Ocean Springs Personal Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people in Ocean Springs and across Jackson County, from the harbor and Front Beach to the neighborhoods north of Interstate 10, along with the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the state beyond it. A Ocean Springs personal injury lawyer at this firm handles car and truck wrecks, premises liability, wrongful death, and the injuries that happen on the job, where a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party injury claim often run side by side.
The Ocean Springs economy shapes the kinds of injuries that reach a lawyer’s desk. Shipyard and marine work, offshore support, petrochemical and industrial sites, hospitality and restaurant jobs, and a steady stream of commercial and delivery traffic on Highway 90, Washington Avenue, and I-10 all put people at risk. A worker hit by a negligent driver while on the clock, or hurt on a site run by someone other than their employer, may have more than one claim, and the way those claims are handled affects what you ultimately recover.
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so being partly at fault does not erase a claim; it reduces the award by your share of responsibility. That single rule is why insurers spend so much effort assigning blame early, often in a recorded statement taken days after a wreck, before you have seen a doctor or understood what happened to you.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Ocean Springs Injury Claim
The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients and serves Ocean Springs, Jackson County, the Gulf Coast, and communities throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana. Clients pay nothing up front, consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if there is a recovery. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call.
That focus matters in injury cases because so many serious wrecks and site accidents involve someone who was working at the time. Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, Partners, have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before Mississippi’s appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect the kind of injuries the firm sees: 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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, answers questions, and stands up to the insurance company, and that is the standard the firm holds for personal injury clients as well.
Injury Types and Claims We Handle for Ocean Springs Clients
- Car and Truck Accidents: Highway 90, Washington Avenue, Government Street, and the I-10 corridor carry commuters, tourists headed to the beaches, and commercial trucks. Rear-end collisions and intersection crashes commonly produce disc herniations, shoulder tears, and fractures, and a claim against a truck driver may also reach the carrier and the company behind the vehicle.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: A delivery driver, project manager, or field technician hit by a negligent motorist usually has both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver. The two must be coordinated so that one does not undercut the other.
- Premises Liability: Falls from wet restaurant floors, poorly lit parking areas, unsafe stairs at rental properties, and hazards at commercial and hospitality venues can support a claim against the owner or manager who failed to keep the property reasonably safe.
- Third-Party Industrial and Construction Injuries: Shipyard, marine, and industrial sites often involve several contractors. When someone other than your employer creates the hazard, you may pursue that party in addition to comp benefits.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires, explosions, and equipment failures at plants and on rigs cause burns and life-altering injuries that require long-term specialist care and careful valuation of future needs.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical herniations are among the most common serious injuries in both wrecks and work accidents. Insurers frequently point to degenerative disease, so medical evidence tying the injury to the event is critical.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL injuries, and meniscus tears often need surgery and months of therapy, and carriers sometimes dismiss them as old sports injuries.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal wreck or site accident takes a family member, surviving relatives may bring a claim for the losses caused by the death, with different deadlines depending on whether the conduct was negligent or intentional.
What to Do After an Injury in Ocean Springs
Get medical care first, and make sure the provider records how the injury happened. Gaps between the incident and the first treatment give insurers room to argue the injury came from somewhere else. If you were taken to a hospital by ambulance, keep the records; if you went later, say so plainly and describe your symptoms accurately rather than minimizing them.
If the accident was a wreck, call law enforcement so a report is made, photograph the vehicles, the road, and any visible injuries, and collect names and contact information for witnesses. Be careful with the other driver’s insurance adjuster. You are generally not required to give a recorded statement, and an offhand comment such as “I’m fine” can be quoted back later. Do not sign medical releases broader than you understand or accept a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your treatment.
If you were hurt while working, the clock starts immediately. Mississippi requires you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission generally must be filed within two years of the injury, subject to exceptions when benefits have been paid. Workers’ compensation covers you from your first day of employment. Those deadlines run separately from the time limits on a personal injury claim against a third party, which in Mississippi is generally three years for negligence-based claims under the general statute, with a discovery rule for latent injuries. Claims against a county or other governmental body are different: they carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so a crash involving a government vehicle or a hazard on public property needs immediate attention.
