Louisiana Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A spinal cord injury on the job rarely resolves in one claim; it creates a claim that lasts decades. Lifetime medical care, home modifications, attendant care, and wage benefits all have to be fought for in stages, often against an insurer that would rather close the file than fund them. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that handles serious injury claims for workers throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, and a Louisiana spinal cord injury lawyer from our team can take over the insurer, the paperwork, and the deadlines while you focus on treatment.
The real fight in these cases is usually not whether you were hurt. It is whether the insurer will keep authorizing the care your physicians say you need, whether your disability is classified correctly, and whether a third party outside your employer can also be held responsible. Those questions have deadlines attached, and some of them are short.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across Louisiana, from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and across Mississippi. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Hablamos español.
Spinal injuries are the heart of what we handle. We secured a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager who suffered back injuries when he was struck in his work vehicle. Those are not the same as a complete spinal cord injury, and every case turns on its own medical facts, but they reflect the kind of evidence-heavy spine litigation we know well.
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, which matters when a spinal case also has a third-party liability claim. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients consistently describe our lawyers as easy to work with, attentive to their situation, and willing to fight the insurance company at every step.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen at Work in Louisiana
The mechanism of injury shapes both the medical picture and who may be legally responsible. These are the settings and claim types we see most.
- Falls from Height: Scaffolds, roofs, ladders, and structural steel on commercial and industrial construction sites are a leading cause of vertebral fractures and cord damage. A fall can also trigger a second claim if a subcontractor or equipment maker contributed.
- Vehicle Crashes on the Clock: Delivery drivers, truckers, and employees running work errands are exposed to high-speed collisions on interstates and highways across the state. These claims often pair comp benefits with a personal injury case against the at-fault driver.
- Oil and Gas and Industrial Sites: Rig floors, refineries, and plants in South Louisiana involve heavy pipe, crane loads, and dropped objects that can fracture or compress the spine. Offshore and maritime work may fall under different federal law, which we sort out early.
- Cervical and Lumbar Disc Injuries: Not every spinal cord injury is a dramatic accident. A herniated disc that compresses the cord or nerve roots can follow lifting, pulling, or repetitive strain. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence tying the injury to the job.
- Struck-By and Crush Injuries: Forklifts, falling materials, and heavy machinery in warehouses, ports, and manufacturing facilities cause traumatic spinal trauma, sometimes with burns or amputations alongside it.
- Medical and Patient-Handling Work: Nurses, aides, and surgical staff can suffer serious spinal injuries lifting or repositioning patients, and the claim turns on proving the injury arose from a specific work event or ongoing duties.
- Wrongful Death After Spinal Trauma: When a spinal injury or its complications proves fatal, surviving family members may have rights to death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a separate wrongful death action.
What to Do After a Spinal Cord Injury at Work
Get medical care first, and tell every provider that the injury happened at work so it is documented that way from the first chart entry. Do not downplay symptoms, guess about your recovery, or describe the event casually to an adjuster. Statements made early often come back later as “inconsistencies.”
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. In Louisiana, notice to the employer is required within 30 days of the injury, and a formal claim generally has to be filed within one year of the accident. If compensation has already been paid, the filing window can stretch to three years from the last payment, but do not count on that exception. The claim itself is filed with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, which operates district courts in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, Monroe, and other cities around the state. You choose where to bring the case from among the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where you lived when hurt, or the parish of your employer’s principal place of business, and that choice can matter for convenience and logistics.
Medical disputes move on tight clocks. If the insurer denies a treatment request, such as surgery, a spinal cord stimulator, or home health care, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days after written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the OWC, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to rule. If you disagree with that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to file Form 1008 under R.S. 23:1203.1. Those windows run from issuance and receipt, so a pile of unopened mail can cost you your appeal. If a workers’ compensation judge issues a final judgment against you, an appeal to the Louisiana courts of appeal generally must be filed within 30 days when the appeal suspends the judgment, or 60 days when it does not, and the delay runs from the day after the judgment was signed or notice was mailed, whichever is later. Which court of appeal hears the case depends on the district where it was decided; for example, cases from the Baton Rouge district go to the First Circuit.
Keep copies of everything: imaging, surgical reports, work restrictions, pay stubs, and correspondence from the insurer. Do not sign medical releases broader than necessary, do not accept a settlement or recorded-statement request without advice, and do not return to work before your treating physician clears you. If someone other than your employer may be at fault, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site, preserve photos, witness names, and incident reports. For third-party injury suits arising from injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s general tort deadline is two years from the day the injury is sustained, and for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, with lesser fault reducing the award proportionally.
