Plaquemines Parish Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
The goal in a work injury claim is simple to state and hard to reach: authorized medical treatment that actually happens, weekly checks that arrive on time, and a resolution that reflects what the injury has cost you. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm representing injured workers across Louisiana and Mississippi, and our team helps people in Plaquemines Parish get there when an insurer has denied, delayed, or cut off their benefits. If you need a Plaquemines Parish workers’ compensation lawyer, it helps to know how these claims are decided before the first adjuster calls you.
Plaquemines Parish runs along the lower Mississippi River, and the work here is heavy and hazardous: marine and offshore support, oil and gas facilities, shipyards and dock operations, commercial fishing and seafood processing, and the pipeline and plant work that feeds the river industrial corridor. These are jobs where a single fall, a crushed hand, or a burn can end a career, and where employers often have layers of contractors, staffing companies, and insurers, each pointing at the other when a claim comes in.
Insurers in this region tend to rely on a short list of arguments: the accident was not witnessed, the condition was already there, you reported it too late, or your doctor released you sooner than the insurer’s chosen physician says you should be. Each of those can be answered with the right medical records, witness statements, and work history, and the earlier that evidence is gathered, the stronger the answer.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC for Plaquemines Parish Work Injury Claims
Most attorneys who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one happens to come through the door. This firm was built the other way around: workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off before they should have been. We serve injured workers throughout South Louisiana, including Plaquemines Parish, as well as across Mississippi, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in comp cases are also limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
The people handling your file matter. Rob Lunsford, our 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, which matters when a carrier will not pay what a claim is worth without a fight. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries that come out of industrial and field work: 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 when he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities. Clients consistently describe the same things in their reviews: attorneys who listen, who take on the insurance company directly, and who stay in contact through hard stretches.
Common Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Plaquemines Parish Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most frequent claims from lifting, pulling, and repetitive heavy labor on docks, vessels, and plant floors. Insurers commonly blame degenerative disc disease, and the answer is medical evidence showing how years of physical work or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears come from pulling large pipe, climbing ladders and gangways, and working on uneven or slick surfaces. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we meet that argument with imaging and treating-physician opinions.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil and gas sites, plants, and industrial facilities along the river produce flash burns, chemical exposures, and crush injuries that require specialists, long recoveries, and benefits that extend well past the early weeks.
- Fractures of the Feet, Ankles, Hips, and Other Bones: Falls from vessels, platforms, and equipment often require surgical repair and extended time off work, which makes wage replacement and ongoing treatment approvals the central fight.
- Struck-By and Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Drivers, delivery workers, and field supervisors hurt in work vehicles may have both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver, and the two need to be coordinated.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are claims insurers often resist and that require careful medical proof.
- Denied, Delayed, or Terminated Benefits: Whether the carrier denied the claim outright, stopped paying without warning, or refused a treatment your doctor ordered, these disputes are the core of our appeals work.
- Wrongful Death: When a workplace accident takes a life, surviving family members may be entitled to death benefits and, depending on the facts, a separate claim against a responsible third party.
What to Do After a Plaquemines Parish Work Injury, and the Deadlines That Control Your Claim
Start with the medical care and the report. Get treated, tell the provider the injury happened at work, and notify your employer of the injury right away. Louisiana law requires notice to the employer within 30 days of the accident, and a claim that misses that notice requirement can be defended on that ground alone. Put the report in writing if you can, keep a copy, and note who you told and when. Write down what happened while it is fresh: the task you were doing, the equipment involved, who saw it, and any prior complaints about the hazard. Photos of the scene and your injury, names of coworkers, and your pay records all become evidence later. The second deadline is the one people miss. A formal claim in Louisiana generally must be filed within one year of the date of the accident, and that period can extend to three years from the last compensation payment when benefits have already been paid. Do not assume that because the insurer is paying you, the clock has stopped being a concern. Exceptions are narrow and fact specific, which is why speaking with an attorney early is the safer course.
Where your case is heard is also a decision, not an accident. Louisiana workers’ compensation claims are decided by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and under state law the worker chooses among three venues: the parish where the injury occurred, the parish where you lived when you were hurt, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. Plaquemines Parish falls within the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, together with Orleans and St. Bernard parishes, though the appellate path can depend on which district office hears the claim, so we confirm that early rather than assume it.
Be careful with recorded statements, and be careful about returning to work before your doctor clears you. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that sound routine and become the foundation of a denial. If you are asked to give a statement, or if you are being pushed to accept a light-duty job outside your restrictions, speak with a lawyer first. And keep every appointment; missed treatment is one of the easiest things for an insurer to turn against you.
Disputed Treatment and Appeals: How Louisiana Claims Move After a Denial
A denial of medical treatment follows its own fast track in Louisiana. When the insurer refuses a recommended surgery, injection, or therapy through utilization review, the aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from receiving written notice of the denial to file LWC Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. The OWC medical director then has 30 calendar days to issue a decision. If that decision goes against you, R.S. 23:1203.1 gives 45 days from the date the decision was issued to file Form 1008 to seek review before a workers’ compensation judge, and that clock runs from issuance, not from the day the decision reaches your mailbox. Missing either window can cost you the treatment, so denials of care should reach an attorney within days, not weeks.
