Port Fourchon Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
The goal after an offshore or oilfield injury is simple: get your medical care approved, keep income coming in, and not lose your claim to a deadline or a denial letter. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Louisiana and Mississippi, including Port Fourchon, Lafourche Parish, and the South Louisiana Gulf communities that depend on it.
If you need a Port Fourchon workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing to know is that this port is not an ordinary workplace. It is the staging point for a huge share of the Gulf’s offshore energy activity. Supply vessel crews, dock workers, welders, crane operators, truck drivers hauling pipe and equipment, and service-company hands all pass through. Injuries here tend to be serious, and the question of which law governs your claim is often the first fight.
That question matters because a worker hurt at a Fourchon dock, on a vessel, or on a platform may fall under the state compensation system, a federal maritime remedy, or a federal longshore-type program, depending on where and how the injury happened. Choosing wrong, or missing a notice deadline while you sort it out, can cost you benefits.
Which Compensation System Covers Your Port Fourchon Injury?
Louisiana’s workers’ compensation system covers most employees hurt on the job, and it pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment plus wage benefits when you cannot work or can only work at reduced pay. A worker injured on land-based port property, in a yard, in a warehouse, or on a shore-side oil and gas site will usually be in this system.
Things get harder at the water’s edge. Workers who spend a meaningful part of their time aboard vessels may have maritime claims rather than, or in addition to, state compensation. Those claims follow different rules and different deadlines. Workers loading and unloading vessels may fall under federal law instead of state law. Employers and carriers sometimes use this overlap to argue that the Louisiana system does not apply, or that you chose the wrong forum.
Sorting this out early is part of what a Louisiana workers’ compensation attorney does. We look at your job duties, where you were standing when you were hurt, what you were doing, who actually directed your work, and how much of your time was spent on land versus water. Those facts drive the answer, and they are easier to document in the first weeks than months later.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Port Fourchon Work Injury
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout South Louisiana, including Lafourche Parish and Port Fourchon, along with Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and the rest of the state, as well as across Mississippi. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, works on a no recovery, no fee basis, advances case costs, offers free consultations, and answers its phones 24 hours a day. Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
The people behind that work matter. 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. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. In 2026, Best Law Firms ranked the firm for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
Results matter more than adjectives, and several are directly relevant to industrial and energy-sector work. The firm secured $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities, $195,000 for a derrickhand with complex left shoulder injuries from pulling large pipes, and $135,000 for a diesel mechanic with a SLAP tear. It also obtained $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury and $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury. Clients describe attorneys who listen, stay in contact, and stand up to the insurance company, with Brad Baskin named repeatedly in reviews.
Injuries and Claims We See From Port Fourchon Work
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting rigging, dragging hoses, climbing vessel ladders, and driving heavy trucks over rough yard surfaces lead to lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical record has to show how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Pulling pipe, handling cargo lines, and working on uneven steel decks produce rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, which is a position that medical evidence can answer.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires, flash events, hot-work accidents, and equipment failures around fuel, chemicals, and industrial machinery can cause severe burns and life-altering trauma that require long-term treatment.
- Fractures and Crush Injuries: Falls from stairs, platforms, and trailer beds, and being caught between cargo, containers, or equipment, cause broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones, often needing specialist surgery.
- Vehicle Crashes on the Job: Workers driving to and from the port, running parts, or hauling loads along the roads serving Lafourche Parish can be hurt by negligent drivers. That can create both a compensation claim and a separate injury claim against the other driver.
- Occupational Illness and Exposure: Long-term exposure to fumes, chemicals, noise, and industrial dust can cause breathing problems, hearing loss, and other conditions that develop over time rather than in a single event.
- Third-Party Liability Claims: Many Fourchon workers are employed by one company while working on another company’s site, vessel, or equipment. A contractor, vessel owner, or equipment maker whose negligence caused your injury may be responsible beyond what compensation pays.
What to Do After a Port Fourchon Injury and What Deadlines Apply
Report the injury to your employer right away, and in writing if you can. Louisiana law bars a compensation proceeding unless the employer receives notice within 30 days of the injury, so waiting to see if the pain goes away is a gamble. Get medical care the same day when possible, and tell every provider that the injury happened at work and exactly how.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: the date, the location, what you were doing, who saw it, what equipment was involved, and which supervisor you told. Photograph the scene and any visible injuries. Keep copies of pay stubs, schedules, and any paperwork the company or insurer sends you. If your job moves between land and water, record where you worked and how often, because that detail can decide which legal system applies.
Beyond the 30-day notice, a formal Louisiana claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of the injury. That period can be extended to three years from the last compensation payment if benefits have already been paid, but you should not plan around the extension. Maritime and federal claims run on their own clocks, which is another reason to get advice early.
