Chalmette Personal Injury Lawyer
A wreck on Judge Perez Drive or a fall at a plant along the river can leave a St. Bernard Parish family facing medical bills and a missed paycheck in the same week. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a law firm that represents injured people across Louisiana and Mississippi, including workers hurt on the job and accident victims whose injuries were caused by someone else. For anyone searching for a Chalmette personal injury lawyer, the first thing worth knowing is that the right claim often depends on who was responsible and where you were when you were hurt.
St. Bernard Parish is built around industry, shipping, and the water. Refinery and terminal work, dockside labor, trucking along the corridors that feed the Mississippi River, and the constant commuter traffic into New Orleans all produce injuries. Some of those injuries belong in the workers’ compensation system. Others belong in a negligence claim against a driver, a property owner, or a contractor. Many fall into both categories at once, and the way those two claims are handled together can change what you recover.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC for a Chalmette Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including St. Bernard Parish, Chalmette, and the greater New Orleans area. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for its clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and there is 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, since the firm says “Hablamos español.”
That focus matters for injury claims in a place like Chalmette, where so many people are hurt at work or while working. Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both Partners, 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.
The results reflect the kind of injuries that come out of industrial and driving work: a $685,000 settlement 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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients describe a team that listens, communicates clearly, and stands up to insurance companies on their behalf.
Injury Situations That Come Up for St. Bernard Parish Residents
- Work Vehicle and Commuter Crashes: A driver who strikes a work truck or a company vehicle can create two claims at once: workers’ compensation through the employer’s insurer and a liability claim against the at-fault driver. Heavy traffic on routes into New Orleans and along the river corridor makes these collisions a recurring source of back, neck, and shoulder injuries.
- Truck Accidents: Freight moves constantly through the parish to and from terminals and industrial sites. Crashes involving commercial trucks tend to produce serious injuries and involve motor carriers, drivers, and layers of insurance, so evidence needs to be preserved early.
- Industrial Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plants, refineries, and rigs expose workers to fire, chemical, and heavy-equipment hazards. Burns and crush injuries often require long treatment and may support claims against contractors or equipment makers in addition to compensation benefits.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs are among the most common injuries the firm handles. Insurers frequently point to degenerative disease, so medical evidence tying the injury to the incident or to years of physical labor becomes central.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are often called old sports injuries by insurers. Surgical findings and treating-physician opinions are what answer that argument.
- Premises Liability: Falls caused by unsafe conditions at a job site, a store, or an apartment complex can support a claim against the property owner or a contractor who controlled the area.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal crash or workplace incident takes a family member, surviving relatives may have claims for loss and for the circumstances that caused the death.
What to Do After an Injury in Chalmette
Start with medical care, and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened and what hurts. Gaps and vague histories are what insurers use later to argue the injury came from somewhere else. If the injury happened at work, report it to your employer right away. In Louisiana, notice to the employer is required within 30 days of the injury or no compensation proceeding can be maintained, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. If compensation payments have been made, that deadline may extend to three years from the last payment.
If someone other than your employer caused the injury, a separate clock applies. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s liberative prescription for most injury claims is two years from the day the injury was sustained. Older injuries remain under the former one-year period. If a family member died, a wrongful death claim runs one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer, though a wrongful death claim based on medical malpractice stays at one year from the date of death.
Fault now matters more than it used to. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower share of fault reduces the award proportionally. Insurers know this and will push to shift blame onto you, so avoid recorded statements and casual explanations to an adjuster before you understand how the claim is being built. Do not post about the accident or your activity on social media, and keep every record: photographs of the scene and injuries, names of witnesses, pay stubs, medical bills, and any paperwork from the employer or insurer.
Disputes over treatment have their own short deadlines. If a workers’ compensation insurer denies a recommended treatment, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from written notice to file a dispute form with the Office of Workers’ Compensation, after which the medical director has 30 calendar days to decide. A party who disagrees with that decision has 45 days from issuance to seek further review. Missing these windows can end a treatment request that your doctor considers necessary.
Workers’ compensation claims in Louisiana are heard by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and the worker chooses among the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where the worker lived when injured, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. Appeals from a judge’s decision go to the appropriate circuit court of appeal. Chalmette sits in St. Bernard Parish, which falls within the Fourth Circuit, alongside Orleans and Plaquemines parishes. A party who is unhappy with an adverse judgment generally has 30 days to file an appeal that suspends the judgment, or 60 days if it does not, running from the day after the judgment was signed or the day after notice was mailed, whichever is later.
