Jackson Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A Jackson work injury claim does not go to a courtroom first. It goes to an administrative agency, the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, where Administrative Judges decide whether you get medical care and wage checks. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation and related injury claims for people hurt on the job in Jackson, Hinds County, and across Mississippi and South Louisiana, and that agency is where most of our Jackson cases are won or lost.
If you are searching for a Jackson workers’ compensation lawyer, you probably have a practical problem right now: a denied claim, an adjuster who stopped returning calls, a doctor you did not choose, or a paycheck that stopped when the injury started. Those problems have specific answers under Mississippi law, and most of them turn on deadlines and on what is in your medical records.
Mississippi covers you from your first day on the job. There is no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. What decides a claim is proof: that the injury arose from your work, that your doctor ties the condition to that work, and that you met the notice and filing deadlines.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Jackson Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, the Gulf Coast, and communities throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. We work on a no recovery, no fee basis, consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
The people handling your file matter. 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. 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 firm was also ranked by Best Law Firms for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
Results show what that focus produces: $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 tend to write about the same things in their reviews: being listened to, being walked through the process, and an attorney who stood up to the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Jackson Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most disputed claims. Insurers point to degenerative disc disease, and the answer is medical evidence showing that years of physical work, or one specific incident, caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often draw the “old sports injury” response from employers. Pulling pipe, climbing, lifting, and kneeling on job sites are common causes.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones can require specialists, surgery, and long recovery, which makes the wage-loss side of the claim just as important as the medical side.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites, plants, and oil rig work produce serious burn and crush injuries where lifetime medical care and permanent disability are both in play.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job can be compensable, though proving the work connection takes careful medical support.
- Truck Drivers and Delivery Workers: A wreck in a work vehicle can open both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver, and the two need to be coordinated.
- Construction, Ironwork, and Labor Injuries: Falls, struck-by incidents, and repetitive strain from heavy work are the backbone of comp claims in Jackson’s building trades.
- Wrongful Death: When a work accident kills a worker, the family may have claims for death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a separate action.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Jackson
Report the injury to your employer, in writing if you can, within 30 days of the accident. Do it sooner. Late notice is one of the easiest ways for an insurer to attack a claim. If you are unsure whether something counts as work-related, such as a back that gradually got worse, report it anyway.
Get medical treatment and tell every provider that the problem started at work. Describe how it happened, in plain terms, at the first visit. Vague or incomplete histories in early records get quoted back to you later. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not sign anything from the insurer or accept a return-to-work release you have not read.
Mississippi gives you two years to file a Petition to Controvert with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. The clock generally runs from the date of injury or the last compensation payment. If the insurer never paid disability benefits and you never filed within those two years, the right to benefits can be lost. Do not wait on an adjuster’s promises to keep that clock from running out.
Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. If either side disagrees with the result, the Full Commission reviews it, and Full Commission hearings take place in Jackson. That review works from the record built before the Administrative Judge. It is not a new trial, so the evidence you put in at the first hearing is the evidence you live with. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days, and the appeal is decided on the record from the Commission. The Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Keep copies of everything: incident reports, pay stubs, medical bills, work restrictions, and any letters from the insurer. Write down the names of coworkers who saw the injury or the conditions that caused it. If you also have a claim against someone other than your employer, such as the driver who hit your work truck, that claim sits in the Hinds County courts, and the facts you preserve now will matter there too.
How Insurers Fight Mississippi Comp Claims
Most disputes follow a pattern. The insurer says the accident did not happen at work, or that no one witnessed it. It blames a pre-existing condition. It sends you to a doctor who releases you early. Or it stops paying without explanation. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim; if work caused, aggravated, or accelerated the problem, benefits can still be owed. The fight is over what your medical records and your job history actually show.
Wage-loss benefits for total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and generally cannot exceed 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in many cases is also capped at 450 weeks. The weekly maximum is adjusted over time, so confirm the current figure with an attorney rather than relying on an old number you found online.
Retaliation is a separate issue. Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us at the first consultation.
Jackson Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a workers’ compensation attorney in Jackson?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or stopped, or if you expect a long absence from work, a Jackson workers’ compensation attorney can make a real difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it.
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. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation 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. Doing so right away is better, since delay gives the insurer an argument.
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 Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were ever paid and no claim was filed within two years, the right to benefits can be barred.
Who decides my claim?
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a jury. An Administrative Judge hears the case first, and the Full Commission reviews appeals from that decision.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Medical treatment disputes are common, and who directs your care can affect the outcome. Talk with an attorney before switching providers or agreeing to an independent exam, so the choice does not hurt your claim.
What if the insurer says my injury is from an old condition?
That argument is routine. If work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical opinions tying the problem to your job duties are the answer.
Can I get workers’ comp and also sue someone else?
Sometimes. If a negligent third party, such as another driver or a contractor with an unsafe site, contributed to your injury, you may have an injury claim in addition to comp. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your share of fault reduces a third-party recovery rather than barring it. The two claims need to be handled together so one does not undercut the other.
How long does a contested comp case take at the Commission?
It depends on how quickly you reach maximum medical improvement, how much the medical issues are disputed, and the hearing schedule. Cases that turn on a disputed surgery or a disputed cause of injury take longer than simple wage disputes, and settlement often happens only after the medical picture is settled.
What if I was injured in Louisiana but live in Jackson?
Which state’s law applies depends on where you were hired, where you were hurt, and where you work. Louisiana has its own deadlines, including a one-year filing window in most cases, so raise this at the first consultation instead of assuming Mississippi rules apply.
Does the insurer have to keep paying while I appeal?
Not automatically. What gets paid during an appeal depends on the posture of the case and what the Commission has ordered. This is a point to discuss with your attorney before any benefit stops.
Representing Injured Workers Across Jackson and Hinds County
Our work for injured workers starts in Jackson and Hinds County and reaches across the metro area. We represent clients from downtown Jackson, Byram, Clinton, and Terry, as well as Raymond and Utica, along with nearby Madison and Ridgeland, and Brandon, Pearl, and Flowood in the neighboring counties. From the Jackson metro, our attorneys also serve workers in Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, Southaven and north Mississippi, and the Delta.
The same team also represents injured workers and accident victims in South Louisiana and throughout the state, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Whether your injury happened on a construction site, in a plant, on an oil rig, in a hospital, or behind the wheel of a work truck, we take claims from every corner of both states.
Talk to a Jackson Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt at work, the insurance company has already started building its side of the story. A Jackson workers’ compensation attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can start building yours: gathering the medical evidence, answering the denial, and taking your case to the Commission if that is what it takes. Consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
Call us any time of day. We help injured workers, and that is all we do.
