Lafayette Forklift & Crane Accident Lawyer
Workers in Lafayette who have been hurt by a forklift or a crane usually face two questions at once: who pays for the surgery, and is anyone besides the employer responsible? Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Lafayette, Lafayette Parish and the surrounding Acadiana communities. If you need a Lafayette forklift and crane accident lawyer, the answers to both questions shape everything that follows.
Forklift and crane injuries are different from a slip on a wet floor. They involve heavy machinery, suspended loads, tipping and crushing forces, and often more than one company on the same site. A warehouse employee pinned between a forklift and a rack, a rigger struck by a swinging load, or a yard worker run over by a lift truck may have a workers’ compensation claim against the employer’s insurer, and also a separate claim against an outside party such as an equipment maker, a maintenance contractor or a crane operator employed by someone else.
Why Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe Handles Heavy Equipment Injury Claims
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Lafayette and throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for 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.
The people behind the work matter on a case like this. Rob Lunsford, 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. Andrew Rueff, Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team, and Andrew has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, which matters when a third-party injury claim runs alongside the comp case.
Results show the kind of injuries these machines cause. The firm obtained $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 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, stays professional and fights with the insurance company at every step.
Common Forklift and Crane Injuries and Claims
- Crushing and pinning injuries: A worker caught between a forklift and a dock, wall or rack can suffer fractures of the pelvis, hips, legs and feet that need specialists and complex surgical repair.
- Back, neck and spine injuries: Tip-overs, sudden stops and falls from lift forks commonly cause lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often respond by blaming degenerative disc disease, and medical evidence is how that argument is answered.
- Struck-by load incidents: Dropped pallets, shifting cargo and swinging crane loads injure riggers, signal workers and nearby laborers at industrial yards, fabrication shops and construction sites.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears and meniscus tears are common when a worker is thrown from equipment or caught by a moving load, and employers sometimes label them old sports injuries.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Crane work around oil field operations, plants and industrial sites can involve electrical contact, fire and falls from height, producing burns and life-altering harm.
- Fatal accidents: When a worker dies in a forklift or crane incident, the family may have death benefits under comp and, if an outside party was at fault, a wrongful death claim.
- Third-party equipment claims: A defective brake, a failed hydraulic line, a poorly maintained lift or a negligent crane operator from another company can support a separate injury claim beyond workers’ compensation.
What to Do After a Forklift or Crane Accident in Lafayette
Get medical care first, and tell every provider the injury happened at work and how. Then report it to your employer right away. In Louisiana you must give notice of the injury within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. If compensation payments have been made, that deadline can extend to three years from the last payment. Missing the notice window can hand the insurer an easy reason to deny.
Write down what you remember while it is fresh: the machine, the load, who was operating it, who was nearby, and whether a warning system, spotter or safety rule was ignored. Take photos if you can, and keep the names of coworkers who saw it. Do not give a recorded statement to the adjuster before you have talked with a lawyer, and do not assume the incident report your employer prepares tells the whole story. If other companies were working on the site, note who they were.
Workers’ compensation disputes in Louisiana are heard by a workers’ compensation judge at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and Lafayette has its own OWC district court. You choose where to file among the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived at the time, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. If the insurer denies a treatment recommendation, you have only 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 to file Form 1008. A final judgment can be appealed within 30 days, and Lafayette Parish appeals go to the Third Circuit Court of Appeal. These windows are short, which is why early help matters.
Comp Benefits and Third-Party Claims Working Together
Workers’ compensation covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement while you cannot work, with supplemental earnings benefits if you come back at reduced pay and additional benefits for permanent disability. Supplemental earnings benefits are tied to the gap between your pre-injury wages and what you can earn, and they can last up to a 520-week maximum, with temporary total disability weeks counting toward it. Weekly benefit limits are set each year and are fixed by the date of your accident.
Comp does not pay for pain and suffering. If a negligent third party contributed to the accident, a personal injury claim can reach damages comp never will. In Louisiana, injuries on or after July 1, 2024 generally carry a two-year period to sue, and fault below 51 percent reduces the recovery while fault of 51 percent or more bars it for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026. Because fault arguments can shrink a third-party case, the firm coordinates the comp claim and the injury claim so one does not undercut the other. If the injury involved a Mississippi worksite, different rules apply, including a 30-day reporting rule and a two-year window to file with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Questions Injured Workers Ask About Forklift and Crane Accidents
Do I need a lawyer after a forklift accident at work?
Not every claim needs one, but heavy equipment injuries tend to be serious and long-lasting. If benefits are denied, delayed or cut off, or you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference against an insurer that has its own adjusters and counsel.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and fees are paid only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report the accident?
Report it right away and within 30 days at the latest. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding if notice is not given to the employer within 30 days of the injury, with exceptions that are best reviewed with a lawyer.
How long do I have to file a Louisiana comp claim?
Generally one year from the date of the accident. If compensation payments were made, the deadline may stretch to three years from the last payment, so do not assume you have missed it without checking.
Can I sue someone other than my employer?
Often yes. If a crane operator employed by another company, an equipment manufacturer or a maintenance contractor caused the accident, you may have a separate injury claim in addition to comp benefits.
What if the insurer says my back problem was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the accident caused, worsened or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed. Strong medical evidence is how that dispute is won.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is not fault-based, so your own mistake generally does not defeat a comp claim. Fault does matter in a third-party injury suit, where Louisiana’s comparative fault rules reduce your recovery and can bar it if you are found 51 percent or more at fault on claims arising after the change.
Can I be fired for filing a 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, raise it in your consultation.
What if the insurer denies my surgery or treatment?
You have 15 calendar days from written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the OWC. The medical director has 30 calendar days to rule, and a further 45-day clock to file Form 1008 starts when that decision issues.
What happens if a forklift or crane accident killed a family member?
Death benefits may be available under workers’ compensation, and a wrongful death claim may exist against an outside party. Louisiana wrongful death claims run one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer, so contact the firm promptly.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
Comp is meant to pay for work-related treatment, but disputes can leave you waiting. Tell the firm about any gaps in care so they can press the insurer to authorize treatment rather than leaving you to pay out of pocket.
Do you handle cases beyond Lafayette?
Yes. The firm represents injured workers statewide in Louisiana and Mississippi and speaks Spanish with clients who prefer it.
Serving Forklift and Crane Accident Clients Across Lafayette and Acadiana
The firm represents workers hurt in Lafayette and throughout Lafayette Parish, and across the Acadiana communities that surround it. That includes workers employed at warehouses, shipyards, fabrication shops, construction sites and industrial facilities from Lafayette through the rest of South Louisiana. The firm also serves Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport, as well as injured workers in Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast and the Delta. Wherever you were hurt in either state, a call is the first step toward finding out what your claim is worth.
Talk With a Lafayette Forklift and Crane Accident Attorney Today
If a forklift or crane hurt you at work, a Lafayette forklift and crane accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your medical situation, your employer’s insurer and any outside companies that may share the blame. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you. Call today and let the team take on the insurance company while you focus on getting well.
