Baton Rouge Personal Injury Lawyer
Anyone in Baton Rouge weighing whether to call a lawyer after an injury should know that Louisiana changed several rules recently, and they cut in different directions. A longer filing window helps some claimants; a stricter fault rule hurts others. Baton Rouge personal injury lawyer searches often come from people who were hurt in a crash on the interstate or a fall at a store, and who have just discovered that the other side’s insurer is already building a story about who was to blame. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles personal injury, car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death claims for injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, including East Baton Rouge Parish and the communities around it.
The firm’s core work is workers’ compensation, and that shapes how it approaches injury cases. A large share of serious injuries happen to people who were on the clock: a driver struck in a company truck, a contractor hurt on an unsafe site, an industrial worker injured by someone else’s equipment. Those cases can carry two claims at once, and they have to be handled so that one does not undercut the other.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Baton Rouge Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana, with clients in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans, and across both states. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and you pay no fee unless there is a recovery. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
The people behind those numbers matter. 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 in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts.
The results show the kind of injuries the firm handles: $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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. That third result is the kind of case where injury law and comp law meet, and where a lawyer who knows both can keep the claims from colliding. Clients describe the team as easy to work with, professional, and willing to take the time to understand their situation, and several single out Brad Baskin for standing up to the insurance company at every step.
Injury Claims Common Around Baton Rouge
- Car and Truck Collisions: Baton Rouge traffic is shaped by heavy commuter volume on the interstates, congestion near the Mississippi River bridge approaches, and commercial trucks serving the industrial corridor along the river. Truck cases often involve more than the driver, including the carrier, the owner of the vehicle, and the party that loaded the cargo.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: When a delivery driver, project manager, or sales employee is hit by another motorist while working, the injured person may have a workers’ compensation claim against the employer and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver. The two have to be coordinated.
- Premises Liability: Falls in stores, restaurants, apartment complexes, and parking areas turn on whether the owner knew or should have known about the hazard, such as a wet floor, broken stairs, or poor lighting, and failed to fix it.
- Industrial and Contractor Site Injuries: Plants, refineries, and construction sites around the region involve many companies on one site. A worker hurt by a contractor other than their own employer may be able to pursue that outside party beyond comp benefits.
- Serious Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires, explosions, and equipment failures can cause burns, amputations, and spinal injuries that require lifelong care. These cases depend on medical and vocational evidence about future needs, not just current bills.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations and cervical injuries are among the most common serious outcomes of collisions and falls, and insurers frequently respond by pointing to degenerative changes that were already present.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal crash, workplace incident, or unsafe property takes a life, surviving family members may bring claims for their loss, subject to the Louisiana timing rules discussed below.
What to Do After an Injury in the Baton Rouge Area
Start with medical care, and make it prompt. Whether you go to an emergency room or an urgent care clinic in the Baton Rouge area, the records created in the first days become the foundation of the claim. Gaps in treatment give an insurer an easy argument that you were not really hurt, or that something else caused the problem. Tell every provider exactly how the injury happened and describe all of your symptoms, not just the worst one.
If police respond, make sure a report is filed, and get the report number. Photograph the vehicles, the road, the hazard that caused your fall, and your injuries, and save the names of anyone who saw what happened. Keep your own phone records, receipts, and a short running log of pain, missed work, and daily limits. Be careful with the other side’s insurer: you are not required to give a recorded statement, and early casual remarks about fault or about “feeling okay” are frequently quoted back later.
If the injury happened at work, a separate set of deadlines runs alongside the injury claim. In Louisiana you should report a work injury to your employer within 30 days, and a formal workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. Those comp cases are heard by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation, and Baton Rouge has one of the state’s district workers’ compensation courts. Decisions from that district are appealed to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. Reporting promptly and in writing protects both the comp claim and any related injury claim against a third party.
Injury lawsuits arising from a crash or a fall are filed in state court in the parish where the case belongs, and some cases, particularly those involving parties from different states, can proceed in federal court. The Middle District of Louisiana sits in Baton Rouge and covers East Baton Rouge and the neighboring parishes of Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, and St. Helena. Which court is proper affects timing, jury pools, and procedure, so it is a decision to make with counsel rather than on your own.
Louisiana’s New Fault Rule and Filing Deadlines
Two recent changes in Louisiana law deserve attention from anyone with a claim. The first is the filing deadline. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, a lawsuit for injury or damage caused by a wrongful act generally must be filed within two years of the day the injury was sustained. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period, so the date of your accident controls which clock applies. Do not assume the longer period covers you without checking that date.
