Opelousas Personal Injury Lawyer
A crash on U.S. 190 or Interstate 49 near Opelousas can leave you hurt, out of work, and fielding calls from an adjuster before you have even finished treatment. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles injury claims for people in St. Landry Parish and across Louisiana and Mississippi, from car and truck wrecks to premises liability, wrongful death, and the work injuries that often overlap with them.
Finding a Opelousas personal injury lawyer usually comes down to a few practical questions. How long do I have to file? What if the other driver says I was partly at fault? Can I collect both workers’ compensation and an injury claim? The answers have shifted recently in Louisiana, and some of the shifts work against injured people who wait.
St. Landry Parish sits at a crossroads of agriculture, trucking, oilfield support work, and hospital and school employment. That mix produces a particular kind of case: the driver hauling a load who is hit by a negligent motorist, the worker hurt on a site run by someone other than his employer, the visitor who falls in a store or on poorly maintained property. Each of those can create more than one source of recovery, and handling them together matters.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Opelousas Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people throughout South Louisiana, including Opelousas, Lafayette, and the surrounding parishes, as well as across Mississippi. Workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice, and the attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to injury cases. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless there is a recovery. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both Partners, 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 and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
That background matters in an injury case because insurers price claims based on whether they think your lawyer will actually go the distance. The firm’s results include $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 the same things in their reviews: attorneys who listened, stayed in contact, and fought the insurance company at every step.
Common Injury Claims We Handle for Opelousas Clients
- Car Accidents: Collisions on U.S. 190, Interstate 49, and the parish roads that feed them often involve distracted or impaired drivers and sudden stops at busy intersections. These claims turn on police reports, vehicle damage, and medical records that tie your injuries to the crash.
- Truck Accidents: I-49 carries heavy commercial traffic through St. Landry Parish. Truck cases can involve the driver, the carrier, a broker, or a maintenance contractor, and the evidence (logs, inspection records, black box data) can disappear if no one asks for it early.
- Work Injuries with a Third-Party Claim: When someone other than your employer causes the harm, such as a negligent driver hitting your work truck or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall, you may have a personal injury claim alongside workers’ compensation benefits.
- Premises Liability: Falls in stores, restaurants, parking lots, and rental property can support a claim when an owner knew or should have known about a hazard and did nothing. Photos and incident reports gathered quickly carry real weight.
- Wrongful Death: Families who lose someone in a crash or other preventable incident face deadlines that run from the date of death or the date of injury, depending on the facts.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites, oilfield operations, and plants produce burns, crush injuries, and other life-changing harm that require specialists and long-term planning.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations are common after crashes and falls, and insurers often blame degenerative changes. Strong medical evidence is how those arguments get answered.
What to Do After an Injury in St. Landry Parish
Get medical care first, and tell every provider exactly how you were hurt. Gaps in treatment and vague histories give insurers room to argue that your injury was minor or came from somewhere else. If police responded, get the report number. If you can, photograph the scene, the vehicles, the hazard that caused your fall, and your injuries as they develop. Collect names and numbers for any witnesses before they scatter.
Be careful with the other side’s insurer. Adjusters often ask for recorded statements early, and a casual comment about feeling “okay” at the scene can be quoted back to you months later. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other party’s carrier, and it is usually wiser to talk to a lawyer first. The same caution applies to quick settlement offers that arrive before you know the full extent of your injuries.
Timing is the part people underestimate. In Louisiana, injury lawsuits based on negligence now carry a two-year prescriptive period for injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims are measured from the death or from the injury, whichever gives the longer window. A wrongful death claim built on medical malpractice is a notable exception, limited to one year from the date of death. Because these rules changed recently, do not assume the deadline you heard from a friend still applies.
If your injury happened at work, a separate clock runs. You should report it to your employer right away and within 30 days at the latest, and a formal workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident. Those deadlines apply even when a third party also caused the harm, so a missed workers’ comp deadline can undercut an otherwise strong case.
Injury lawsuits arising in St. Landry Parish are generally filed in the parish’s district court, and appeals from this area go to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, which covers St. Landry along with Lafayette, Acadia, Evangeline, and many neighboring parishes. Federal cases from the area fall within the Western District of Louisiana, which holds court in Opelousas, among other places. A lawyer can tell you early whether your case belongs in state or federal court.
