Houma Personal Injury Lawyer
Anyone hurt in Houma or elsewhere in Terrebonne Parish has a decision to make, and it usually has to be made while the pain, the medical bills, and the insurance adjuster’s phone calls are all arriving at once. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles injury claims for people across Mississippi and South Louisiana, including workers hurt on the job, drivers struck by negligent motorists, and families who have lost someone. If you are looking for a Houma personal injury lawyer, the first thing worth knowing is that Louisiana changed several of the rules that decide these cases in recent years, and those changes affect how much time you have and how much an insurer can shave off your recovery.
Houma’s economy produces a particular kind of injury case. Work here runs through offshore support vessels, fabrication yards, oilfield service companies, marine construction, and the trucking that connects them to the bayou communities. A single collision on a work trip, a fall on a contractor’s site, or a crane or pipe accident can involve a workers’ compensation claim and a separate lawsuit against a third party at the same time. Getting those two tracks to work together, instead of undercutting each other, is a large part of what a good injury attorney does.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Houma Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi, and workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice rather than a sideline. The attorneys bring over 75 combined years of experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. That matters in a Houma injury case because so many local injuries start at work, and a lawyer who understands the comp system from the inside can spot the third-party claim that a generalist might miss.
The firm’s leadership includes Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, who has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers; Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, Partners, both recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers; and attorneys Andrew Rueff, Keaton Belk, Erin Heimlicher, and Jared Martin. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, which shapes how insurers value a case: adjusters know which firms are willing to try one. The firm was also ranked by Best Law Firms for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
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. Clients describe a team that listens, communicates, and fights the insurance company at every step. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, you pay nothing 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.
Injury Cases That Come Out of Terrebonne Parish Work and Roads
- Work Vehicle and Truck Collisions: Crews and drivers traveling between Houma, the yards along the Intracoastal Waterway, and job sites across the region are hit by negligent drivers regularly enough that these claims are a staple. When a worker is struck on the clock, comp covers medical care and wage benefits while a separate claim against the at-fault driver can reach pain and suffering and full lost earnings.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common in heavy labor and in rear-end crashes. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical evidence has to show how the incident caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow pulling heavy pipe, falls from equipment, or crash impact. Employers and carriers sometimes call them old sports injuries, and that argument has to be answered with imaging and treating-physician testimony.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Rigs, plants, and industrial sites carry fire, chemical, and explosion risks that produce severe burns and life-altering trauma. These cases often involve equipment manufacturers, contractors, or premises owners in addition to the employer.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones frequently require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long recovery periods that drive the real value of the claim.
- Premises Liability: Falls on unsafe walkways, poorly maintained commercial property, or a contractor’s hazardous worksite can support a claim against the property owner or a company other than your employer.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash or workplace incident takes a life, surviving family members may bring claims for the loss, and the filing window depends on how the death occurred.
What to Do After an Injury in Houma, and the Deadlines That Control the Case
Start with medical care, and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened and where. Records created in the first days carry weight later, and gaps in treatment are exactly what an adjuster points to when arguing the injury was minor or came from somewhere else. Keep copies of discharge papers, prescriptions, and bills, and write down who witnessed the incident while memories are fresh. If a crash is involved, get the police report and photographs of the vehicles and the scene before the evidence is repaired or washed away.
If the injury happened at work, report it to your employer immediately. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless the employer receives notice within 30 days of the injury, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extended period possible when compensation payments have been made. Those workers’ comp disputes are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Louisiana Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, which has a district court in Houma, and a worker may choose to proceed in the parish where the injury occurred, the parish of residence at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. If treatment is denied, the clock is short: a utilization review dispute must be filed within 15 calendar days of written notice of the denial, and a further step must be taken within 45 days after the medical director’s decision issues. A final workers’ compensation judgment can be appealed within 30 days when the appeal suspends the judgment and 60 days when it does not. Terrebonne Parish sits within the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal.
For the injury lawsuit against a third party, such as a negligent driver, a contractor, or a property owner, Louisiana now applies a two-year period from the day the injury or damage is sustained for injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024. Injuries that happened earlier remain under the former one-year period, so the date of your accident controls which rule applies. Wrongful death claims follow a different calculation: one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer, with a death based on medical malpractice still limited to one year from the date of death. Do not let an insurer set the pace. Adjusters will ask for recorded statements and quick releases; hold off on both until you have spoken with a lawyer, because a careless sentence can be recast as an admission about fault or a pre-existing problem.