The Benefits That Matter Most in a Spinal Cord Injury Case
The central benefit is medical care, and in a spinal cord injury it is the largest part of the claim. Louisiana law requires coverage of reasonable and necessary treatment, which can include surgery, rehabilitation, durable equipment, medication, and in appropriate cases attendant or home care. Fights over medical benefits tend to recur for years, because every new request goes back through the insurer. Our job is to keep the physician’s recommendations and the medical evidence in front of the decision-makers each time.
Wage benefits are set by classification. Temporary total disability applies while you cannot work at all during recovery. If you can return only at reduced pay, supplemental earnings benefits pay two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of what you made before. Those benefits can run until you are released to full duty, earn your pre-injury wages, or reach the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that 520. Permanent total disability, permanent partial disability, and catastrophic injury provisions come into play when the injury is lasting. Weekly compensation rates are tied to the date of the accident and are not adjusted later, so the figure that applies to you depends on when you were hurt.
Insurers also use vocational tactics. They may hire a rehabilitation consultant to identify jobs they say you can do, or send you for an independent medical examination chosen to minimize your restrictions. We prepare the medical and vocational evidence so a paper job description does not erase a documented spinal limitation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Louisiana Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a spinal cord injury workers’ compensation claim?
Given the size of the lifetime medical and wage exposure, the insurer will have adjusters and lawyers working to limit it. A spinal cord injury claim involves repeated treatment disputes, classification of disability, and possibly a third-party suit, so having your own attorney from the start is strongly advisable.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury and file a claim in Louisiana?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the injury, and file a formal claim generally within one year of the accident. If benefits have been paid, the deadline can extend to three years from the last payment, so speak with an attorney early rather than relying on an exception.
What if my claim is denied or my surgery is refused?
Treatment denials can be challenged through the OWC’s utilization review process. The disputing party has 15 calendar days from written notice to file Form 1009, and the medical director has 30 calendar days to decide. Missing that window can hurt you, so bring any denial letter to us immediately.
The insurer says my injury is from degenerative disc disease. Is my claim over?
No. A pre-existing or degenerative condition does not automatically bar a claim. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed. The case usually turns on medical testimony and the history of your work duties.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Possibly. If a negligent driver, an unsafe contractor, or a defective piece of equipment contributed to your spinal injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits. We coordinate the two so that one does not undermine the other.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own carelessness does not ordinarily defeat comp benefits. Fault matters in a third-party lawsuit, where for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana bars recovery if you are found 51 percent or more at fault and otherwise reduces your award by your percentage.
How long do I have to bring a lawsuit against a third party in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the general period for tort claims is two years from the day the injury was sustained. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims follow their own rule: one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer, with an exception for malpractice-based death claims, which stay at one year from death.
Will my wage benefits last for life if I can never return to work?
That depends on how your disability is classified. Supplemental earnings benefits have a 520-week maximum, while permanent total disability and catastrophic injury provisions can extend further. Which category applies is often the most contested issue in a severe spinal case, and it should be decided on medical evidence, not the insurer’s preference.
Can my employer fire me for filing a comp claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting your injury, tell us at your consultation so we can review your options.
What if I live in Louisiana but was hurt in Mississippi, or the reverse?
Which state’s law applies can depend on where you were hired, where you work, and where the injury occurred. Because our attorneys handle claims in both Louisiana and Mississippi, we can evaluate which system governs your case and what deadlines apply, including Mississippi’s rule requiring notice within 30 days and a claim within two years.
Serving Spinal Cord Injury Clients Across Louisiana
We represent injured workers throughout South Louisiana and the rest of the state. From the New Orleans area through Jefferson Parish and across the river parishes, to Baton Rouge and the surrounding capital region, our team handles claims for workers hurt on construction sites, in plants, on the road, and in hospitals. We also serve clients in Lafayette and the Acadiana communities, Lake Charles and the Calcasieu Parish area, and Houma and the bayou parishes along the coast. In north Louisiana, we represent workers in Shreveport, Bossier City, and Monroe, and in communities across the state in between.
Because Louisiana workers’ compensation cases are heard in district offices and appealed to different circuit courts depending on where they arise, local knowledge of how each venue operates helps. We also represent injured workers across the river in Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta, and we regularly handle spinal injury cases that involve work performed in more than one state.
Talk to a Louisiana Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today
A spinal cord injury changes what your family needs for decades, and the decisions made in the first months, about treatment, reporting, and who handles the insurer, shape the rest of the claim. If you are looking for a Louisiana spinal cord injury attorney, our team will review what happened, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and tell you plainly what the claim may be worth pursuing. Call us any time; our phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
