East Feliciana Parish Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A fall from a ladder at a Clinton job site, a back injury on a timber crew outside Jackson, a long shift at a hospital that ends with a shoulder that will not lift: when work hurts you in East Feliciana Parish, the bills start before the paychecks stop. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and we handle claims for people hurt on the job in East Feliciana Parish and the surrounding communities north of Baton Rouge. If you are looking for an East Feliciana Parish workers’ compensation lawyer, here is what the claim actually involves.
East Feliciana sits inside the territory of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, and disputes over benefits are heard by workers’ compensation judges rather than a jury. That shapes how a case is built. There is no emotional trial to win over twelve strangers. The outcome turns on medical records, work history, wage documentation, and how well your doctor’s opinions hold up against an insurance adjuster’s version of events.
Workers here are employed in healthcare, corrections and public service, agriculture and timber, road and utility construction, and the commuter-heavy jobs that run toward Baton Rouge. Many are hurt in places where the employer is a local business that has never handled a serious claim before. The insurer behind it has handled thousands.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an East Feliciana Parish Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across East Feliciana Parish, the Baton Rouge area, and communities throughout South Louisiana and Mississippi. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, not a side matter that comes in occasionally. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. We advance the costs of your case, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Our founding partner Rob Lunsford 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. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team, and all of them work on claims like yours.
Results matter more than adjectives. We secured $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. Clients consistently describe a team that listened, stayed professional, and fought the insurance company at every step. For a worker in East Feliciana Parish, that means a firm that knows how Louisiana carriers argue these claims and is prepared to take a denial to a judge and, if needed, to the appellate court.
Injuries and Claims We Handle for East Feliciana Parish Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs are among the most common serious work injuries, and they are also the ones insurers most often blame on degenerative disc disease. We build the medical case showing that years of lifting, driving, or standing, or a single incident, caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow pulling, climbing, or awkward falls. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the timing of symptoms and the treating surgeon’s opinion carry real weight.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones can require specialists, hardware, and months of rehabilitation. The question that follows is whether you can return to the same job at the same pay.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plant, industrial, and oil field work produce burns and crush injuries that change a person’s working life. These claims involve permanent disability benefits, lifetime medical care, and often a separate claim against someone other than the employer.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job require proof linking years of exposure to the condition.
- Healthcare Worker Injuries: Nurses, aides, and technicians are hurt lifting and repositioning patients, and the resulting back and shoulder injuries are frequently disputed as cumulative wear.
- Driving and Delivery Injuries: Workers hurt in wrecks while on the job may have both a comp claim and a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Denied or Terminated Benefits: Claims cut off without warning, treatment denied by utilization review, and workers pushed back to duty before their doctor clears them.
What to Do After a Work Injury in East Feliciana Parish
Report the injury to your employer right away, and in writing if you can. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless the employer receives notice within thirty days of the injury, and a late report hands the insurer an easy argument. Tell your supervisor exactly what happened, which body parts hurt, and where it occurred. Keep a copy.
Get medical care and describe the injury as work-related to every provider. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what adjusters quote back later. If a company doctor releases you before you are better, you can talk to us about your options for a second opinion.
The deadline to file a formal claim generally runs one year from the date of the accident. If the insurer has paid compensation benefits, that period can extend to three years from the last payment, but you should never plan around the extension. Claims in East Feliciana Parish are filed with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Louisiana’s workers’ compensation system lets the worker elect the venue: the parish where the injury happened, the parish where you lived at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. That choice can affect which district office hears the case, and we make it deliberately.
When an insurer denies a medical treatment request, the clock is short. The disputing party has 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the OWC, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. If you disagree with that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to file Form 1008. These deadlines run from the date of issuance, not from when you finally open the letter. Missing one can cost you the surgery your doctor ordered.
Once a workers’ compensation judge issues a final judgment, appeals go to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers East Feliciana Parish. An appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within thirty days, and one that does not suspend it within sixty. A party can then ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review the First Circuit’s decision by applying for a writ within 30 days of notice of the judgment.
