Laurel Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Laurel and throughout Jones County, along with the rest of south Mississippi and communities across Mississippi and Louisiana. Our practice is built around one thing: getting hurt employees the medical care and wage benefits the law gives them, especially after a claim has been denied, delayed, or cut off. If you need a Laurel workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing to know is that the insurer’s clock and your clock are not the same, and yours is shorter.
Laurel’s economy puts people in physically punishing jobs: timber and sawmill work, poultry and food processing, manufacturing floors, trucking and delivery along the Highway 59 and Interstate 59 corridor, oilfield and refinery-related work, construction, and healthcare. Back, shoulder, and knee injuries are the ones we see most, and they are also the ones insurers fight hardest by blaming age, wear, or an old injury.
Two decisions in the first weeks matter more than any others: whether you report the injury in writing, and whether you let the insurer steer your medical care and your recorded statement. Both are easier to get right with a lawyer than to repair later.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Laurel Work Injury Claim
Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks in. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. For people in Laurel and Jones County, that means a firm that already knows how carriers argue pre-existing conditions, push early returns to work, and stop checks without warning.
Rob Lunsford, our 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 in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Results matter more than adjectives. We secured $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 injured when his work vehicle was struck, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients tell us in their reviews that we listened, stayed professional, and went toe to toe with the insurance company at every step.
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 limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish: hablamos espanol.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Laurel Workers
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among sawmill, warehouse, and plant workers. When the insurer points to degenerative disc disease, the answer is medical evidence showing how years of physical work or one incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow lifting, pulling, or awkward falls. Employers sometimes call them old sports injuries, and we build the record to show otherwise.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and other bones broken in falls, crush incidents, or equipment accidents can require specialists and complex surgery, with long stretches away from work.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Industrial sites, plants, and oil and gas work carry fire, chemical, and heavy-equipment risks. These claims tend to involve permanent impairment and large medical needs.
- Truck driver and delivery injuries: Highway wrecks on the job often produce two claims at once, workers’ compensation against your employer and an injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Firefighter and first responder claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are claims we handle for those who serve their communities.
- Denied and cut-off claims: Insurers argue the accident did not happen at work, blame a pre-existing condition, or stop paying benefits without notice. Each version has an answer, but it has to be built early.
What to Do Right Now After a Job Injury in Laurel
Get medical attention first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work so it is recorded that way. Then report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing if you can, and keep a copy. Reporting late is one of the easiest ways to lose a valid claim, and verbal notice leaves you arguing about what was said.
Next, the filing deadline. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, the right to benefits is barred unless you file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within that window. The filing is a Petition to Controvert, and the two years generally run from the date of injury or the last compensation payment. These notice and limitation rules come from Miss. Code section 71-3-35. If you were hurt across the state line in Louisiana, the formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment if benefits have been paid.
You are covered from your first day on the job, with no waiting period. Wage benefits for total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a weekly maximum set by the state and a cap of 450 weeks. That is why accurate wage records matter: pay stubs, overtime, and second jobs all affect the number.
Be careful with the adjuster. A recorded statement is not a courtesy; it is evidence. Do not guess about your medical history, do not downplay symptoms, and do not sign broad medical releases. Follow your treating doctor’s restrictions, and do not go back to full duty before you are cleared. Write down who saw the accident, keep every medical record and bill, and photograph the scene or equipment when possible.
Mississippi comp claims are not tried in a courtroom first. They go to the Commission, where an Administrative Judge hears the evidence. Either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which works from the record made before the judge rather than starting over. A final award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because the record is built at the first hearing, the quality of evidence you gather early carries all the way up.
How Insurers Fight Mississippi Comp Claims
The pre-existing condition argument comes up constantly. A prior problem does not automatically end your claim. If the job caused, aggravated, or accelerated the condition, benefits can still be owed. The fight is usually over medical opinion, which is why who your doctor is and what the records say matter so much.
Another common move is disputing whether the incident happened at work at all, often by pointing to a delay in reporting or the lack of a witness. A third is pushing you back to work early or declaring you at maximum medical improvement before your treatment is finished. Disputes over an impairment rating or whether you can return to your old job can shrink a claim dramatically, and they deserve scrutiny before you accept any settlement.
Some Laurel injuries also involve someone other than your employer, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site. In those cases you may have a personal injury claim alongside comp, and the two have to be coordinated so one does not undercut the other. We handle car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases for this reason.
You are also protected from retaliation. Mississippi and Louisiana both bar employers from firing or punishing workers for filing a comp claim. If that happened to you, say so at the start of the consultation.
Laurel Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Laurel?
Not every claim needs one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or stopped, or you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it. You should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a work injury in Mississippi?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it right away and in writing, since late notice gives the insurer an easy argument to deny the claim.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert. If no disability benefits were paid within two years of the injury and no claim was filed, the right to benefits is barred.
What benefits can I receive?
Reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you cannot work, and additional benefits for permanent disability. Total disability wage benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a 450-week limit.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
No. Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review your options.
What if I had a prior back or knee problem?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically bar benefits. If work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to compensation. Strong medical evidence is what answers the insurer’s argument.
Can I choose my own doctor?
That depends on the facts of your claim and how care has been directed so far. Before you accept a referral or change providers, talk with us, because treatment choices shape both your recovery and your evidence.
My employer says I am not covered because I am part-time or new. Is that true?
Coverage begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Whether the employer is subject to the law depends on its size, and in Mississippi employers with five or more employees must carry coverage.
What happens if my claim is denied?
You can contest it before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, where an Administrative Judge hears the evidence. Further review is available through the Full Commission and then the Mississippi Supreme Court, so a denial is a starting point for a fight, not the end of one.
I live in Laurel but was hurt working in Louisiana. Which state’s rules apply?
It depends on where the job is based, where you were hurt, and where you were hired. Louisiana generally requires notice within 30 days and a formal claim within one year of the accident. Call us before the deadlines pass and we will sort out which state’s law governs.
Can I also sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a negligent driver, a contractor, or a premises owner contributed to the injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. We make sure the two claims work together.
Representing Injured Workers Across Laurel and Jones County
We represent injured workers in Laurel and throughout Jones County, including Ellisville, Sandersville, Soso, Moselle, Ovett, and Calhoun, and the rural communities around them. We also serve neighboring Wayne, Jasper, Clarke, Covington, and Smith counties, and workers in nearby Hattiesburg, Petal, Collins, Waynesboro, Bay Springs, and Heidelberg.
Across south Mississippi, we handle claims from the Gulf Coast to Hattiesburg and Jackson, and we reach north through the Delta and to Southaven. Our Louisiana work covers New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of south and north Louisiana. Whatever the job site, the mill, the plant, the highway, or the rig, the same rule applies: tell us what happened and we will tell you where you stand.
Talk to a Laurel Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company alone. A Laurel workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your injury, your deadlines, and your denial, then explain your options plainly. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today and let us start protecting your medical care and your paycheck.