When a Work Injury Also Supports a Third-Party Claim
Workers’ compensation pays medical care and a portion of lost wages regardless of fault, but it does not pay for pain and suffering. When a negligent third party contributed to the injury, such as a driver who hit your work truck, a subcontractor who left a hazard, or a manufacturer whose equipment failed, a separate Louisiana injury claim may allow recovery for losses compensation does not cover. The firm’s Chalmette personal injury attorney team handles both sides so that a settlement in one claim does not undercut the other.
Coordination is where mistakes are made. The compensation insurer may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, and how a settlement is structured and documented can affect future medical benefits. Accepting a quick offer from one insurer before the full extent of the injury is known can close off options in the other claim. Sorting out the order and timing of these claims is a routine part of how the firm approaches an injury that has more than one source of responsibility.
Wage benefits in Louisiana also depend on whether you can return to work. If you come back at reduced pay or cannot earn at least 90 percent of your pre-injury wages, supplemental earnings benefits may apply, calculated as 66 2/3 percent of the difference between your earlier average wages and what you earn or are able to earn. Those benefits can last 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.
Questions Chalmette Residents Ask About Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a personal injury claim after a Chalmette accident?
Not every claim requires one, but if there are significant injuries, a dispute over who was at fault, or an insurer that has denied, delayed, or reduced what it owes, representation can change the outcome. The insurance company has adjusters and lawyers working for it, and you should have someone doing the same 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. In workers’ compensation matters, attorney fees are also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, most injury claims must be filed within two years of the day the injury was sustained. Injuries that occurred before that date remain under the former one-year period. Because some situations carry different deadlines, it is best to speak with an attorney as soon as possible.
What is the deadline for a workers’ compensation claim in Louisiana?
Report the injury to your employer within 30 days. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though the deadline may extend to three years from the last payment if compensation has already been paid.
Can I get workers’ compensation and also sue someone else?
Yes, when someone other than your employer caused or contributed to the injury. The compensation claim covers medical care and wage benefits, while a negligence claim against the responsible third party may recover losses that compensation does not.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and lower percentages reduce the award proportionally. Earlier causes of action remain under pure comparative fault. Because an insurer will try to inflate your share of blame, how fault is documented early matters a great deal.
Will the insurance company blame a pre-existing condition?
Often, yes. A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work or the accident caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits, and strong medical evidence is what answers that argument.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell the firm during your consultation so the circumstances can be reviewed.
What happens if my wrongful death claim involves a family member’s death at work or in a crash?
A Louisiana wrongful death claim runs one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. A death can also trigger death benefits under workers’ compensation if it was work related, and a third-party claim may exist alongside it.
Where are workers’ compensation hearings for a Chalmette injury held?
The worker chooses among the parish where the injury occurred, the parish of residence at the time of injury, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. The Office of Workers’ Compensation has district courts across the state, including one in New Orleans.
Can I handle a case if I do not speak English well?
Yes. The firm speaks Spanish, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Do you handle cases outside Chalmette?
Yes. The firm represents injured workers and accident victims statewide in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Serving Injured Clients Across St. Bernard Parish and South Louisiana
The firm represents injured people throughout St. Bernard Parish, from Chalmette and Arabi to Meraux, Violet, Poydras, and Saint Bernard. Clients also come from the lower parish communities of Reggio and Yscloskey, and from neighborhoods that sit just across the parish line in Orleans, including the Lower Ninth Ward, Gentilly, and Algiers. Across the river and along the river parishes, the firm serves workers and families in Jefferson, Plaquemines, and the communities around Gretna, Harvey, and Metairie.
The firm’s reach extends across South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and up to Shreveport and north Louisiana. In Mississippi, the team represents injured workers and accident victims in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Whether the injury happened on a dock, in a plant, on a highway, or at a job site, the same focus on getting medical care and wage benefits paid applies.
Talk With a Chalmette Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in St. Bernard Parish, you do not have to sort out the insurance company, the deadlines, and the competing claims by yourself. A Chalmette personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC can review what happened, explain which claims you may have, and take on the employer, the insurer, and the responsible parties. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits or a settlement for you. Call today to talk through your case.