How Louisiana’s Fault Rules Can Reduce or Erase an Injury Recovery
The biggest recent shift in Louisiana injury law is how fault is counted. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a claimant under that threshold has the award reduced by their percentage of fault. Earlier claims remain under pure comparative fault, where recovery is reduced but never barred. In a jury trial, jurors are now told that a plaintiff at 51 percent or more takes nothing, which gives defense lawyers a powerful incentive to push every disputed fact toward the injured person.
That makes the fight over fault the center of many Houma cases. Defendants argue the injured person was speeding, distracted, not wearing protective gear, or ignored a warning. Evidence that answers those arguments, such as scene photographs, vehicle data, witness statements, maintenance records, and safety policies, is far easier to secure early than months later. Workers’ compensation is different: comp benefits do not depend on who caused the accident, which is one reason a work injury claim and a third-party claim should be built together, with the comp benefits providing stability while the liability case develops.
Houma Injury Claim Questions Answered
How much does it cost to hire a Houma injury lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if there is a recovery. In workers’ compensation cases, attorney fees are also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the period is two years from the day the injury or damage is sustained. Injuries before that date remain under the former one-year period. Because the accident date decides which rule applies, confirm the deadline early.
What if I was hurt at work in Houma?
Report the injury to your employer right away; notice is required within 30 days. A formal workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. Comp covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement, and a separate claim may exist against a non-employer who contributed to the injury.
Can I receive workers’ comp and also sue someone else?
Yes, when someone other than your employer caused or contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver hitting your work truck or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall. The two claims have to be coordinated so that one does not damage the other.
What happens if the insurance company says I was partly at fault?
For claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, a finding of 51 percent or more fault bars recovery entirely, and anything lower reduces your award by your share. Earlier claims are reduced but not barred. This is why the evidence on fault matters from the first day.
My family member died in a crash or workplace accident. What are the deadlines?
A wrongful death action must be brought within one year of the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. A death caused by medical malpractice remains limited to one year from the date of death.
The insurer says my injury was already there. Is my claim over?
No. If the incident caused, worsened, or accelerated a condition, you may still recover. Insurers raise degenerative disc disease and old sports injuries constantly, and answering them takes treating-physician opinions and imaging that connect the event to the harm.
Will my health insurance pay for treatment while the claim is pending?
Often it can, and getting treatment on time matters more than waiting for a settlement. If the injury is work-related, the workers’ compensation carrier is generally responsible for reasonable and necessary care, and a denial can be challenged through the utilization review process within 15 calendar days of written notice.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Louisiana protects workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it in your consultation so your options can be reviewed.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury?
If benefits have been denied, delayed, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long stretch, representation can change the outcome. Injuries that look minor early can turn into surgery cases, and settling too soon can close the door on future care.
What does a lawyer actually do in these cases?
The work includes gathering medical and employment records, retaining medical experts, identifying every liable party, answering pre-existing condition arguments, negotiating with carriers, litigating before workers’ compensation judges and in court, and taking appeals when a ruling is wrong.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Houma Injury Clients Across Terrebonne Parish and South Louisiana
From Houma itself, the firm represents injured people throughout Terrebonne Parish, including Gray, Bayou Cane, Schriever, Montegut, Chauvin, Cocodrie, Dulac, Bourg, Gibson, and Mandalay. Clients also come from neighboring Lafourche Parish, including Thibodaux, Raceland, and Lockport, and from Assumption, St. Mary, and Jefferson parishes along the same corridors that carry oilfield and marine traffic.
The firm’s reach extends across South Louisiana to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and north to Shreveport, and it serves injured workers and accident victims in Mississippi as well, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. Whether the injury happened on a Houma roadway, a bayou-side job site, or an offshore support operation based nearby, the same attorneys can handle both the workers’ compensation side and the injury lawsuit.
Talk With a Houma Personal Injury Attorney Before the Deadlines Close In
The sooner a Houma personal injury attorney reviews your situation, the more evidence can be preserved and the fewer procedural traps you face, from the 30-day notice requirement to the two-year lawsuit period and the new fault threshold. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC offers free consultations, advances the costs of the case, and collects a fee only if it recovers benefits or a settlement for you. Call today, any hour, and talk through what happened with a team that handles injured people’s claims every day.