How Fault Is Decided and Why It Changed in Louisiana
Louisiana has historically let injured people recover even when they shared some blame, with the award reduced by their percentage of fault. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, that has changed. A claimant found 51 percent or more at fault now recovers nothing, and a claimant below that line still has the award reduced in proportion. Juries must be told about this rule, which gives both sides every reason to fight over small differences in the fault percentage.
In practice, that makes early evidence far more valuable. Insurers know the new threshold and will push to assign you just over half the blame: you were speeding, you were on your phone, you should have seen the hazard. Surveillance footage, dash cam video, accident reconstruction, and witness statements are what keep a fault allocation honest. If you crossed state lines for a collision, note that Mississippi works differently, using pure comparative negligence that reduces recovery by your share of fault without barring it.
Workers’ Compensation and Injury Claims Together
Workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage benefits regardless of who caused the accident, but it does not pay for pain and suffering and it does not compensate for the full impact of a serious injury. When a third party is responsible, a separate injury claim can fill that gap. The two claims interact: the comp insurer may have a right to be reimbursed from part of your third-party recovery, and how a settlement is structured can affect your ongoing comp benefits.
Handling both under one roof is a real advantage. Because workers’ compensation is the firm’s core practice, the attorneys know how a third-party settlement can help or hurt your comp claim, and they coordinate the two so one does not undermine the other.
Frequently Asked Questions About Opelousas Injury Claims
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries that happened on or after July 1, 2024, the period is two years from the day the injury or damage was sustained. Injuries before that date remain under the older one-year period. Because the cutoff turns on your injury date, check your timeline with a lawyer rather than guessing.
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are paid only if there is a recovery.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana bars recovery if you are found 51 percent or more at fault. Below that, your award is reduced by your share. Earlier claims remain under the prior pure comparative fault approach. Either way, how fault is assigned can change the value of your case dramatically.
Can I file both a workers’ compensation claim and a personal injury claim?
Often yes, when someone other than your employer contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site. The two claims have different deadlines and rules, and they should be handled together so a settlement in one does not damage the other.
Do I have to talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
You can report basic facts, but you are not obligated to give a recorded statement to the other party’s insurer, and doing so before you understand your injuries can hurt you. It is usually better to speak with a lawyer first.
Should I accept the first settlement offer?
Early offers tend to arrive before the full extent of your injuries is known. Once you settle, you generally cannot reopen the claim if you later need surgery or long-term care. Have a lawyer evaluate any offer against your actual medical picture.
What if a family member died in an accident near Opelousas?
Louisiana’s wrongful death deadline runs one year from the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. A wrongful death claim based on medical malpractice is limited to one year from the date of death. Because family members are often overwhelmed in the first weeks, getting advice early protects the claim.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Many people use health insurance for treatment while a claim is pending, and in a work-related case the workers’ compensation carrier is responsible for reasonable and necessary medical care. Your health insurer or another payer may seek reimbursement from a settlement, so keep records of everything paid and tell your attorney about every payer.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor-looking injury?
Sometimes soreness that seems minor turns into a herniated disc or a torn shoulder weeks later. If you have missed work, are still treating, or the insurer is disputing fault, a free consultation costs nothing and tells you where you stand before you sign anything.
What if the at-fault driver was driving for work?
Then there may be additional responsible parties, such as an employer or a carrier, and more insurance coverage. These cases often require early preservation of records, which is one more reason to act quickly.
Can you help if I was hurt in Mississippi but live in Louisiana?
Yes. The firm represents injured people in both states, and the law of the place where you were hurt generally controls the deadlines and fault rules. Mississippi, for example, generally allows three years for a negligence claim and uses pure comparative negligence.
Serving Injured Clients in Opelousas and St. Landry Parish
The firm represents clients in Opelousas and throughout St. Landry Parish, including Eunice, Krotz Springs, Port Barre, Leonville, Washington, Sunset, Arnaudville, Grand Coteau, Melville, Palmetto, Lawtell, and Swords. We also serve neighboring parishes and communities in Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, St. Martin, and Avoyelles, along with the larger markets of Lafayette, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.
Across South Louisiana and north Louisiana, including Shreveport, the firm handles car and truck accidents, workplace injuries, premises liability, and wrongful death. In Mississippi, we represent clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, the Gulf Coast, and north Mississippi.
Talk to an Opelousas Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, a fall, or an accident at work, an Opelousas personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines apply to you, and tell you plainly whether you have a claim worth pursuing. The call is free, the phones are answered around the clock, and you owe no fee unless the firm recovers for you. Call today and get answers before the insurance company shapes the story.
