Perry County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers from Perry County and the surrounding Pine Belt, handling workers’ compensation claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off across Mississippi and Louisiana. If you are looking for a Perry County workers’ compensation lawyer, you are most likely dealing with a back, shoulder, or knee injury from a timber, trucking, or industrial job, and an insurance adjuster who is suddenly asking questions about what happened.
Perry County sits in the piney woods of south Mississippi, where much of the paid work is physical: logging and hauling, sawmill and wood products work, oil and gas field services, road crews, and long-haul driving. These jobs wear down backs, necks, and joints over years, and they also produce sudden accidents. Both kinds of injury are compensable in Mississippi, but insurers treat them differently, and the way your claim is documented in the first few weeks often decides how the rest of it goes.
What Perry County Workers Face When a Claim Gets Contested
Insurance carriers tend to use a familiar set of arguments. They say the accident did not happen at work, that the injury comes from a pre-existing condition, that you were cleared to return sooner than your doctor says, or that benefits can stop because you missed one appointment. A logger with a herniated disc may be told it is “just degeneration.” A truck driver with a torn meniscus may be told it is an old sports injury. Answering those positions takes medical evidence, a clear work history, and witnesses who can describe what the job actually demanded of your body.
Mississippi workers’ compensation claims are not heard in a county courtroom. They go before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which is made up of three commissioners appointed by the Governor with Senate approval. Evidentiary hearings are held before an Administrative Judge, and a decision can be reviewed by the Full Commission. That review is based on the record already made, not a fresh trial, which is why the hearing itself matters so much. What goes into the record is largely what you have to work with later.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Perry County Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm representing injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Perry County and the communities of the Pine Belt and Gulf Coast. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle one when it walks in. This firm was built the other way around.
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, 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.
The results reflect the kind of injuries that come out of physical work: $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. Across the firm’s history, it has recovered more than $100 million in settlements. Clients describe an attorney who fought with the insurance company at every step and a team that was easy to reach. The firm works on a no recovery, no fee basis, consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language. Hablamos español.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Perry County Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among loggers, haulers, mill workers, and laborers who lift and twist all day. When the carrier blames degenerative disc disease, the argument is that years of physical work or a specific incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often follow falls from equipment, pulling heavy pipe, or climbing in and out of trucks and machinery. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and other bones broken on job sites can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long recovery periods that affect wage benefits.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil field, plant, and industrial work can produce severe burns and life-altering injuries that call for long-term medical care and permanent disability benefits.
- Truck Driver Injuries: Drivers hurt in wrecks or while loading and unloading may have both a comp claim and a separate claim against a negligent 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 the community.
- Third-Party Injury Claims: When someone other than your employer caused the harm, such as a careless motorist or an outside contractor, a personal injury claim can run alongside your comp benefits. Fatal injuries may support wrongful death claims.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Perry County
Report the injury to your employer right away, and in writing if you can. Mississippi law gives you 30 days from the accident to give notice, and a missed notice window can create a fight you did not need. Ask for the name of the carrier, and keep a copy of anything you sign or send. Then see a doctor and tell the provider that the injury happened at work, describing exactly how, because the first medical records are the ones an adjuster reads hardest.
The deadline to file a formal claim is separate from the notice deadline. In Mississippi, you generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the date of the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were ever paid and no claim is filed within that window, the right to benefits can be barred. Coverage begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period.
If you were hurt on a job in Louisiana, which happens to Pine Belt workers who travel for oilfield and trucking work, different rules apply. You still report within 30 days, but a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, and that period can stretch to three years from the last payment if benefits were paid. Louisiana claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges, and a disputed treatment denial has a 15 calendar day window to file the medical dispute form, so do not wait on those.
A few mistakes come up again and again. Workers give recorded statements to the adjuster before talking to anyone on their side. They stop treating because a benefits check was late. They return to work against restrictions because someone at the company pressures them. They post about the injury or their activity online. Keep every pay stub, work order, text message, and medical record, write down names of coworkers who saw the accident, and talk to an attorney before the carrier settles the story for you.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and Appeals
Mississippi comp provides medical treatment that is reasonable and necessary, plus wage-loss benefits. For temporary total and permanent total disability, the benefit is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and generally not to exceed 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most cases are also capped at 450 weeks. The weekly maximum is adjusted over time, so the number that applies to you depends on your date of injury and your earnings.
When the Commission rules against you, the case does not necessarily end. The Full Commission reviews the Administrative Judge’s decision on the existing record. A final award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days of its filing and notice to the parties, and the Supreme Court often assigns those appeals to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because appeals are decided only on what was put in the record, the preparation at the hearing level is what an appeal rests on.
Perry County Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Perry County?
Not every claim needs one. But if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or stopped, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a real 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, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
In Mississippi, report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it right away if you can, and put it in writing.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If nothing has been paid and nothing is filed in that time, the claim can be barred.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can look at your options.
What if my injury was caused by a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument constantly, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a central part of this work.
My employer says it has fewer than five employees. Am I out of luck?
Mississippi requires coverage from employers with five or more employees. Smaller employers may fall outside the mandatory system, but the facts matter, including how many people actually work for the business and whether another company is involved. Describe your situation to an attorney before assuming you have no claim.
Can I pick my own doctor?
Generally you have some say in who treats you, but the rules on choosing and changing physicians are specific, and a carrier-selected doctor’s opinion can carry heavy weight at a hearing. Ask before you switch providers or accept a referral, so you do not hurt the claim without meaning to.
What if I was hurt in a truck wreck while driving for work?
You can generally receive comp benefits no matter who caused the crash, and you may also have a separate claim against the at-fault driver. The two claims have to be coordinated, because settling one carelessly can affect the other.
Will my health insurance pay while my comp claim is pending?
Health insurers often refuse to pay for injuries they consider work-related, and the comp carrier may be denying the same treatment. That gap leaves many workers without care. Tell your attorney about it early, because there are ways to push for authorization of needed treatment.
What if the insurer stops paying with no warning?
A sudden cutoff is something we see regularly and often can be challenged. Keep your medical records and any notice you received, note the date payments stopped, and contact us promptly so a hearing can be requested if the cutoff was improper.
Do you handle cases for Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos español. Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Injured Workers Across Perry County and the Pine Belt
Our work for Perry County clients covers the county’s communities, including Richton, New Augusta, and the surrounding rural areas where timber, hauling, and industrial employers are major sources of work. We also represent workers in neighboring Pine Belt counties, from Hattiesburg and the Forrest and Lamar County area to Wayne, Greene, and Jones County communities. Our attorneys serve injured workers across the Gulf Coast, along with Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, and throughout north Mississippi.
Many Perry County workers cross state lines for oilfield, pipeline, and trucking jobs, and we represent injured workers in Louisiana as well, from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across south and north Louisiana. Wherever the injury happened, the claim follows different rules depending on the state, and we handle both.
Talk With a Perry County Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company by yourself. A Perry County workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and start dealing with your employer and its carrier. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us or send your case details and let us start working on your claim.
