshore-adjacent work. That matters legally. Whether you were hurt on a vessel, at a shore base, on a land-based rig, or in a shop that services all of them, the first question is which system governs your injury. Land-based workers generally fall under the Louisiana workers’ compensation system. Workers on the water may have rights under different federal frameworks, and choosing the wrong path, or missing a deadline in the right one, can cost real money.
The decisions you make in the first few weeks after an injury, such as what you tell the adjuster, which doctor you see, and whether you sign anything, tend to shape the claim for its entire life.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Houma Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles injured workers’ claims in Louisiana and Mississippi, and workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice rather than a sideline to other work. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off before they should have been, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish with clients from the first call through the end of the case.
The people doing the work matter more than the slogans. 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, which matters when an insurer needs to believe a case will actually be tried. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Results show how that experience translates. 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 injured when his work vehicle was struck, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Those numbers matter in Houma for a specific reason: the injuries that come out of heavy industrial and oilfield work, back injuries, burns, shoulder damage from handling pipe, are exactly the injuries insurers like to minimize or blame on age. Client reviews describe attorneys who listened, stayed responsive, and went toe to toe with the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Houma Workplaces
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common serious comp claims. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease; we answer with medical evidence showing how years of physical labor or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among workers who pull pipe, lift equipment, or climb for a living. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the dispute turns on medical records and work history.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plants, rigs, and industrial sites carry fire, chemical, and electrical hazards. These claims involve long treatment, specialist care, and larger benefit questions, including permanent disability.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls, crush incidents, and equipment accidents can require surgical repair and extended time away from work.
- Work Vehicle and Truck Accidents: Drivers hauling for supply and service companies, and workers traveling between job sites, may have both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against a negligent driver.
- Occupational Illness and Repetitive Injury: Conditions that develop over time, rather than in a single event, are compensable when work caused or worsened them, though they are often disputed harder.
- Denied or Cut-Off Benefits: Claims denied outright, medical treatment refused, or wage checks stopped without warning each have their own appeal path in Louisiana.
- Wrongful Death: When a workplace accident takes a life, surviving family members may have rights to death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a separate civil claim.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Houma
Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can. Louisiana law requires notice within 30 days of the accident, and a comp proceeding generally cannot be maintained without it. Do not treat 30 days as a comfortable window. Delayed reporting hands the insurer an argument that the injury happened somewhere else or never happened at all. Get medical attention immediately, tell every provider the injury happened at work, and describe it accurately and completely. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what adjusters quote later.
The formal claim has its own clock. In Louisiana, a claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of the accident. If the insurer has paid benefits, that deadline can extend to three years from the last payment, but relying on an exception is a gamble. Workers’ compensation disputes in Louisiana are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, which operates a district court in Houma. The worker chooses among the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where the worker lived at the time, and the parish of the employer’s principal place of business, so venue is often a decision worth making deliberately.
Medical disputes move on short deadlines. If the insurer denies a treatment your doctor has recommended, such as surgery, an MRI, or an injection, you have 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file LWC Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation, 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, not from the date you read it, to file Form 1008. Missing either window can end a fight you would otherwise have won.
Be careful with recorded statements, with returning to work before your physician releases you, and with any settlement offer or paperwork the insurer sends. A recorded statement given before you understand your diagnosis is a common source of later denials. A quick settlement can close out medical benefits for an injury that turns out to need surgery. If you were hurt by someone other than your employer, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site, keep that in mind from the beginning, because a third-party claim runs on a separate track with its own deadline.
How Wage Benefits Work and Where They Go Wrong
While you cannot work at all, Louisiana pays temporary total disability benefits. These are not your full paycheck. The weekly amount is a percentage of your average wage, subject to a maximum that is set each year based on the statewide average weekly wage and fixed by the date of your accident. If a doctor releases you to lighter duty and you return at lower pay, or cannot find work that pays what you earned before, you may qualify for supplemental earnings benefits. Those equal two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of your old wages. They can continue until you are released to full duty, you are earning your pre-injury wages, or you reach the 520-week maximum, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that total.
