Metairie Burn Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents workers across Mississippi and Louisiana who have been hurt on the job, and for people in Metairie and the rest of Jefferson Parish that often means a burn injury from a refinery turnaround, a chemical release, an electrical fault, or a flash fire on an industrial site. When a Metairie burn injury lawyer takes one of these cases, the work begins with the medical file, because burns are among the most expensive and longest-running injuries a workers’ compensation claim can involve.
Burn treatment rarely ends when the wound closes. Skin grafts, debridement, scar contracture release, pain management, and months of therapy can follow, and deep burns to the legs, hands, or face can limit how long a person can stand, grip, or return to the same trade. Insurers know the early bills are large and the long-term picture is uncertain, and that is when disputes over treatment approval, work restrictions, and the cause of the injury tend to start.
Because a burn at work often involves a third party as well, such as an equipment manufacturer, a contractor sharing the site, or a driver in a vehicle fire, the right answer is frequently two claims running side by side. Sorting out which benefits you are owed from the employer’s carrier, and whether another party can also be held responsible, is the first thing a lawyer should be doing for you.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Burn Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Jefferson Parish, the greater New Orleans area, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across Louisiana, along with Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta in Mississippi. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for its clients, consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and you pay no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
Burn cases are exactly the kind of claim the firm has handled. It obtained a $221,000 settlement for a land-based oil rig worker who suffered severe burns to the lower extremities, and its record includes settlements of $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. Those results matter to a burn client because they reflect a firm that builds the medical and vocational evidence a serious injury requires rather than taking the first offer.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin, Partner, and Jennifer Priebe, Partner, 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 a burn claim also involves a third-party lawsuit. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays in the fight with the insurance company at every step.
Where Burn Injuries Happen Around Metairie and Jefferson Parish
- Refinery, Plant, and Petrochemical Burns: Flash fires, steam releases, and process upsets at industrial facilities along the river corridor can cause deep thermal burns to the arms, legs, and face. These workers often face long recoveries and questions about whether they can return to plant work at all.
- Oil Rig and Offshore-Support Injuries: Crews on land-based rigs and supply operations are exposed to fire, hot fluids, and equipment failure. The firm has recovered a $221,000 settlement for a rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities.
- Electrical Burns and Arc Flash: Electricians, linemen, and maintenance crews can suffer entry and exit wounds, deep tissue damage, and nerve injury that is not obvious on the surface. These injuries often produce symptoms that show up weeks later.
- Chemical Burns: Caustic cleaners, acids, and industrial solvents burn skin and eyes in warehouses, hospitals, and processing plants. Disputes arise over whether the employer provided proper protective equipment and training.
- Scalds in Restaurants, Hotels, and Kitchens: Metairie’s food service and hospitality workforce faces fryer oil, steam tables, and boiling liquids. These claims are sometimes minimized as minor accidents even when grafting is needed.
- Welding, Hot Work, and Construction Burns: Torch and spark injuries, hot asphalt, and equipment fires hit tradespeople on commercial and residential jobs throughout the New Orleans area.
- Firefighter and First Responder Injuries: Burns suffered in the line of duty, along with the heart, lung, and other conditions tied to the job, are claims the firm handles for first responders.
- Vehicle Fires and Third-Party Claims: A crash, a defective product, or a negligent contractor can ignite a fire that injures a worker, opening a personal injury claim in addition to workers’ compensation.
What to Do After a Burn Injury at Work in Louisiana
Get medical care first and make sure every provider records that the burn happened at work and how. Treatment for a burn is time-sensitive, and the first records become the foundation for everything the insurer later argues. If you are taken to a burn center or hospital, ask that the work-related cause be written into your chart, and keep copies of discharge papers, wound care instructions, and any work restrictions.
Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can. Under Louisiana law, notice should be given within 30 days of the accident, and no compensation proceeding can be maintained without it. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, and that period can extend to three years from the last compensation payment when benefits have already been paid. Burn patients are often hospitalized for weeks, so do not assume the clock stops while you recover. If you are unable to give notice yourself, a family member or attorney can help.
Document the scene while the details are fresh. Photograph the injury at each stage of healing, and note the equipment, chemicals, or conditions involved. Write down the names of coworkers who saw it, and keep any incident report you are given. If a safety device failed or protective gear was missing, that detail can matter both to your comp claim and to any claim against an outside party. Be careful about recorded statements to the insurance adjuster before you understand what is being asked, and do not sign medical releases broader than the injury.
Claims in Louisiana are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, which operates district courts around the state, including one in Harahan and one in New Orleans. Under Louisiana law, you generally choose among the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived when injured, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. When the insurer denies a specific treatment, such as a skin graft, scar revision, or a pain procedure, the dispute goes through the utilization review process: the request to the OWC must be filed within 15 calendar days of receiving written notice of the denial, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. A party who disagrees can seek further review within 45 days of the decision being issued. Missing these short windows can cost you treatment you needed, so call a lawyer as soon as a denial arrives.
If a judge rules against you, the judgment can be appealed to the appropriate 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. For Jefferson Parish, appeals go to the Fifth Circuit, while Orleans Parish cases go to the Fourth Circuit. The deadlines run from the day after the judgment was signed or notice was mailed, whichever is later.