Civil injury suits arising in Ocean Springs are filed in the courts of Jackson County, and federal cases from this part of the state go to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, whose Southern Division sits in Gulfport. Workers’ compensation disputes are different: they are heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a court, first before an Administrative Judge and then, on review, before the Full Commission, which examines the existing record rather than holding a new trial. A final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court often assigns the appeal to the Court of Appeals.
When a Work Injury and an Injury Claim Overlap
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. It pays medical treatment and wage replacement of up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a limit of 450 weeks for total disability, regardless of who caused the accident. What it does not do is compensate you for pain and suffering. When a third party caused the injury, a personal injury claim can reach damages the comp system never touches.
The two claims interact. The comp insurer may have a right to be repaid from a third-party recovery, and the way a settlement is structured can affect future medical benefits. Settling the injury claim without understanding that relationship can cost you benefits you were still owed. This is exactly where a firm that lives in the workers’ compensation system adds value: the attorney handling your injury claim already knows how the comp side works and can keep the two from working against each other.
Mississippi caps noneconomic damages at $1,000,000 in most wrongful death cases and $500,000 in medical malpractice cases, though the caps do not apply to economic damages such as medical bills and lost income. Where a family loses someone, wrongful death claims based on negligence generally carry a three-year period, while intentional torts carry one year.
Common Questions About Ocean Springs Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Ocean Springs?
Not every minor fender bender requires one, but if you were hurt, if fault is disputed, or if the insurer is delaying or lowballing, representation makes a real difference. The insurance company has adjusters and lawyers working for its side, and you should have someone working for yours.
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 you pay a fee only if there is a recovery. In workers’ compensation matters, attorney fees are also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Claims without a specific limitation period, which includes most negligence cases, must generally be filed within three years of when the claim accrued. Medical malpractice is two years, and claims against governmental entities require notice and carry a one-year limit. Because exceptions exist, do not wait to find out which period applies to you.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. Even someone found mostly at fault can still recover the remaining share, which is why accurate evidence about how the crash happened matters so much.
Can I get workers’ compensation and sue someone else for the same injury?
Yes, when someone other than your employer or co-worker caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site. You can receive comp benefits and pursue the third party, though the claims need to be coordinated.
How soon must I report a work injury in Mississippi?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and do it in writing if you can. A claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission generally must be filed within two years.
Will my health insurance pay for treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it will, and it may later seek reimbursement from your settlement. If the injury happened at work, the comp carrier should pay for authorized treatment instead, so using health insurance for a work injury can create complications. Tell us what has been billed to whom so we can sort it out.
What if the insurance company says my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically defeat a claim. If the wreck or the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still recover. Answering this argument with solid medical evidence is a regular part of the firm’s work, especially in back, neck, shoulder, and knee cases.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it during your consultation so the situation can be reviewed.
What if the at-fault driver was from Louisiana or the crash happened across the state line?
The firm represents clients in both Mississippi and Louisiana, which matters when a crash involves out-of-state drivers or a worker is hurt on the other side of the line. Louisiana has its own rules, including a two-year period for most injuries on or after the 2024 change and a rule that bars recovery for a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault for causes of action arising in 2026 and later, so the state where the incident happened can change the analysis.
Is a wrongful death claim handled differently from a regular injury claim?
Yes. It is brought on behalf of the family or estate, damages focus on the losses the death caused, and the limitation period depends on whether the conduct was negligent or intentional. Because evidence can disappear quickly after a fatal accident, early contact with a lawyer is important.
Do you speak Spanish?
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.
Serving Ocean Springs and Jackson County Injury Clients Across the Gulf Coast
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe represents injured people throughout Ocean Springs, from the downtown and harbor area to the neighborhoods along Washington Avenue and the communities north of I-10. The firm also serves clients in neighboring Gautier, Pascagoula, Moss Point, and Gulf Park Estates, and across the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, D’Iberville, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Diamondhead. Inland, the team works with clients in Hattiesburg, Picayune, and Poplarville, and statewide in Madison, Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi.
The firm’s reach extends into Louisiana as well, covering New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether a wreck happened on a Gulf Coast highway or a worker was hurt on a job site in another parish, the same team can handle the claim.
Talk With an Ocean Springs Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a wreck, on someone’s property, or on the job, an Ocean Springs personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which claims you may have, and tell you what deadlines apply. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers for you. Call today and tell us what happened.