Avoid the common mistakes. Do not give a recorded statement to the adjuster before talking to a lawyer. Do not sign medical releases broader than you understand. Do not post about your activities on social media. And do not assume that a pre-existing condition ends your claim, because it does not.
What Benefits Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Pays
Louisiana requires nearly every employer to carry coverage, even with a single employee. Benefits include all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you are temporarily unable to work, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death.
If you return to work but earn less because of your injury, supplemental earnings benefits may apply. They are calculated at 66 2/3 percent of the difference between your pre-injury average wage and what you earn or are able to earn, and they are available when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of your pre-injury wages. They continue until you are released to full duty, you are back to pre-injury earnings, or you reach the 520-week maximum, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit.
Weekly compensation rates are capped, with the maximum and minimum set annually from the statewide average weekly wage. The rate is fixed by the date of your accident and does not change later, which is one reason an accurate wage calculation at the start matters so much.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Is Responsible
Workers’ compensation is generally your remedy against your employer, but it does not shield everyone else. A negligent driver who hits your work truck, a contractor whose unsafe site causes your fall, or a manufacturer of defective equipment can be sued separately. We represent injured people in car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases, and we coordinate those claims with the comp case so they do not undercut each other.
Louisiana now applies a two-year prescriptive period to most injury lawsuits arising from July 1, 2024 forward, and a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing in causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026. Those rules do not govern your comp claim, but they govern a third-party case, and the comp lien the insurer holds on any recovery has to be handled carefully.
East Feliciana Parish Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one. If your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests.
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 in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the injury. Do it immediately if you can, and do it in writing.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally one year from the date of the accident. If compensation has been paid, the deadline may extend to three years from the last payment, but waiting is risky.
Where will my case be heard?
Before a workers’ compensation judge through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. You elect the venue from among the parish of injury, your parish of residence at the time, or the employer’s principal place of business, so the choice should be made with a lawyer.
What if the insurance company denies my surgery?
You have 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the OWC. The medical director then has 30 days to rule. That window is short, so call us as soon as the denial arrives.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
No. Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review it.
My employer says my injury is just a pre-existing condition. Is my claim over?
No. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical opinions from your treating physician are what answer that argument.
Will my health insurance pay while my claim is pending?
That depends on your plan and how the claim is progressing. Many health plans seek reimbursement if comp later pays, and some refuse work-related treatment outright. We help sort out who pays for what so you do not go without care.
What happens if I try to go back to work and cannot do my old job?
If you return at reduced pay, supplemental earnings benefits may cover part of the shortfall. If a light-duty offer does not match what your doctor allows, do not simply refuse it or accept it without advice. Document the restrictions and talk to us first.
I was hurt in a wreck while driving for work. Can I do more than a comp claim?
Often yes. If another driver caused the crash, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your comp benefits. The two claims interact, so they should be handled together.
Can you handle a claim if I do not speak English well?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Injured Workers Across East Feliciana Parish and Neighboring Communities
We represent injured workers in Clinton, the parish seat, and in Jackson, Slaughter, Norwood, Wilson, Ethel, and Pine Grove, as well as the rural stretches between them. Neighboring parishes also fall within our reach: West Feliciana Parish and St. Francisville to the west, St. Helena Parish to the east, and East Baton Rouge Parish to the south, including Zachary, Baker, and Baton Rouge itself. Across the state line, we handle claims for Mississippi workers as well.
Beyond this corner of the state, our team serves injured workers throughout South Louisiana and Louisiana generally, including Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and New Orleans, and across Mississippi from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. Wherever the injury happened, the same standards apply: report it, document it, and do not let an insurer set the terms.
Talk to an East Feliciana Parish Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to fight the insurance company alone. An East Feliciana Parish workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines apply to you, and take over the dealings with your employer and its insurer. Call today for a free consultation. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