Benefits a Serious Burn Can Support
Louisiana workers’ compensation pays reasonable and necessary medical treatment for the burn itself and the complications that follow it, including surgery, wound care, therapy, medication, and treatment for scarring or loss of function. It also pays wage replacement while you cannot work. Weekly compensation is set by law at a percentage of your wages, subject to a maximum that is tied to the date of the accident and does not change afterward.
When a burn leaves you able to work but not at your old pay, supplemental earnings benefits come into play. These are generally calculated at 66 2/3 percent of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of what you made before. They can continue until you are released to full duty, you are earning your pre-injury wages, or you reach the 520-week maximum, and temporary total disability weeks count toward that total. For a roughneck whose legs can no longer take a full shift, or a cook who cannot tolerate heat, this benefit is often where the real long-term value sits. Permanent disability and catastrophic injury benefits may also apply, and vocational rehabilitation can help when you cannot return to the same line of work.
Burns frequently produce visible scarring and disfigurement, along with nerve damage, restricted range of motion, and psychological effects such as anxiety or posttraumatic stress. Each of these should be documented by your treating providers, because the insurer’s physician may downplay anything that is not clearly in the record. Cases involving a negligent third party can also recover damages that comp does not pay. Louisiana now applies a two-year period to most injury lawsuits arising from injuries on or after July 1, 2024, and for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault is barred from recovery, with lesser fault reducing the award. Those rules make it important to preserve evidence of what the other party did wrong early.
Common Questions About Burn Injury Claims in Metairie
Do I need a lawyer for a workplace burn claim?
Not every claim requires one, but a serious burn is the type of injury where benefits are most often disputed. If your treatment is being denied, your checks are late or reduced, or you will be out of work for an extended period, a lawyer can handle the insurer so you can focus on healing. Consultations are free, and the firm is paid only if it recovers benefits for you.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. The firm advances the costs of the case and is paid only if it recovers benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a burn injury at work in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer right away, and no later than 30 days after the accident. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though the deadline can extend to three years from the last payment if compensation has been paid.
What if my employer says the burn was my own fault?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so carelessness on your part does not ordinarily defeat a claim for benefits. Fault becomes more important in a separate lawsuit against a third party, where Louisiana’s comparative fault rules, including the bar at 51 percent or more for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, can reduce or eliminate recovery.
The insurer refused to approve a skin graft or scar treatment. What can I do?
Louisiana has a specific dispute process for denied medical treatment. The request for review must be filed with the OWC within 15 calendar days of receiving written notice of the denial, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to issue a decision. Because the window is short, contact a lawyer immediately when a denial letter arrives.
Can I still get benefits if I have a pre-existing skin or medical condition?
Yes. A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim, and benefits may still be owed if the job caused, worsened, or accelerated your condition. Insurers raise this argument often, and strong medical evidence is the answer to it.
Can I sue someone besides my employer for my burns?
Possibly. If a negligent contractor, an equipment manufacturer, or a driver contributed to the injury, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana generally allows two years to bring a tort action, so the third-party claim should be investigated early.
Will my wage benefits continue if I can only work light duty?
If you return at reduced pay because of the burn, supplemental earnings benefits may cover part of the gap. They are based on the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, and they can last up to 520 weeks, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit.
What if my burn happened in Mississippi but I live in Metairie?
The state where you were hurt, hired, and employed can affect which state’s rules apply. Mississippi requires injured workers to report within 30 days and file with the Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years, so if your injury occurred there, speak with an attorney quickly. The firm handles claims in both states.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Both Louisiana and Mississippi protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting a burn, tell your attorney at the consultation so your options can be reviewed.
How do I appeal if the judge rules against me?
A workers’ compensation judge’s decision can be appealed to the appropriate court of appeal, within 30 days for an appeal that suspends the judgment or 60 days for one that does not. For Jefferson Parish, that is the Fifth Circuit. The Louisiana Supreme Court can be asked to review a further decision by writ within 30 days of notice of the judgment.
Do you handle burn claims for Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Burn Injury Clients Across Metairie and Jefferson Parish
The firm represents injured workers throughout Metairie and the surrounding parts of Jefferson Parish, including Kenner, Harahan, River Ridge, Elmwood, Old Jefferson, Bridge City, Westwego, Marrero, Harvey, Gretna, Terrytown, and Avondale. Workers from those communities hold jobs at industrial sites, shipyards, warehouses, restaurants, and hospitals across the region, and many travel across the river or along the interstate corridor to reach them.
From there, the firm’s reach extends across the New Orleans area and the rest of South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and communities along the Gulf, and north to Shreveport. In Mississippi, the firm represents clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. Whether a burn happened on a rig, in a plant, or on a job site, the same team handles the claim from first call to final result.
Talk With a Metairie Burn Injury Attorney Today
If you or someone in your family has been burned at work, a Metairie burn injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain which deadlines apply to you, and take over the dealings with your employer and its insurer. The phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you. Call today and let the team start building your claim while you focus on getting well.
