Carencro Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Getting your medical care approved and your weekly checks flowing again is the whole point of a comp claim, and in Carencro that fight usually runs through a Lafayette Parish claim before the Office of Workers’ Compensation. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles denied, delayed, and cut-off benefits for injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Carencro workers’ compensation lawyer from our team can take over the insurer’s phone calls, the paperwork, and the hearing itself.
Carencro sits in the heart of Acadiana, just north of Lafayette, and its workforce moves along the I-49 corridor every day: oilfield service crews, truck drivers hauling out of the Lafayette area, warehouse and distribution workers, construction crews, and tradespeople who work on refineries and plants across South Louisiana. Those jobs are physical, and the injuries that come out of them tend to be the kind insurers fight over: herniated discs, torn shoulders and knees, fractures, and burns.
The fights usually start the same way. The adjuster says the accident did not happen at work, calls a worn-out back “degenerative,” or approves a doctor visit and then quietly stops authorizing the surgery your physician recommended. We answer those moves with medical records, witness statements, and a clear work history, and we do it in front of the judge when the insurer will not move.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Carencro Comp Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Carencro, the rest of Lafayette Parish, and communities throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who pick one up when it happens to walk in. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients, consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español).
The people handling your case matter. 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 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 Carencro workers suffer: $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 his work vehicle was struck, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities. Clients who have reviewed us describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays in the fight with the insurance company. Past results do not guarantee any particular outcome.
Injuries and Claims We Handle for Carencro Workers
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among warehouse, trucking, and construction workers. When the insurer blames degenerative disc disease, we show how years of heavy work or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow pulling pipe, lifting, climbing, or a bad step on a job site. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and medical evidence is how we answer that.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips from falls and struck-by accidents can require specialists and complex surgical repair, along with long stretches off work.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Oil rigs, plants, and industrial sites carry fire, chemical, and explosion risks that can leave permanent damage and lifelong care needs.
- Truck and vehicle accidents on the job: Delivery drivers, sales reps, and project managers who are hurt in a crash while working may have both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Denied and terminated benefits: Claims rejected outright, medical treatment refused, or wage checks stopped without warning, all of which can be challenged through the Louisiana comp system.
- Wrongful death: When a workplace accident takes a life, surviving family members may be entitled to death benefits and, in some cases, a separate civil claim.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Carencro
Start with medical care, then tell your employer about the injury. Louisiana law bars a comp proceeding unless the employer receives notice within 30 days of the injury, so do not wait to see whether the pain fades. Report it in writing if you can, name the date, the place, and what happened, and keep a copy. Tell every medical provider the injury happened at work so it is documented that way from the first visit.
Then watch the one-year clock. A formal claim in Louisiana generally has to be filed within one year of the accident, though if the insurer has actually paid benefits, the deadline can stretch to three years from the last payment. Adjusters sometimes make this sound relaxed. It is not, and a claim filed late can be lost entirely. Keep your own file: accident details, names of witnesses, pay stubs, restrictions from your doctor, and every letter from the insurer.
If the insurer denies a treatment your doctor ordered, the fight goes through a specific channel. You have 15 calendar days from receiving 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 rule. If you still disagree, you have 45 days from the date the decision was issued to file Form 1008. Those clocks run from issuance, not from whenever the envelope reaches you, which is one reason people lose appeals they should have won.
Claims that cannot be resolved go to a workers’ compensation judge. Louisiana has ten district workers’ compensation courts, including one in Lafayette, and under state law the worker chooses among the parish where the injury happened, the parish where they lived when hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. A judge’s final decision can be appealed within 30 days if the appeal is meant to suspend the judgment, and within 60 days if not. Lafayette Parish appeals go to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, and further review can be sought from the Louisiana Supreme Court.
A few mistakes come up again and again. Do not give a recorded statement to the adjuster before you have talked to a lawyer. Do not return to work before your doctor releases you because the insurer or supervisor pushed. Do not skip appointments, and do not post about your activities online. If you were fired or punished after reporting the injury, tell us; Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim.
How Louisiana Wage Benefits Work When You Cannot Return to Full Duty
Medical care is only half of a comp claim. The other half is replacing the paycheck you are no longer earning. While you are temporarily unable to work, you receive weekly wage-loss benefits, calculated as a percentage of your average weekly wage and capped by a statewide maximum that is set for each accident date and adjusted from year to year. The maximum that applies to you is fixed by the date you were hurt and is not recalculated later.
