Tishomingo County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A work injury in Tishomingo County is decided by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not by a local judge and jury, which means the fight over your medical care and wage checks happens on paper, through medical records, wage statements, and testimony taken before an Administrative Judge. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we handle claims for workers from Iuka, Belmont, Burnsville, Tishomingo, Golden, and the rest of Tishomingo County. If you are looking for a Tishomingo County workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing worth knowing is that your claim is won or lost on the quality of the record built in the first weeks after the injury.
Northeast Mississippi’s economy runs on manufacturing, trucking, construction, timber, and quarry and plant work, and those jobs produce the injuries that fill comp dockets: crushed hands, herniated discs, torn shoulders, broken ankles, and burns. The employer’s insurance carrier will often accept a clear, witnessed accident and then fight over how long you need treatment, whether surgery is necessary, and when you can return to work. We built our practice around those disputes, and the sections below explain how the process unfolds for a Tishomingo County worker from the day of the injury through a final award.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Tishomingo County Comp Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Tishomingo County and throughout north Mississippi, the Delta, the Gulf Coast, and South Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off before they should have been. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español) from the first call to the end of the case.
Rob Lunsford, our 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 handling claims across both states.
The results reflect the kind of injuries Tishomingo County workers actually 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 he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently tell us they valued being listened to and having a lawyer who fought the insurance company at every step.
Common Work Injuries We See From Tishomingo County Employers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting, repetitive bending, and truck driving produce lumbar and cervical disc herniations in plant, warehouse, and construction workers. Carriers routinely blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical opinions showing how the work caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among workers who pull, climb, and kneel all day. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the medical history matters from the first doctor visit.
- Fractures: Falls from equipment, trailers, and scaffolding, and crush injuries around heavy machinery, break feet, ankles, hips, and other bones, often requiring specialists and complex surgical repair.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial plants, oil and gas sites, and electrical work expose workers to severe burns and life-altering trauma that can lead to permanent disability benefits.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Drivers hauling freight through northeast Mississippi suffer wreck-related back, neck, and knee injuries, and those cases may also support a separate 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 require careful medical proof of the connection to the work.
- Pre-Existing Condition Disputes: A prior injury or degenerative finding does not end a claim if your job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Tishomingo County
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as it happens. Mississippi law requires notice within 30 days of the accident, and waiting invites the insurer to argue the injury happened somewhere else. Name the body parts that hurt, describe how the accident occurred, and keep a copy. Coverage applies from your first day on the job, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected the same as a twenty-year employee, provided the employer is covered by the Act.
Get medical attention immediately and tell every provider the injury happened at work. Gaps in treatment and vague first descriptions are the raw material insurers use to deny claims. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not return to full duty before you are cleared. If the adjuster asks for a recorded statement, you are free to talk to a lawyer first, and we recommend it, because a casual comment about an old injury or a prior ache can be used to cut off your benefits later.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. 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 Commission during that period. The claim is made by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the two years run from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment. Do not assume the carrier will protect that deadline for you; the carrier’s interests are not yours.
Because the Commission is an administrative body, there is no Tishomingo County courthouse trial. Disputed claims are heard at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge. Either side can then seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made before the judge rather than hearing the case fresh. That is why we treat the hearing as the one real chance to prove the case: the testimony, medical depositions, and wage records assembled for the Administrative Judge are what every later reviewer sees.
How a Disputed Mississippi Comp Claim Moves From Denial to Award
When a claim is denied or benefits stop, the sequence is predictable. We file the Petition to Controvert, gather the treating physicians’ records and opinions, and press the carrier for the medical care the law requires. Many claims resolve before a hearing through negotiation or settlement; others go to an evidentiary hearing where the Administrative Judge decides whether the injury is compensable, what medical treatment is owed, and how much wage-loss and disability compensation is due. Expect that process to take months rather than weeks, and expect the carrier to use that time to pressure you toward a low settlement.
Wage-loss benefits for temporary and permanent total disability are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically, and they cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in the catch-all category are also capped at 450 weeks. The statute sets a weekly floor as well, with exceptions for partial dependency and partial disability cases. Your average weekly wage is therefore the number the whole case turns on, and carriers sometimes understate it by leaving out overtime or second-job earnings.
After a final award from the Full Commission, a party can appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days of the award being filed in the Commission’s office and the parties being notified. The appeal is decided on the record made before the Commission, and the Supreme Court often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Fewer cases reach that stage, but the possibility shapes how we prepare every hearing: if the record does not contain the evidence, it will not be considered on appeal.
Questions About Tishomingo County Workers’ Compensation Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Tishomingo County?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The carrier has adjusters and attorneys 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, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident under Mississippi law. Reporting right away, in writing, is far safer than relying on the full 30 days.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
If no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, your right to benefits is barred unless you file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission during that time. If benefits were paid, the period can be measured from the last payment. Because exceptions are fact-specific, speak with an attorney as early as possible.
What does workers’ compensation pay?
It covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you cannot work, and additional benefits for permanent disability, catastrophic injury, or death. Wage replacement is generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory maximum.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What if my employer says my injury is just a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument constantly, and strong medical evidence is the answer.
Who decides my case if the insurance company denies it?
An Administrative Judge with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission hears the evidence. Either side can ask the Full Commission to review the record, and a final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days.
Will my health insurance pay for treatment while my comp claim is pending?
Group health plans often refuse to pay for injuries that belong under workers’ compensation, and they may seek reimbursement if they do pay. Tell your providers it is a work injury and let us help sort out who is responsible while the claim is contested.
My injury happened in a work vehicle. Can I sue the other driver too?
Often, yes. If someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your comp benefits. We make sure the two claims work together instead of against each other.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a smaller injury?
Smaller injuries sometimes become larger ones. A sprain that turns out to need surgery, or a back strain that never resolves, can leave you with a closed claim and no coverage for future care. Talking to a lawyer early costs nothing and can prevent a premature settlement.
What if I work in Mississippi but live across the state line?
Where you live does not by itself decide which state’s law applies. Where you were hired, where the work was performed, and where the injury happened all matter. We handle claims in both Mississippi and Louisiana and can tell you which system governs yours.
Serving Injured Workers Across Tishomingo County and Northeast Mississippi
We represent injured workers from Iuka, the county seat, through Belmont, Burnsville, Golden, Tishomingo, and the smaller communities in between, including those near Pickwick Lake and the Tennessee River corridor along the county’s eastern edge. Workers who commute from neighboring Alcorn, Prentiss, and Itawamba counties, including those who live in Corinth, Booneville, Fulton, and Tupelo, can also call us if their job or injury ties to Mississippi. Our reach extends across north Mississippi to Southaven, through the Delta, to Jackson and Madison, down to Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast, and into South Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and north Louisiana as well.
Talk With a Tishomingo County Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to fight the insurance company alone. A Tishomingo County workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your injury, explain the deadlines that apply, and take over the dealings 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 today, or send your case details, and we will tell you where your claim stands and what to do next.
