Metairie Back & Spine Injury Lawyer
A back or spine injury claim succeeds when the medical records, the work history, and the insurer’s own deadlines all line up in the worker’s favor, and when the treatment your surgeon recommends actually gets approved and paid for. For injured workers in Metairie, that outcome takes more than filing a form. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured people throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and it handles herniated discs, spinal fractures, nerve damage, and other back and neck injuries for clients in Metairie and across Jefferson Parish. If you are searching for a Metairie back and spine injury lawyer, you are probably dealing with pain that has changed what you can lift, how long you can stand, and whether your job is still waiting for you.
Spine claims are contested more aggressively than almost any other kind of comp case. The treatment is expensive, recovery is slow, and the injury often involves the very tissue that wears down naturally with age. Insurers know this, and they lean on it. A lumbar herniation that appeared after years of heavy lifting gets labeled degenerative disc disease; a fusion recommended by your surgeon gets sent to utilization review; a light-duty release gets issued before your doctor has said anything of the kind. Each of those moves has a response, and the response depends on medical evidence assembled early.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Spine Injury Claim in Metairie
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Jefferson Parish, Metairie, Kenner, Harahan, and communities across south Louisiana, as well as throughout Mississippi. Workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice, not a side matter taken when it happens to walk in. Together the firm’s attorneys bring more than 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 its clients.
Back and spine injuries make up a large share of those results. The firm secured $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. It also recovered $385,000 for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job. Those outcomes reflect the kind of medical and vocational proof that spine cases demand.
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, Keaton Belk, and Erin Heimlicher round out a team that also includes attorneys who have tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict. Clients describe a team that listens, answers questions, and stays in the fight with the insurance company at every step. There is no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you, consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
Types of Back and Spine Injuries We Handle for Metairie Workers
- Lumbar Disc Herniations: The most common spine claim by far, often caused by repeated lifting, awkward loads, or a single sudden strain. Warehouse workers, delivery drivers, and tradespeople around Metairie’s commercial corridors frequently report these, and insurers commonly argue the disc was already degenerating before the job contributed.
- Cervical and Neck Injuries: Herniated cervical discs, whiplash from work vehicle collisions, and nerve compression that sends numbness into the arms. These claims often follow a crash on Veterans Memorial Boulevard or the interstate while the worker was driving for an employer.
- Vertebral Fractures: Falls from ladders, scaffolding, loading docks, and roofs can fracture vertebrae and require surgical stabilization, long recovery, and extensive follow-up imaging.
- Aggravation of a Pre-Existing Condition: A prior back problem does not end a claim. If work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed, and this is a central fight in many spine files.
- Radiculopathy and Nerve Damage: Sciatica, foot drop, and radiating arm or leg pain that persist after the initial injury and often point toward injections, surgery, or permanent restrictions.
- Surgical Cases: Fusions, Discectomies, and Spinal Cord Stimulators: These are the treatments most likely to be challenged through utilization review, which makes early medical documentation critical.
- Work Vehicle and Third-Party Accidents: When a negligent driver or an unsafe contractor causes the injury, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits, and the two must be handled so they do not undercut each other.
What to Do After a Back or Spine Injury at Work in Louisiana
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 compensation proceeding generally cannot go forward without it. Waiting is a gift to the insurer, who will point to the gap and suggest the injury happened somewhere else. Describe what happened specifically: the task, the weight, the location, and who saw it. Do not minimize the pain to be agreeable, and do not guess at a diagnosis you have not received.
Get medical care promptly and tell every provider that the injury happened at work. Back injuries are often documented poorly at first, because an urgent care or emergency room visit may record only “back pain” with no mechanism of injury. That thin record is what insurers later use to argue the problem is unrelated or degenerative. Follow through on imaging, specialist referrals, and physical therapy, and keep every restriction note and work status slip your doctor gives you. Gaps in treatment are another favorite target.
On deadlines, a formal claim in Louisiana generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though that period can stretch to three years from the last compensation payment when benefits have already been paid. Do not rely on the extension; talk to a lawyer well before the one-year mark. If the insurer denies a treatment your doctor recommended, the dispute is handled through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. The aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from receiving written notice of the denial to file Form 1009, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. After that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to file Form 1008 with the workers’ compensation judge. Those clocks run from issuance and receipt, not from when you get around to reading the letter.
If a claim goes to hearing, you choose where it is heard: the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived when injured, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. Many Metairie workers have their cases heard in the New Orleans district of the workers’ compensation court. A judge’s final ruling can be appealed to the court of appeal within 30 days if the appeal suspends the judgment, or 60 days if it does not, and for Jefferson Parish that court is the Fifth Circuit. Avoid signing recorded statements, medical releases that reach back years, or settlement paperwork before you have spoken with counsel. Do not return to full duty because a supervisor or adjuster says you should; only your treating physician’s release counts.
