Purvis Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A work injury claim in Purvis does not go to a county courthouse. Because Purvis sits in Lamar County, Mississippi, a disputed claim is decided by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body that hears evidence, weighs medical records, and issues awards. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles claims like these for injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Purvis workers’ compensation lawyer from the firm can take over the dealings with your employer’s insurer from the first week.
Lamar County work is a mix of logging and timber hauling, poultry and food processing, warehouse and distribution jobs, construction, and the steady stream of drivers moving along the corridor toward Hattiesburg. Those jobs produce back injuries, shoulder tears, crushed hands, and knee damage, and they produce insurers who suddenly discover that the injury was “pre-existing.” The decisions you make in the first weeks, such as when you report, which doctor you see, and what you say in a recorded statement, often shape the entire claim.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Purvis Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers in Lamar County and across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Hattiesburg, Jackson, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, you pay nothing unless benefits or a settlement are recovered, and the phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
The team is led by Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, who has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe are partners 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 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.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries Purvis-area workers suffer: $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 consistently describe a team that listens, answers questions, and stands up to the insurance company.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Lamar County Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among laborers, warehouse staff, and drivers. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the claim turns on medical evidence showing that the job caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears follow repetitive lifting, falls from equipment, and awkward pulls. Employers sometimes call them old sports injuries, and the response is a clear medical timeline.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips from falls, rollovers, and equipment accidents may need specialists and complex surgery, which means long stretches away from work and a larger wage-loss claim.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plant, industrial, and oil field workers face burns and severe trauma. The firm’s $221,000 result for an oil rig worker shows the scale these cases can reach.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Drivers hurt in wrecks or while loading may have both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver, and the two have to be coordinated.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and job-related cancer are all part of the firm’s work for first responders.
- Denied or Cut-Off Benefits: Claims denied outright, benefits stopped without warning, or workers pushed back to duty before a doctor clears them are the core of the firm’s appeals work.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Purvis
Report the injury to your employer in writing, and do it quickly. In Mississippi you must give notice within 30 days of the accident, and waiting invites the insurer to question whether the injury happened at work at all. Keep a copy of what you submit, and name the date, place, and body parts involved. Do not downplay symptoms to a supervisor to be agreeable.
Get medical care and tell every provider the injury is work-related. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what adjusters use later. If the insurer asks for a recorded statement, you are not required to give one on the spot, and what you say about prior back pain or old injuries will be read closely. Talking to a lawyer first costs nothing.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. Generally, if no disability benefits have been paid, you have two years from the injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission, and the clock can also run from the last compensation payment. Mississippi covers you from your first day on the job, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected too. Do not treat an insurer’s early payments as a reason to relax; payments can stop, and the filing window does not wait.
When a claim is contested, it goes to the Commission, which sits in Jackson. Cases are heard at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge, and a loser can seek review by the Full Commission. That review works from the record already made, so it is not a second trial; the evidence has to be built right the first time. A final award can then be appealed within 30 days, and the Mississippi Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Those deadlines are short, which is why waiting to call a lawyer until after a denial is a common and costly mistake.
How Wage Benefits and Medical Care Work in Mississippi
Mississippi pays temporary and permanent total disability at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, for no more than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in non-scheduled cases is also capped at 450 weeks. The maximum is adjusted over time, so the number that applies to you depends on the date of injury, and a lawyer can confirm the current figure. The insurer must also pay reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury.
Disputes tend to center on three things: whether the doctor has released you to work, what your restrictions actually allow, and how much permanent impairment you carry. An insurer-selected examiner who spends ten minutes with you and clears you for full duty can end your checks. Challenging that opinion with your treating surgeon’s records is routine work for the firm.
Third-Party Claims and Retaliation Concerns
Comp is only part of the picture when someone other than your employer caused the injury. A negligent driver who hits your work truck, or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall, may owe you damages that comp never pays. The firm also handles personal injury, car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death, so the comp claim and the injury claim can be built to support each other.
Mississippi law also protects you from being fired for filing. If you were disciplined, demoted, or let go after reporting an injury, tell your attorney in the first conversation.
Purvis Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Purvis?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or stopped, or if the injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer changes the balance. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys; you should have someone protecting your side.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and you owe a fee only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing and sooner if you can.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. The filing is a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Who decides my case if the insurer denies it?
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a jury. An Administrative Judge hears the evidence first, and the Full Commission can review that decision on the existing record.
Can I choose my own doctor?
You should discuss this with an attorney before treating, because the rules about which physician directs your care and when you can change affect your claim. Whoever treats you, always say the injury happened at work.
What if the insurer says my injury is just wear and tear?
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, and strong medical evidence is how that argument is won.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing. If you lost your job or were punished after reporting an injury, raise it during your consultation.
My employer has only a few employees. Am I still covered?
Mississippi requires coverage from employers with five or more employees. Smaller employers raise coverage questions that should be reviewed case by case, so call before assuming you have no claim.
I was hurt in a wreck while driving for work. Is that a comp claim or an injury claim?
Possibly both. Comp covers you regardless of fault, and if another driver caused the crash you may also pursue that driver. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so partial fault on your part reduces a third-party recovery rather than barring it. The two claims must be handled together.
Can I still file if I only noticed the injury weeks later?
Gradual injuries such as repetitive strain and back conditions are common, and the notice clock is a real problem if you wait. Report as soon as you connect the pain to work, and get a lawyer’s help on timing.
I was hurt working in Louisiana but live near Purvis. Can the firm help?
Yes. The firm handles claims in both states, and the state where the injury occurred and where you were hired affects which rules apply. In Louisiana, notice is also due within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year.
Serving Injured Workers Across Lamar County and South Mississippi
The firm represents injured workers from Purvis and the rest of Lamar County, including Lumberton, Sumrall, Baxterville, and the communities around Oak Grove and Hattiesburg’s western edge. Next door in Forrest County, we help workers in Hattiesburg and Petal, and we serve people in nearby Marion, Pearl River, Lawrence, and Jones County communities as well. Farther along the Gulf Coast corridor, the firm assists workers in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Bay St. Louis.
Across the rest of Mississippi, the firm serves Jackson, Madison, and the Delta, along with Southaven and north Mississippi. In Louisiana, it represents workers from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and throughout south and north Louisiana. Wherever the injury happened, the same team handles the claim from start to finish.
Talk With a Purvis Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job and the insurer is stalling, denying, or pushing you back to work too soon, a Purvis workers’ compensation attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation at no cost. Call any time of day; the phones are answered 24 hours, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you. Workers’ compensation is what this firm does, and the sooner you call, the more options you keep.