The fights usually start over the phrase “able to earn.” Insurers hire vocational consultants who identify jobs on paper that you may not be physically capable of doing or that do not actually exist near Houma. Permanent disability, catastrophic injury, and death benefits add further layers. Because benefit rates are tied to your accident date and the numbers change over time, an attorney should calculate what you are actually owed rather than relying on what the adjuster tells you.
Appealing a Denied Claim or an Unfair Ruling
A denial is a position, not a verdict. When a workers’ compensation judge issues a judgment against you, a final judgment can be appealed to the Louisiana court of appeal within 30 days of receiving notice of the judgment where the appeal would suspend it. Different timing rules apply to appeals that do not suspend the judgment, and the clock can be measured from the signing of the judgment or the mailing of notice, whichever is later. Terrebonne Parish falls within the First Circuit Court of Appeal’s territory. Beyond that, a party can ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review through a writ application within 30 days of notice of the judgment. Appellate courts review the record built below, which means the evidence you develop at the trial level largely decides what an appeal can accomplish. That is one reason cases should be prepared for hearing from the start, not patched together after a loss.
Houma Work Injury Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a Houma 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 change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests. You should have someone protecting yours.
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 benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report and file in Louisiana?
Report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident date, though payments made by the insurer can extend that period to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions are narrow, do not wait to find out whether one applies.
Can my employer fire me for filing a 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 involved a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument constantly, particularly in back, knee, and shoulder cases, and answering it with strong medical evidence is central to what we do.
What if my doctor says I need surgery and the insurer refuses?
You have a formal dispute process rather than a dead end. A denial of recommended treatment must be challenged with LWC Form 1009 within 15 calendar days of written notice, after which the medical director has 30 calendar days to rule. Because the deadline is short, contact an attorney as soon as you receive the denial.
Does a Houma comp claim differ if I work on a boat or offshore?
It can. Workers on vessels or offshore may have claims under federal maritime or other frameworks rather than state workers’ compensation, and the right path depends on your job duties and where you were hurt. The classification affects benefits and deadlines, so get an attorney’s review before assuming which system applies.
Can I get workers’ comp and also sue someone else?
Sometimes. If someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver hitting your work truck or a contractor with an unsafe site, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your comp benefits. Louisiana’s tort deadline for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 is two years from the day the injury occurred, with earlier injuries under the former one-year period. Fault also matters: for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault is barred from recovery.
Will my own health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
Workers’ compensation is supposed to cover reasonable and necessary treatment for a work injury, so if the claim is accepted, the comp insurer should pay. If it is disputed, you may be tempted to use health insurance in the meantime, which can create reimbursement and coverage complications. Talk to an attorney before choosing that route.
What happens if my wage benefits are cut off without warning?
Insurers sometimes stop paying based on a doctor’s release, an independent medical opinion, or a claim that you can earn more than you actually do. A stoppage can be challenged before a workers’ compensation judge, and reinstatement and penalties may be available when the cutoff was not justified. Do not simply accept a termination notice as final.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos español. Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Houma and Terrebonne Parish Injured Workers Across South Louisiana
We represent injured workers in Houma and throughout Terrebonne Parish, including Gray, Bayou Cane, Schriever, Chauvin, Montegut, Dulac, and Gibson, as well as the bayou communities that feed workers to the shore bases, shipyards, and plants of the region. Neighboring Lafourche Parish workers, including those in Thibodaux and Raceland, are also part of the South Louisiana communities we serve, as are workers across Assumption, St. Mary, and Jefferson parishes.
Our reach extends across Louisiana, from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and into north Louisiana. We also represent injured workers throughout Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. Whether the injury happened at a Houma-area industrial site, on a land-based rig, or on a job a few hours away, the same team handles the claim from first notice through hearing and appeal.
Talk to a Houma Work Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, the clock on your notice and filing deadlines started the day of the accident. A Houma work injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC can review what happened, tell you which deadlines are running, and deal with the employer and the insurer so you are not negotiating against professionals alone.
Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us to talk through your injury and your options. We help injured workers. That is the work we do.