If the insurer refuses a treatment your doctor recommends, the clock gets shorter. A dispute over medical treatment goes through the utilization review process, and the form must be filed with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration within 15 calendar days of receiving written notice of the denial. The OWC medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. If you disagree with that decision, you have 45 days from the date it was issued to take the next step. Claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and you can choose to have your hearing in the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived when injured, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business. The nearest OWC district offices to Lafourche Parish workers include Houma and New Orleans.
If a workers’ compensation judge issues a final judgment against you, appeals go to the Louisiana courts of appeal. For decisions from some districts, that is the First Circuit, and the appeal period is short: an appeal that suspends the judgment must be filed within 30 days, and one that does not suspend it within 60 days. Do not sign a recorded statement, a settlement, or a return-to-work form without understanding what it does to your rights. Mistakes people make most often are delaying notice, downplaying symptoms to the adjuster, going back to work before being cleared, and accepting a quick payout that closes out future medical care.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and Returning to Work
Louisiana compensation includes all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury. It also includes wage replacement while you are temporarily unable to work, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death. The weekly amount is tied to your average wage and capped by a limit that is set by the date of your accident and adjusted periodically.
If you can return to work but cannot earn what you earned before, supplemental earnings benefits may apply. They are generally two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you earn or are able to earn, when you cannot earn at least 90 percent of your old pay. These benefits can continue until you are released to full duty, are earning your pre-injury wages, or reach the 520-week maximum, and weeks of temporary total disability count toward that limit.
Offshore and port workers often earn overtime, per diem, and hitch-based pay, so how your average wage is calculated can significantly change the benefit amount. Insurers also push injured workers back to light duty that may not match their restrictions. We review the wage records, the restrictions from your treating doctor, and the job being offered before you accept anything.
Port Fourchon Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I have a workers’ compensation claim if I was hurt at Port Fourchon?
Often yes, if you are an employee hurt in the course of your job on land-based property. Workers who spend significant time aboard vessels, or who load and unload vessels, may fall under maritime or federal programs instead. The right answer depends on your duties and where the injury happened.
How long do I have to report my injury?
Louisiana requires notice to your employer within 30 days of the injury. Report it immediately and put it in writing so there is no dispute later about when you gave notice.
What is the deadline to file a Louisiana workers’ compensation claim?
A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the date of the injury. If compensation payments have been made, the period can extend to three years from the last payment. Because exceptions are narrow, filing early is safer.
What if the insurance company denies my doctor’s recommended treatment?
You must file a utilization review dispute with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration within 15 calendar days of receiving the written denial. The OWC medical director then has 30 calendar days to issue a decision.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and you pay nothing unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Louisiana protects workers from retaliation for filing a compensation claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review it.
Can I sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a contractor, vessel owner, equipment maker, or negligent driver caused your injury, you may have a separate claim in addition to compensation. In Louisiana, injuries that occur on or after July 1, 2024 are generally subject to a two-year period for civil injury claims, and fault rules may reduce or bar recovery if you are found 51 percent or more at fault for incidents on or after January 1, 2026.
The insurer says my back or shoulder problem was already there. Is my claim over?
No. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up a pre-existing condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Clear medical evidence tying the job to the change in your condition is the key.
My employer says I am an independent contractor or works for a staffing company. Does that end my claim?
Not automatically. Labels on paperwork do not control. Who directed your work, who paid you, and who controlled the job site all matter, and staffing arrangements can create claims against more than one company.
What happens if I accept light duty that I cannot actually do?
Take your doctor’s written restrictions to your employer, and do not exceed them. If a job is outside your restrictions, refusing it for that reason is different from refusing to work, but the paperwork needs to be handled carefully. Call us before you turn down or accept an offer.
Can I take a quick settlement offer from the carrier?
You can, but a settlement may close out future medical care and wage benefits. Before agreeing, make sure the amount reflects your likely long-term treatment, restrictions, and earning loss.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Port Fourchon and Communities Across Lafourche Parish and South Louisiana
Our work for injured workers starts at Port Fourchon and the Lafourche Parish communities that surround it, including Golden Meadow, Leeville, Galliano, Cut Off, Larose, Lockport, Raceland, and Thibodaux. From there we represent workers across the bayou region and neighboring Terrebonne Parish, including Houma, as well as New Orleans and the greater metro area, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and clients anywhere in the state, including Shreveport and north Louisiana.
The firm also represents injured workers across Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg to Madison, Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi. Many Gulf energy workers live in one state and work in another, so we handle claims on both sides of the line.
Talk to a Port Fourchon Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you were hurt at the port, on a dock, on a vessel, or on an energy-sector job site, a Port Fourchon workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC can tell you which system covers you, which deadlines are running, and what benefits you should be receiving. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today and tell us what happened.