Wage benefits have their own structure. Temporary total disability benefits replace a portion of your pay while you cannot work at all. If you return to work earning less than before because of the injury, supplemental earnings benefits can make up part of the difference; they are calculated at 66 2/3 percent of the gap between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, when you cannot earn 90 percent or more of your earlier pay. Those benefits run until you are released to full duty, are earning your pre-injury wages, or reach the 520-week maximum, and time spent on temporary total disability counts toward that 520 weeks. Weekly benefit rates are capped, the cap is set by the date of your accident, and it is adjusted periodically for new accidents.
When a workers’ compensation judge rules against you, the next step is an appeal to the Louisiana court of appeal. An appeal must be filed within 30 days if it is to suspend the judgment and within 60 days if it will not, and the time runs from the day after the judgment was signed or the day after the district office mailed notice, whichever is later. Workers’ compensation decisions of the courts of appeal are published opinions. A party can then ask the Louisiana Supreme Court for review by applying for a writ of certiorari, generally within 30 days of notice of the judgment. These deadlines are unforgiving, and they are a large part of why representation matters after a loss.
When Another Party Caused Your Injury
Workers’ compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against your own employer, but it is not the only source of recovery when someone else was at fault. A negligent driver who hits your work truck, a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall, or a manufacturer of defective equipment may be liable in a separate injury claim. In Louisiana, delictual actions for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, carry a two-year prescriptive period, while earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. Louisiana also now bars recovery for a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault in causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, with lesser fault reducing the award proportionally, so how fault is argued and documented matters more than it used to. Our personal injury lawyers make sure the comp claim and the injury claim work together, since settling one carelessly can affect the other, including the comp carrier’s right to reimbursement.
Plaquemines Parish Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are also limited and approved under state law.
How soon do I have to report a work injury in Louisiana?
Report it to your employer as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days after the accident. Waiting gives the insurer an argument that the injury did not happen at work or was not serious, even if it is a weak argument.
How long do I have to file a formal claim?
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of the accident. If compensation payments have been made, the deadline may extend to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions depend on the facts, do not rely on a payment history to protect you.
What benefits can I receive?
Louisiana workers’ compensation covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you are temporarily unable to work, supplemental earnings benefits if you return at reduced pay, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death.
What if the insurance company says my condition was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. This argument comes up constantly with back, knee, and shoulder claims, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
The insurer denied the surgery my doctor recommended. What now?
You have 15 calendar days from receiving written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. Contact an attorney immediately, because that first window is short.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Louisiana protects workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go, demoted, or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
I was hurt on a vessel or offshore. Is that still a state comp claim?
Not necessarily. Maritime and offshore injuries can fall under federal laws rather than the state system, depending on the worker’s status and where the injury occurred. That question should be answered before any deadline passes, so bring all the details of your job and the accident to your consultation.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often a health plan will deny work-related care and point you back to the comp carrier, which leaves you stuck if the carrier is also denying. An attorney can push the carrier on authorization while you sort out interim coverage. Do not skip treatment because of the dispute, since gaps in care are used against you.
Can I still get benefits if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally not a fault-based system, so your own carelessness usually does not bar a claim. Fault matters more in a separate claim against a third party, where Louisiana’s current comparative fault rules can reduce or bar recovery.
What happens to my claim if I settle?
A settlement can close out your right to future benefits, including medical care, so it should be evaluated against your realistic future treatment needs and wage loss before you sign. Settlement terms often need approval, and a low early offer is common when the insurer senses you are under financial pressure.
Do you handle cases outside Plaquemines Parish?
Yes. We represent injured workers statewide in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Serving Injured Workers Across Plaquemines Parish and South Louisiana
Our work for Plaquemines Parish clients reaches communities up and down the river, from Belle Chasse and the Naval Air Station area through Boothville and Venice at the southern end of the parish, with Port Sulphur, Buras, Empire, Pointe a la Hache, Davant, Myrtle Grove, and Diamond among the other communities that depend on marine, energy, fishing, and industrial work. We also represent workers from neighboring parishes and cities whose jobs bring them into the parish, including Orleans and Jefferson parishes, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne, and the Houma area, as well as workers from Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Across the rest of South Louisiana and throughout the state, and into Mississippi from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta, we handle the same kinds of denied and disputed claims for the people doing hazardous work.
Speak With a Plaquemines Parish Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you have been hurt on the job, the insurer already has its team in place, and your deadlines are already running. Talking with a Plaquemines Parish workers’ compensation attorney at our firm costs nothing, your consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us any hour, since our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and tell us what happened. We help injured workers, and that is the work we do.
