Louisiana Oilfield Injury Lawyer
Roughnecks, derrickhands, roustabouts, and crane operators in Louisiana make a decision within days of getting hurt that can shape the whole claim: what to tell the company, what to tell the adjuster, and whether to sign anything. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that handles claims for injured workers across Louisiana and Mississippi, and a Louisiana oilfield injury lawyer from our team can step between you and the carrier before those early choices cost you benefits.
Oilfield work does not injure people the way an office job does. Pulling pipe, rigging up, working a drilling floor, driving between well sites, and handling hot or pressurized equipment produce fractures, crushed hands and feet, shoulder tears, spine injuries, and burns. The claims that follow often involve more than one source of recovery, because a drilling contractor, a well owner, a service company, and a driver on a lease road may all be different parties with different insurers.
That layered structure is why oilfield injuries are rarely simple. The employer’s comp carrier controls your medical care and your weekly check, while a separate company’s negligence may support a claim for much more. Sorting out which is which, and keeping one from damaging the other, is a large part of the work.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Oilfield Injury Claim
We represent injured workers throughout Louisiana, including Lafayette, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and the communities of South Louisiana where so much energy work happens, along with every corner of Mississippi. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, and we take cases on a no recovery, no fee basis, with free consultations and case costs advanced by the firm. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Hablamos espanol.
Several results speak directly to the kind of work oilfield employees do. We secured $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities, and $195,000 for a derrickhand with complex left shoulder injuries from pulling large pipes. Our back and spine results include $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and we obtained $385,000 for a project manager injured after being struck in his work vehicle. Those outcomes reflect the kinds of injuries that heavy physical labor produces and the medical proof needed to win them.
Rob Lunsford, our founding partner, 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 in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients consistently describe lawyers who listened, communicated, and fought the insurance company at every step.
Common Oilfield Injuries and Claim Types We Handle
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires, flash events, hot fluids, and chemical exposure on rigs, in plants, and at industrial sites can cause deep burns and life-altering harm. These claims often involve long hospital stays, skin grafts, and permanent impairment, and they raise the question of whether a party other than your employer shares responsibility.
- Shoulder and Rotator Cuff Injuries: Repetitive heavy lifting and pulling large pipes wears down and tears the shoulder, including SLAP tears and rotator cuff tears. Insurers frequently call these old sports injuries or age-related wear, so medical opinions tying the damage to the job carry the claim.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common oilfield claims, caused by lifting, awkward positions, falls from elevation, and vibration from equipment. When the carrier blames degenerative disc disease, the answer is evidence that your work caused or worsened the condition.
- Fractures and Crush Injuries: Hands, feet, ankles, and hips are exposed to dropped tools, swinging loads, and pinch points. These breaks can require specialist surgeons and long recoveries, and they can end a worker’s ability to return to the same job.
- Knee Injuries: Climbing, kneeling, and working on uneven or slick ground produce meniscus and ACL tears. Employers sometimes point to a prior injury, which is a fight we know how to meet with the medical record.
- Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Crew trucks and company vehicles share rural roads and lease roads with heavy traffic. A wreck can support both a comp claim and a personal injury claim against a negligent driver, and we coordinate the two.
- Wrongful Death: When a worker is killed on the job, dependents may be entitled to death benefits under comp and may also have a wrongful death claim against a third party whose negligence contributed.
What to Do After an Oilfield Injury in Louisiana
Get medical care first, and tell the provider exactly how the injury happened and which body parts hurt, even the ones that seem minor. Then report the injury to your employer promptly. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless the employer receives notice within thirty days of the injury, and reporting the same day in writing, with a copy kept for yourself, removes any argument about timing. Offshore and platform work can raise separate federal questions, so if your injury happened over water or on a vessel, tell us so we can sort out which system applies.
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though that period can stretch to three years from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. Do not let a few early checks lull you into waiting. Claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, which has district courts in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Covington, Harahan, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, and Shreveport. Louisiana law lets the worker choose to file in the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where you lived when hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business, and that choice can matter for convenience and strategy.
Disputes over medical care follow a short, strict path. If the carrier denies a treatment request, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from written notice to file Form 1009 with the OWC, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. After that decision, you have 45 days from the date it issued to file Form 1008 to take the dispute to a judge. A final judgment from a workers’ compensation judge can be appealed to the appropriate Louisiana court of appeal, and the delay for a suspensive appeal is thirty days. These clocks run from issuance or receipt, not from when you finally get around to reading the paperwork, so bring every denial letter to us the day it arrives.
Be careful with recorded statements, and do not sign medical releases broader than your injury or accept a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your condition. Keep your own records: names of coworkers who saw the accident, photographs of the equipment or location if you can safely get them, pay stubs, and every medical bill and work restriction. Return to work only when your treating physician releases you, and if light duty is offered, make sure it fits your restrictions in writing.