How Insurers Fight Spine Claims, and What Wins Them
The pre-existing condition argument is the centerpiece of most disputed back claims. Adjusters order records reaching back years, find an old chiropractic visit or an MRI showing disc bulging, and declare the injury degenerative. The law does not work that way. If your job caused the condition, made it worse, or brought on symptoms earlier than they would otherwise have appeared, the claim is compensable. Winning that argument takes a treating surgeon or specialist willing to explain, in clear medical terms, why the work event changed your condition, supported by proof of what you were able to do before the injury, such as full-duty work and no restrictions.
The second fight is over treatment. Spine surgery and long-term pain management require approval, and insurers use utilization review to slow or deny it. A properly built record, with the surgeon’s reasoning, imaging, and documented failure of conservative care, is what carries a Form 1009 dispute. The third fight is over wages. If you are released to work with restrictions and your employer cannot accommodate them, or you can only earn less than before, supplemental earnings benefits may apply. Those benefits are generally owed when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of your pre-injury wages, and they are calculated at two-thirds of the difference between what you earned before and what you earn or are able to earn now. They can 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. Weekly benefit limits are set by the date of your accident and are adjusted annually for new injuries.
Permanent injuries bring a different set of questions: whether you are totally or partially disabled, what physical restrictions are permanent, and whether vocational rehabilitation is appropriate. Many spine cases resolve through settlement, and the value of that settlement depends heavily on future medical needs, such as repeat injections, adjacent-level surgery, or implanted devices. Settling before those needs are understood is a common and costly mistake.
Questions Metairie Workers Ask About Back and Spine Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a back injury workers’ comp claim?
Not every claim requires one, but spine injuries are a different category from a minor sprain. If benefits have been denied, reduced, or cut off, if surgery is recommended, or if you expect to be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys working for it, and you should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
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 also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a back injury at work in Louisiana?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the accident. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of injury, with a possible extension to three years from the last payment if compensation has already been paid.
Can I still get benefits if I had back problems before this injury?
Yes. A prior condition does not automatically end your claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still qualify. Strong medical opinions comparing your function before and after the work event are what answer this defense.
What if the insurance company denies my surgery?
You can dispute the denial through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Form 1009 must be filed within 15 calendar days of receiving written notice, and the medical director has 30 calendar days to rule. A further challenge requires Form 1008 within 45 days of the decision’s issuance. Missing these windows can cost you the treatment.
Can I choose my own doctor for a spine injury?
Louisiana generally lets an injured worker select a treating physician in a particular specialty, with limits on changing providers. Because the choice shapes your whole case, talk to an attorney before switching or accepting an adjuster’s referral to a doctor the insurer prefers.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim after a back injury?
Both Louisiana and Mississippi protect workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell your attorney so the circumstances can be reviewed.
What if a third party caused my spine injury, like a driver who hit my work truck?
You may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. For injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s general deadline for injury lawsuits is two years from the day the damage was sustained. Louisiana also now bars recovery for a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, so fault arguments matter more than they used to.
Will I get paid while my claim is pending?
If your claim is accepted, you receive wage replacement while you are unable to work, generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a maximum set by the date of your accident. If it is denied or disputed, benefits may stop until the dispute is resolved, which is a major reason to get help early.
How long does a spine injury comp case take?
There is no fixed timeline. Cases often depend on when you reach maximum medical improvement, whether surgery is approved, and whether the insurer disputes causation. Settling too early, before your long-term medical picture is clear, can leave you paying for future care out of pocket.
Do you represent Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos espanol. Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Back and Spine Injury Clients Across Metairie and Jefferson Parish
The firm represents injured workers throughout Metairie, from the neighborhoods along Veterans Memorial Boulevard to Old Metairie, Bucktown, Lakeview’s western edge, and the residential streets near Lake Pontchartrain. Clients also come from neighboring Jefferson Parish communities including Kenner, Harahan, River Ridge, Elmwood, Terrytown, Gretna, Marrero, Harvey, and Westwego, as well as nearby New Orleans and the surrounding Orleans Parish area.
Beyond the metro area, the firm handles claims across south Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and as far as Shreveport and north Louisiana. The firm also represents injured workers throughout Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Whether your spine injury happened on a jobsite in Jefferson Parish, an industrial facility along the river, or the road between deliveries, the firm can review your claim.
Speak With a Metairie Spine Injury Attorney Today
A back injury can stop your income, strain your family, and leave you wondering whether the insurer will ever approve the treatment you need. You do not have to manage that alone. A Metairie spine injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your records, explain which deadlines apply to your claim, and begin dealing with the insurance company so you can focus on recovery.
Call the firm today for a free consultation. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, you pay nothing unless benefits are recovered, and the firm advances the costs of your case. Help for injured workers is all the firm does.
