Metairie Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A back injury on a Metairie job site, a fall in a Veterans Memorial Boulevard warehouse, a crash in a company truck on Interstate 10 near the Causeway exit: each can leave a worker with surgery bills, no paycheck, and an adjuster asking whether the accident really happened at work. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Metairie workers’ compensation lawyer from our firm handles claims for people hurt on the job in Jefferson Parish and throughout the New Orleans area.
Metairie is in Jefferson Parish, which matters more than most people realize. Louisiana workers’ compensation is not decided in the parish courthouse. Disputes go to a workers’ compensation judge in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and a worker chooses among a few venues: the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where the worker lived at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. Where you file can affect how convenient your hearings are, so that choice deserves thought before a form is submitted.
The financial stakes are concrete. Louisiana wage benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped at a maximum that is fixed by the date of your accident and never adjusted afterward. Supplemental earnings benefits can run for up to 520 weeks, and weeks of temporary total disability count against that ceiling. A wrongly denied treatment request or a prematurely cut-off check can cost a family far more than the monthly figure suggests.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Metairie Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including Metairie, Kenner, Harahan, and the rest of Jefferson Parish. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks through the door; we built the firm 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. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Hablamos español.
Founding Partner Rob Lunsford 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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries we see most: $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 he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients regularly mention in their reviews that we listened, stayed professional, and went up against the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Jefferson Parish Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common claims from warehouse, construction, and healthcare work. When the insurer blames degenerative disc disease, the answer is medical evidence showing that years of lifting or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often come from repetitive overhead work, pulling pipe, or a bad step on uneven ground. Employers frequently call them old sports injuries, and the dispute turns on timing and treatment records.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips from falls off ladders, scaffolding, or loading docks can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long gaps before a return to work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites and refinery-adjacent work along the river corridor produce severe burns and life-altering injuries that support permanent disability and catastrophic injury benefits.
- Vehicle Crashes on the Job: Delivery drivers, truck drivers, and employees running errands for the company face constant traffic on I-10, Veterans, and Airline Drive. A crash can support both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Occupational Illness and Repetitive Trauma: Conditions that develop over time, including hearing loss and cumulative joint damage, are compensable when the work caused or accelerated them.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are claims we handle for those who serve.
- Wrongful Death: When a workplace accident kills a worker, surviving family members may have death benefits under comp and, where a third party is responsible, a separate wrongful death claim.
What a Metairie Worker Should Do After a Job Injury
Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless the employer receives notice within 30 days of the injury, and waiting invites the argument that nothing happened at work. Then see a doctor and be specific about how the injury occurred. Vague descriptions in early medical records become the insurer’s best evidence later.
The formal filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. A claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though that window can stretch to three years from the last compensation payment when benefits have already been paid. Do not treat the extension as a safety net; the cleaner course is to speak with a lawyer early and let the clock work for you.
Medical disputes in Louisiana run on very short fuses. When the insurer denies a treatment request through utilization review, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, 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 to take it to a workers’ compensation judge. The clock runs from issuance, not from the day the letter reaches you. Missing these windows is one of the most avoidable ways workers lose medical care.
If a workers’ compensation judge rules against you, a final judgment can be appealed to the 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 days, with the delay running from the day after the judgment was signed or notice was mailed, whichever is later. Jefferson Parish sits in the Fifth Circuit, which covers Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes. A further application to the Louisiana Supreme Court is possible after that.
Keep every record: incident reports, medical bills, work restrictions, pay stubs, and any letter from the insurer. Avoid recorded statements to the adjuster before you understand your rights, and do not return to work against your doctor’s restrictions because someone at the company says the light-duty job is fine. Both states also protect workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a claim, so if you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell your lawyer at the first consultation.
How Louisiana Wage Benefits Work When You Cannot Return to Your Old Job
Temporary total disability benefits replace a portion of your wages while you are completely unable to work. If you recover enough to return but at lower pay, supplemental earnings benefits come into play. They equal two-thirds of the difference between what you earned before the injury and what you earn or are able to earn afterward, and they apply when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages. They end when you are released to full duty, return to your old earnings, or reach the 520-week maximum.
Permanent partial and permanent total disability benefits address lasting loss of function. Insurers often push workers toward the lowest classification, and the difference over time is substantial. Vocational rehabilitation can also be part of the picture when an injury ends a physical career and retraining is the realistic path forward.
Many job injuries also involve someone other than the employer, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site. In those cases a personal injury claim can sit alongside the comp claim. Louisiana’s delictual prescriptive period is two years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, and fault rules have shifted for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, with recovery barred for a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault. Coordinating the two claims so one does not undercut the other is part of how we handle these cases.
Metairie Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Metairie?
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, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests, and 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. 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 in Louisiana?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the injury. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment if compensation has already been paid.
Where is my Louisiana workers’ compensation case heard?
Before a workers’ compensation judge in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, not in a parish civil court. You choose among the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business.
What if the insurance company says my injury is from a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering this argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of our work.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Louisiana and Mississippi both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation.
What can I do if my doctor’s recommended surgery is denied?
Treatment denials go through utilization review. You have 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. After the medical director’s decision, you have 45 days from its issuance to file Form 1008 and seek a judge’s review.
Will I still get paid if I can only work part-time or at a lower-paying job?
Possibly. Supplemental earnings benefits cover two-thirds of the gap between your old and new earning capacity when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages, for up to 520 weeks, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit.
My work truck was hit by another driver. Do I have two claims?
You can. Your comp claim runs against the employer’s insurer regardless of fault, while a claim against the negligent driver is a separate injury case. The two must be handled together so that settlement of one does not damage the other.
Is the weekly benefit amount the same for every injured worker?
No. It is based on your average weekly wage, subject to a statewide maximum and minimum that are set annually and fixed by the date of your accident. A later change in the cap does not alter the rate for an earlier injury.
What happens if the judge rules against me?
You can appeal. An appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within 30 days, and a non-suspensive appeal within 60 days. Jefferson Parish appeals go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Representing Injured Workers in Metairie and Across Jefferson Parish
Our work starts in Metairie and spreads outward through Jefferson Parish: the Old Metairie and Lakeview-adjacent corridors, Bucktown, Fat City, Bonnabel, Clearview, and the commercial stretches along Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Airline Drive. We also represent workers in Kenner, Harahan, Elmwood, River Ridge, Jefferson, Westwego, Marrero, Gretna, Harvey, Terrytown, and Avondale, along with Louisiana communities across the river and the lake.
Beyond Jefferson Parish, we serve injured workers in New Orleans, Chalmette, and the rest of South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and the northern half of the state through Shreveport. We also represent workers in Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. Whether the injury happened on an industrial site, a hospital floor, a delivery route, or a plant, the location of the job matters less than the quality of the medical and wage evidence we build.
Speak With a Metairie Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job in Jefferson Parish, a Metairie workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines apply to you, and take over the dealings with your employer and its insurer. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us or send your case details, and let us start working on the medical care and wage benefits the law entitles you to. We help injured workers. That is what we do.