Many Carencro workers get released to lighter duty at lower pay, or cannot earn what they used to. That is where supplemental earnings benefits come in. When an injury leaves you unable to earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages, you may receive two-thirds of the difference between what you earned before and what you earn, or are able to earn, now. These benefits can continue until you are released to full duty, you return to pre-injury wages, or you hit the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that 520. Insurers often argue that a worker “could” earn more at some job that does not actually exist for them, so documenting your real job search and your doctor’s restrictions matters.
Permanent injuries bring their own benefits, including those for permanent disability and catastrophic injury. How those are valued, and whether settling makes sense, depends heavily on your medical picture and your future care needs. A premature settlement can leave you paying for surgeries out of pocket, so we do not recommend one until the medical evidence is solid.
When a Work Injury Also Involves Someone Other Than Your Employer
Comp does not pay for pain and suffering, but a separate claim might. If a negligent driver hit your work truck on I-49 or Johnston Street, or a contractor on a shared job site created the hazard that hurt you, you may be able to pursue that third party in addition to collecting comp benefits. Louisiana’s period for most injury lawsuits is two years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, and wrongful death claims follow their own rule of one year from death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer. For crashes and similar claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, so how fault is documented from day one matters.
Because the comp insurer may have a right to be reimbursed from your third-party recovery, the two claims have to be coordinated. Our attorneys handle both, so one does not undercut the other.
Carencro Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Carencro?
Not every claim needs one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or you expect to be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its side, 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 for you. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury and file a claim?
Report to your employer right away, and within 30 days at the latest. A formal Louisiana claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though payments already made can extend that to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions are narrow, talk to a lawyer early.
What if the insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, you may still be entitled to benefits. This is one of the most common arguments insurers make, and strong medical opinions are how we answer it.
What happens if my doctor recommends surgery and the insurer refuses?
That is a treatment denial, and it can be challenged. 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 decide. Missing that window can seriously hurt your case, so call us as soon as you get the denial letter.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Louisiana gives injured workers a right to choose a treating physician in a given specialty, with some limits on changing doctors afterward. Because a mistake early on can be hard to undo, ask us before you switch providers or accept a referral the insurer pushes.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go, demoted, or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review what happened.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my comp claim is pending?
Sometimes, but the health insurer may seek repayment if the comp carrier ends up responsible. If you must use health coverage to keep treating, tell us so we can handle reimbursement issues and push the comp insurer to authorize care properly.
What if I was partly at fault for my own accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own mistake does not normally bar benefits. Fault matters more in a separate third-party injury claim, where Louisiana’s 51 percent bar applies to claims arising on or after January 1, 2026.
Where will my case be heard if it goes to a judge?
Louisiana workers’ compensation cases are decided by a workers’ compensation judge, not a jury, and the worker chooses among the parish of injury, the parish of residence when hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. For many Carencro workers, the Lafayette district court is the natural fit.
I was hurt while working in Mississippi but live in Louisiana. Can you still help?
Yes. We handle claims in both states. Mississippi has its own rules: report within 30 days, and generally file within two years of the injury or last payment with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Which state’s law applies can depend on where you were hired and where you were hurt, so bring us the details.
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.
Serving Carencro and Lafayette Parish Workers Across South Louisiana
We represent injured workers in Carencro and throughout Lafayette Parish, including Lafayette, Scott, Broussard, Youngsville, Duson, and Milton. Our reach extends to neighboring communities such as Breaux Bridge, Opelousas, Crowley, Abbeville, New Iberia, and St. Martinville, and to workers across Acadiana and the I-10 and I-49 corridors. We also serve clients in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, and everywhere in between, as well as across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and the Gulf Coast.
Whatever your trade, whether you work offshore support, in a plant, on a pipeline, behind the wheel, or on a construction site, the same principles apply: report promptly, get treated, and do not let an insurer set the terms of your recovery.
Talk With a Carencro Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job and the insurance company is dragging its feet, denying treatment, or stopping your checks, a Carencro workers’ compensation attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened and tell you where you stand. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us and let us deal with the insurer while you focus on getting better.