The second change is more consequential for contested cases. Under Civil Code article 2323, as amended, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, while a claimant found less than 51 percent at fault has the award reduced by that percentage. This stricter rule applies to causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026; earlier ones stay under pure comparative fault, where recovery is reduced but never barred. In a jury trial, jurors are told about the bar. In practice, this makes fault allocation the central battleground. Insurers now have a strong incentive to push your share of blame toward the threshold, whether by claiming you were speeding, distracted, or ignoring a visible hazard, and evidence about how the incident really happened carries more weight than ever.
Wrongful death timing also changed. A wrongful death claim in Louisiana prescribes one year from the date of death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer, and survival actions follow the same rule. A death claim based on medical malpractice remains limited to one year from the date of death. Because these periods interact, families should not wait to learn which one applies to them.
How an Injury Claim Differs When You Were Working
A worker hurt by someone other than the employer sits in an unusual position. Workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage benefits regardless of fault, but it does not pay for pain and suffering. A claim against the negligent outside party can, which is why a driver who hits a work truck or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall can be pursued in addition to the comp claim. Louisiana wage benefits are two-thirds of the wage difference in many situations, set within weekly limits that are fixed by the accident date, so the comp check alone often falls well short of what the injury actually costs.
Coordination is the hard part. The comp insurer may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, settlements in one claim can affect the other, and statements made in one forum are used in the other. Insurers on both sides also use the same denial themes: that the injury was not work related, that it came from a pre-existing condition, or that you can return to work sooner than your doctor says. Answering those arguments with medical evidence, witness accounts, and work history is the same skill whether the claim is for comp or for injury.
Baton Rouge Personal Injury Questions Answered
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the general period is two years from the day the injury was sustained. Injuries before that date remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death follows its own rule of one year from death or two years from injury, whichever is longer.
What does the 51 percent rule mean for my case?
If a court or jury finds you 51 percent or more at fault for a cause of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, you recover nothing. If you are found less than 51 percent at fault, your award is reduced by your percentage. Earlier claims remain under pure comparative fault, where fault reduces recovery but does not bar it.
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Baton Rouge?
Not every minor collision requires one. But if you have significant injuries, missed work, a disputed account of fault, or an insurer that is delaying or lowballing, an attorney can change the outcome. With the stricter fault rule, even a partial share of blame assigned to you can be decisive.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and you owe a fee only if there is a recovery.
Can I bring an injury claim if I was hurt while working?
Yes, if someone other than your employer contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver or an outside contractor. You may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate third-party claim, and the two should be handled together.
What if the insurance company says my back or neck problem was already there?
Insurers raise degenerative changes constantly. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if the accident caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem. Medical records showing your condition before and after the event are the best answer.
Should I give the other driver’s insurance a recorded statement?
You are generally not required to. Casual remarks about fault or about how you feel are often used against claimants, especially now that a share of fault at or above 51 percent bars recovery for newer claims. Speak with a lawyer first.
Will my health insurance pay for treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it can, and getting treatment on time matters more than waiting for the claim to resolve. Your health insurer may seek reimbursement from a settlement, so keep records of everything it pays.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For newer claims, fault below 51 percent reduces your award proportionally, and 51 percent or more bars it. Because the line is so consequential, evidence that limits your share of blame is worth gathering early.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury claim?
It depends on the injuries, the medical bills, and the dispute over fault. A free consultation is a low-risk way to find out whether the claim justifies representation, and because the firm is paid only on recovery, there is no up-front cost.
What happens if the person who hurt me worked for a company?
The employer may be responsible for its worker’s conduct, and its insurer will be involved. These cases tend to involve more evidence, more parties, and more aggressive defense than a simple two-car collision.
Can the firm help if I do not speak English well?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language throughout the case.
Serving Injury Clients Across Baton Rouge and Its Surrounding Parishes
The firm represents injured people throughout East Baton Rouge Parish, from central Baton Rouge and the neighborhoods around the university and the state capitol area to Mid City, Southdowns, and the growing southeastern corridor. It also serves clients in neighboring communities such as Zachary, Baker, Central, and Port Allen, and in the surrounding parishes, including Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, West Baton Rouge, and Pointe Coupee. Across South Louisiana, the firm represents clients in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and in north Louisiana in Shreveport.
The firm’s reach also extends into Mississippi, where it serves clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Whether the injury happened on a highway, at a plant, on a job site, or in a store, the same attorneys handle both the injury claim and any related workers’ compensation claim.
Talk to a Baton Rouge Personal Injury Attorney Today
The new fault rule and filing deadlines mean that early decisions in an injury case matter more now than they once did. If you were hurt in Baton Rouge or elsewhere in Louisiana, a Baton Rouge personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines and fault rules apply to your accident date, and tell you plainly what the claim may be worth pursuing. Phones are answered around the clock, the consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless the firm recovers for you. Call today to talk through your situation.
