Houma Oilfield Injury Lawyer
An oilfield injury is rarely just a workers’ compensation claim. A roughneck hurt on a platform, a deckhand hit by a swinging load, or a vac truck driver burned at a wellsite may be covered by state comp, a federal maritime remedy, or a lawsuit against a contractor that never employed them, and picking the wrong lane can cost months or the entire claim. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and our work as a Houma oilfield injury lawyer starts with sorting out which of those paths your injury actually belongs on.
Terrebonne Parish sits at the center of the oil and gas service economy in South Louisiana. Fabrication yards, supply boat operations, pipe and tool suppliers, welding shops, and trucking companies in and around Houma feed offshore and land-based drilling, and the people who do that work are hurt in predictable ways: crushed hands, burns, back and shoulder tears from handling heavy pipe, falls from rigs and tanks. Where you were standing, who signed your paycheck, and whether you were on a vessel or on land decide what you can recover.
Why Land, Platform, and Vessel Injuries Follow Different Rules
Most oilfield workers hurt on land, at a wellsite, yard, or plant, fall under the Louisiana workers’ compensation system. That system pays reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you cannot work, supplemental earnings benefits if you come back at reduced pay, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death. It is a no-fault system, so you do not have to prove the company did anything wrong, only that the injury arose out of your work.
Offshore and vessel work can change the picture. A worker assigned to a vessel in navigation may fall outside state comp and into federal maritime law, and some platform workers have a separate federal compensation scheme. We raise this early because the choice of remedy affects deadlines, benefit levels, and whether a lawsuit is on the table. If your job moved between the yard, the dock, and the water, tell us exactly how your days actually went, because that detail often decides the question.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Oilfield Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Houma, Terrebonne Parish, and the communities of South Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury only when one walks in. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, and we work on a no recovery, no fee basis. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
Several results speak directly to oilfield work. 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. We also recovered $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job, along with larger back-injury results of $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker. Those cases were won with medical evidence and work history, the same tools that answer an insurer’s claim that your injury was an old sports problem or ordinary wear.
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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, which matters when an oilfield case includes a third-party lawsuit. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients who have written about us describe an attorney who fought the insurance company at every step and a team that listened and was easy to work with.
Common Oilfield Injuries and Claim Types We Handle
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting pipe, tongs, and tools and hours of vibration from heavy equipment produce herniated lumbar and cervical discs. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease, so the claim turns on medical opinion tying the job to the injury.
- Shoulder and Knee Tears: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears are common among derrickhands, roustabouts, and mechanics. Employers sometimes label them old athletic injuries, which is a dispute about causation, not coverage.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Flash fires, steam, hot oil, and chemical exposure at rigs and plants cause severe burns that need specialists, grafting, and long recovery. These cases can support permanent disability benefits.
- Fractures and Crush Injuries: Feet, ankles, hips, hands, and legs are broken by dropped loads, pinch points, and falls from decks or tank ladders, often requiring complex surgical repair.
- Truck and Vehicle Wrecks on the Job: Vac truck, water hauler, and crew-transport drivers are hit on the highways serving the oilfield. These can support both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Third-Party Contractor Claims: Oilfield sites involve operators, contractors, and subcontractors. If someone other than your employer caused the hazard, you may have a personal injury claim alongside comp.
- Wrongful Death: When a worker dies from a site accident, family members may be entitled to death benefits and, in some cases, a claim against a negligent third party.
What to Do After an Oilfield Injury in Terrebonne Parish
Get medical care first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work so the record says so. Then report it to your employer in writing. Louisiana requires notice within 30 days of the injury, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though the period can run longer, up to three years from the last payment, if comp payments have been made. Do not wait to see whether the pain fades. Mississippi has the same 30-day notice rule and gives most workers two years to file, which matters for workers hurt on a Mississippi job site.
Write down who saw it happen, what equipment was involved, and who supervised the task. Photograph the scene and your injuries if you can, and keep every discharge paper, work-status note, and pay stub. Be careful with recorded statements to the adjuster; they are used to find inconsistencies, such as an offhand remark that the injury “might have started earlier.” Do not sign a form that says you were hurt off the job or that you decline treatment.