When More Than One Party Is Responsible
Workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against your own employer in most cases, but it does not protect everyone else on a busy site. In oilfield work, the party that hired your employer, a contractor on the same location, an equipment manufacturer, or a driver who hits your work truck may all owe you a duty of care. A claim against one of them can recover categories of damages that comp does not pay, including pain and suffering.
Louisiana has changed the rules for these civil claims. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the time limit for most negligence-based claims is two years from the day injury or damage is sustained, where earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and lesser fault reduces the award proportionally, so the way blame is documented from day one matters more than it used to.
Third-party recoveries also interact with comp. The carrier that paid your medical bills and wage benefits typically asserts reimbursement rights against what you recover from the outside party, and a poorly handled settlement can cost you benefits or leave you owing money back. Because we handle both the comp side and personal injury claims, our attorneys structure the two so that they work together instead of against each other.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and Returning to Work
Louisiana comp pays all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury, plus wage replacement while you cannot work. Weekly rates are set by a formula tied to your wages and are capped at a maximum fixed by the date of the accident, so the limit that applies to you depends on when you were hurt. If you come back at reduced pay or cannot earn at least 90 percent of what you made before, you may qualify for supplemental earnings benefits, which pay two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn. Those benefits can continue until you are released to full duty, return to your pre-injury earnings, or reach the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that total.
Oilfield workers often cannot simply return to the same job. A damaged back or shoulder may end heavy labor, and an adjuster may then argue that you can earn more than you can. We gather vocational evidence, medical restrictions, and job market proof so the earnings assessment reflects reality, and we press for second opinions and specialist care when the carrier’s chosen doctor is minimizing your condition.
Questions About Louisiana Oilfield Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for an oilfield injury claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. Oilfield claims also tend to involve third parties, which raises the stakes of handling them correctly from the start.
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 for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How soon must I report an oilfield injury in Louisiana?
Notice should go to your employer right away, and no later than thirty days after the injury. Missing that window can sink an otherwise valid claim, so report in writing and keep a copy.
How long do I have to file the claim itself?
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. If compensation payments have been made, that period may extend to three years from the last payment, but relying on that exception without legal advice is risky.
The carrier denied my treatment. What now?
You have 15 calendar days from written notice to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, after which the medical director has 30 calendar days to rule. If you disagree with that ruling, you have 45 days from its issuance to file Form 1008. Bring us the denial immediately so those deadlines are not lost.
Can I sue someone besides my employer after an oilfield accident?
Often, yes. A property owner, another contractor, a manufacturer, or a negligent driver may be liable even though your employer is protected by comp. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the general time limit for these negligence claims is two years from the injury.
What if the insurer says my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits, and strong medical evidence is how that argument is won. Back and shoulder claims in the oilfield are particularly prone to this defense.
Will being partly at fault ruin my third-party case?
Comp benefits are not reduced by fault, but a civil claim is different. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant at 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and lesser fault reduces the award by that percentage. Earlier claims remain under pure comparative fault.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
Which court hears my case if the carrier fights it?
Disputes go to a workers’ compensation judge at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and you generally choose among the parish of injury, your residence when hurt, or the employer’s principal place of business. A final judgment can be appealed to the Louisiana court of appeal for that region, and further review by the Louisiana Supreme Court may be sought.
If my loved one died in an oilfield accident, how long do we have to act?
Wrongful death claims in Louisiana are governed by the longer of one year from the death or two years from the day the injury or damage was sustained. Dependents may also have comp death benefits, so contact us quickly to protect both avenues.
Serving Oilfield Workers Across Louisiana
Our team represents injured energy workers from the refinery corridor and bayou parishes of South Louisiana to the north of the state. We handle claims for workers hurt in Lafayette and the surrounding Acadiana parishes, in Lake Charles and across Calcasieu Parish, in Baton Rouge and the river parishes, and in New Orleans and the communities that serve the offshore and port industries. We also represent clients in Shreveport and the north Louisiana gas fields, and in communities throughout the state where drilling, service, and pipeline work employ thousands of people.
Because the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration runs district courts around the state, we can litigate your claim near where you live or where you were hurt. Many of our clients also work in Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast through Hattiesburg and Jackson to Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, and we handle those claims before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission when work carries a worker across the state line. Wherever your injury happened, we can help.
Talk to a Louisiana Oilfield Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a rig, at a well site, or in a plant and the insurer is questioning what happened, you do not have to fight it alone. A Louisiana oilfield injury attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your claim, explain which deadlines apply, and take over the dealings with your employer and its carrier. Call us any time, day or night, for a free consultation. You pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. We help injured workers, and that is all we do.
