Lafayette Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Workers in Lafayette who get hurt on the job often have to make a decision within days: report the injury, see the company’s chosen doctor, sign what the adjuster mails over, or call a lawyer. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation claims for injured employees in Lafayette and across South Louisiana and Mississippi, and the first moves a worker makes tend to shape the rest of the claim.
If you are looking for a Lafayette workers’ compensation lawyer, it helps to know how the system operates locally. Lafayette is home to a District Workers’ Compensation Court within the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, so disputes over medical treatment, missed paychecks, and denied claims are heard by a workers’ compensation judge close to home rather than in a civil courtroom. The oilfield service companies, hospitals, construction contractors, and trucking operations that anchor Acadiana’s economy produce many of these claims, and the insurers behind them have well-worn ways of limiting what they pay.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Lafayette Comp Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, including Lafayette, Acadiana, and communities across South Louisiana. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, works on a no recovery, no fee basis, offers free consultations, advances the costs of the case, answers its phones 24 hours a day, and serves Spanish-speaking clients in their own language.
The people behind those results matter. 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 has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team, and clients regularly describe being listened to and kept informed while their attorney handled the insurance company.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries Lafayette workers suffer: 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 injured after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but they show the firm handles serious, contested claims rather than only routine ones.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Lafayette Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common claims from warehouse, oilfield, nursing, and construction work. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, and the answer is medical evidence showing that years of physical labor or a specific incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow repetitive lifting, pipe handling, or a fall. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the timeline of symptoms and the treating surgeon’s opinion carry real weight.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work and a real question about whether you can return to the same job.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Rigs, plants, and industrial sites produce serious burns and life-altering trauma. These claims can involve permanent disability benefits, lifelong medical needs, and sometimes a separate claim against a third party.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job require showing the connection between the work and the condition.
- Denied Claims and Appeals: Denials built on a claim that the accident did not happen at work, a pre-existing condition argument, or a sudden cutoff of benefits can be challenged before a workers’ compensation judge and appealed if needed.
- Third-Party Injury Claims: When a negligent driver hits your work truck or a contractor’s unsafe site causes your fall, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. The firm also handles car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Lafayette
Start with notice. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless you gave your employer notice of the injury within 30 days, so report the injury promptly and make sure it is documented rather than simply mentioned to a supervisor. Ask for the report in writing if you can, and keep your own copy of anything you submit. Get medical treatment right away and tell every provider the injury happened at work, because the first medical records are the ones an insurer reads most closely when it looks for a way to dispute causation.
Then watch the filing clock. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though that period can extend to three years from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. Disputes over a medical treatment denial run on much shorter fuses: a request for review through the utilization review process, using Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation, must be filed within 15 calendar days of written notice of the denial, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. A party unhappy with that decision has 45 days from issuance to file Form 1008. Missing one of these windows can end a good argument before it is heard.
In Louisiana you choose where your hearing is held, within limits: the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived at the time, or the parish of your employer’s principal place of business. For many Lafayette workers that means the Lafayette district court of the Office of Workers’ Compensation. If a workers’ compensation judge’s ruling goes against you, the judgment is appealed to the appropriate circuit court of appeal. A Lafayette Parish case falls within the Third Circuit. An appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within 30 days and one that does not suspend it within 60 days, running from the day after the judgment was signed or the day after notice was mailed, whichever is later.
Common mistakes are predictable. Workers give recorded statements before understanding what the adjuster is looking for, go back to work before a doctor releases them, skip follow-up appointments, or post about their activity on social media. Each can be turned into an argument that the injury is not serious. A call to a Lafayette workers’ comp attorney before you sign anything or give a statement costs nothing and often prevents these problems.
Wage Benefits in Louisiana: Temporary, Permanent, and Supplemental
Louisiana workers’ compensation pays more than medical bills. While you cannot work, you may receive temporary total disability benefits, and permanent disability benefits can follow if you do not fully recover. The weekly amount is tied to a percentage of your wages but capped by a maximum that is set each year from the statewide average weekly wage and fixed by the date of your accident, so the rate that applies to you depends on when you were hurt.
If you return to work but earn less because of your injury, supplemental earnings benefits can make up part of the difference. They are generally calculated at two-thirds of the gap between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, and they apply when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of what you made before. These benefits can continue until you are released to full duty, return to your pre-injury earnings, or reach a maximum of 520 weeks, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that limit. Insurers often argue that a worker could earn more than they actually do, which is why vocational evidence and honest documentation of job searches matter.
Lafayette Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Lafayette?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
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. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report and file a 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, with a possible extension to three years from the last payment if compensation was paid. Because exceptions are narrow, it is best to act early.
Can my employer fire me for filing a workers’ comp claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it in your consultation so the circumstances can be reviewed.
What if my injury involves a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical evidence is usually what resolves the dispute.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Louisiana generally gives the injured worker a choice of treating physician in one specialty, with limits and notice requirements. Because rules about changing doctors and obtaining specialist referrals are technical, talk to a lawyer before switching providers or accepting a referral you did not choose.
The insurer denied my surgery. What can I do?
You can dispute a medical treatment denial through the utilization review process. The deadline to file Form 1009 is 15 calendar days after you receive written notice of the denial, so this is one of the most time-sensitive steps in the claim.
Will a settlement end my medical benefits?
It can. Many settlements close out future medical care, so what you take must account for what your treatment may cost down the road. A proposed settlement should be weighed against your doctor’s recommendations, not just the lump sum offered.
What if a third party, like a negligent driver, caused my injury at work?
You may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s period for most injury lawsuits is two years from the day the injury is sustained, and a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault generally recovers nothing for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026. Coordinating the comp claim with the injury claim protects both.
Does the firm help Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if I have a smaller injury?
Often it is worth at least one consultation. Injuries that look minor can lead to surgery, permanent restrictions, or a lost job, and early mistakes in reporting and treatment are hard to undo.
Serving Injured Workers From Lafayette Through Acadiana and Beyond
Our work for Lafayette clients extends across Lafayette Parish, including the city of Lafayette itself, Scott, Youngsville, Broussard, Carencro, and Duson. We also represent workers in neighboring Acadiana communities such as Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, New Iberia, Abbeville, Crowley, Opelousas, and Eunice, along with the oilfield and industrial communities along the coast and the corridor toward Lake Charles. Across South Louisiana, the firm serves injured workers in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and statewide from Shreveport in the north to the Gulf. The firm also represents injured workers throughout Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta.
Talk With a Lafayette Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to deal with the insurance company alone. A Lafayette workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your claim, explain which deadlines apply to you, and take over the communication with your employer and its insurer. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today to talk through your injury and your options.