Louisiana workers’ compensation disputes are heard by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and Houma has its own district court within that system. The worker generally chooses where to file: the parish where the injury happened, the parish where you lived when hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. If the insurer denies a treatment request, the clock is short. A utilization review dispute must be filed within 15 calendar days of the written denial, and a further challenge after the medical director’s decision must be filed within 45 days of its issuance. A judgment can be appealed to the Louisiana court of appeal, generally within 30 days to suspend the judgment, and cases from Terrebonne Parish go to the First Circuit.
How Insurers Fight Oilfield Claims, and How Benefits Work
Expect the usual playbook: that the accident was not witnessed, that a pre-existing condition is the real cause, that you can return to light duty, or that benefits should stop. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if work caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Medical testimony from your treating specialist is usually the strongest answer.
Wage benefits in Louisiana are tied to your average weekly wage, up to a maximum rate set each year based on the date of your accident. Supplemental earnings benefits apply when you return at wages below 90 percent of what you earned before, and they pay two-thirds of the difference. They end when you are released to full duty, are earning your pre-injury wages, or reach the 520-week limit, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward that limit. Oilfield workers often earn high base pay plus overtime and per diem, so how the average weekly wage is calculated can move your benefit rate significantly.
Third-party claims run on a different clock. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s general injury lawsuit period is two years from the day the injury is sustained. Fault also matters: for claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and lower fault reduces the award proportionally. A wrongful death claim runs one year from death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer.
Houma Oilfield Injury Questions Answered
Do I file workers’ compensation or sue my employer after an oilfield injury?
In most cases workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against your own employer, so you generally cannot sue them for ordinary negligence. You may, however, have a separate lawsuit against a third party such as a contractor, equipment maker, or negligent driver.
What if I was hurt on a boat or offshore platform?
Vessel-based work may be governed by federal maritime law instead of state comp. Which rules apply depends on your job duties and the vessel, so describe your assignment fully in your first conversation with us.
How long do I have to report an oilfield injury in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer within 30 days, and do it in writing. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with a longer period possible when comp payments have been made.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Louisiana and Mississippi both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review it.
Will workers’ comp pay for my surgery?
It covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury, including surgery and therapy. If the insurer denies or delays treatment, there is a short window, 15 calendar days, to dispute it through the medical review process.
What if the company says my injury was a pre-existing condition?
That argument does not automatically defeat the claim. If the job caused, aggravated, or sped up the condition, benefits can still be owed, and strong medical evidence is how that is shown.
Can I receive comp and also sue someone else?
Yes, when a third party contributed to the injury. We coordinate the two claims so a comp settlement does not undermine the lawsuit or the other way around.
I was partly at fault for the accident. Does that kill my claim?
Not for workers’ compensation, which is no-fault. Fault does matter in a third-party lawsuit, where Louisiana now bars recovery at 51 percent fault or more for claims arising on or after January 1, 2026.
What if my wages included overtime and per diem?
Insurers sometimes calculate your average weekly wage from base pay alone. Overtime and certain other earnings may count, and an incorrect wage figure can shortchange you every week for the life of the claim.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
What happens if a family member died in an oilfield accident?
Death benefits may be available through comp, and a wrongful death claim may exist against a third party. Louisiana allows one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer, so contact us promptly.
Do you represent Spanish-speaking workers?
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.
Representing Oilfield Workers Across Houma and South Louisiana
We represent injured workers in Houma and throughout Terrebonne Parish, including Gray, Bayou Cane, Schriever, Chauvin, Cocodrie, Montegut, Dulac, Bourg, Presque Isle, and Gibson. Our reach extends to neighboring communities in Lafourche Parish, such as Thibodaux and Raceland, and to Morgan City, Amelia, and Patterson in nearby St. Mary Parish, where fabrication yards and offshore support work keep the oilfield economy moving.
Beyond the bayou parishes, we handle claims in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and across Mississippi from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta, as well as north Mississippi and north Louisiana. Oilfield workers move between jobs and states, and we handle claims in both.
Talk With a Houma Oilfield Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt at a wellsite, yard, plant, or on the road for an oilfield employer, the insurer is already building its position. You do not need to answer its questions alone. Speaking with a Houma oilfield injury attorney early helps make sure your claim is filed in the right system, within the deadlines, with the medical evidence it needs.
Call us any time. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
