Hattiesburg Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Hattiesburg and Forrest County, and across Mississippi and South Louisiana, when a work injury turns into a fight over medical care and lost wages. Our clients include construction workers, truck drivers, nurses, oil field workers, firefighters, and general laborers whose claims were denied, delayed, or cut off.
If you need a Hattiesburg workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing to know is that the clock started the day you were hurt. Mississippi gives you 30 days to report the injury to your employer, and a two-year window to put your claim in front of the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Miss those windows and the insurer will not need to argue the merits at all.
Hattiesburg’s economy runs on healthcare, education, distribution, construction, and the trucking that moves through the Pine Belt. Each of those puts bodies under physical strain, and each produces its own kind of claim. What follows is how those claims work, where they go wrong, and what to decide first.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Hattiesburg Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Hattiesburg, Forrest County, and communities throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle one when it happens to walk in. Workers’ compensation is the center of this firm’s practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 combined years of experience to claims that insurers have denied or stalled. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients.
Founding Partner Rob Lunsford has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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 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 they value being listened to and having an attorney who stood up to the insurance company at every step.
You pay nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish: hablamos español.
Common Hattiesburg Work Injuries and Where Claims Get Contested
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are the claims insurers fight hardest. Warehouse, construction, and nursing work wears on the spine, and carriers respond by calling it degenerative disc disease. The answer is medical evidence tying the job to the injury or to the worsening of it.
- Shoulder and Knee Tears: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among laborers, mechanics, and drivers. Employers often call them old sports injuries, so the medical timeline and work history carry the case.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips from falls on job sites or loading docks can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial plants and oil field work, including operations across the Pine Belt and Gulf region, produce severe burns and life-changing injuries that call for lifetime medical planning.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Drivers hurt in wrecks on the highways running through Hattiesburg often have two claims: workers’ compensation against the employer and a separate 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 often disputed as unrelated to work.
- Healthcare Worker Injuries: Nurses and aides lifting patients suffer back and shoulder injuries, and the claim often turns on whether the lifting incident was reported promptly.
What to Decide in the First Days After a Hattiesburg Work Injury
Report it in writing. Mississippi requires notice to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and a written report beats a hallway conversation every time. Keep a copy. Coverage starts on your first day of employment, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected too.
Decide who treats you, and be careful about it. Get medical care immediately and tell every provider the injury happened at work. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what insurers use later to argue the injury came from somewhere else. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not accept a return to work that exceeds them just because a supervisor or adjuster asks.
Decide what to say to the adjuster. A recorded statement is evidence, and carriers ask for them early. You are not required to hand over an account that has been shaped to hurt you. Talking to a lawyer before giving one is a reasonable move.
Know where the claim goes. Mississippi comp claims are not decided in a county courthouse. They go before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which administers the law. You file a Petition to Controvert, Form B-5, generally within two years of the date of injury or the last compensation payment. If no disability benefits have been paid and no claim is filed within two years of the injury, the right to benefits is barred. Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge, and an appeal goes to the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed within 30 days to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
If you live in Hattiesburg but were hurt on a job in Louisiana, different rules apply. Louisiana requires notice to the employer within 30 days and a formal claim generally within one year of the injury, extended to three years from the last payment if benefits were paid. Tell us where the accident happened and we will sort out which state’s law governs.
Finally, keep a file: pay stubs, the incident report, medical records, names of witnesses, and a log of missed work. These documents answer the denial arguments before they are made.
How Mississippi Wage Benefits Work
When a doctor takes you off work or restricts you in a way your employer cannot accommodate, wage-loss benefits replace part of your income. For temporary total and permanent total disability, the rate is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and payments cannot run past 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in the “other cases” category is also capped at 450 weeks. The maximum is adjusted by the state, so check the current figure with us rather than relying on an old number.
Medical care is separate and covers reasonable and necessary treatment: surgery, therapy, medication, and specialist visits. Disputes usually arise over which doctor you may see, whether a surgery is approved, and when an insurer claims you have reached maximum medical improvement. Those are decision points where a lawyer’s involvement changes outcomes.
How Insurers Deny Hattiesburg Comp Claims
The playbook is familiar. The carrier says the accident did not happen at work, blames a pre-existing condition, pushes you back before your doctor clears you, or stops paying without warning. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if your job caused, worsened, or accelerated it. We build the answer from medical opinions, witness accounts, and your work history, and we take denied claims before the Commission and, when needed, through the appeals process.
Some injuries also involve a third party, such as a negligent driver who hits your work truck or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall. In Mississippi, a negligence claim of that kind generally has a three-year limit and operates under pure comparative negligence, so your share of fault reduces your recovery rather than barring it. We coordinate that claim with your comp benefits so one does not undercut the other.
Hattiesburg Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Hattiesburg?
Not every claim requires one. If your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or your injury will keep you out of work a long time, an attorney can change the result. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests. You should have someone protecting yours.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney 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 sooner and in writing. Late notice gives the insurer an easy reason to deny.
How long do I have to file the claim itself?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed within two years of the injury, the right to benefits is barred.
Am I covered if I was hurt on my first day?
Yes. Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement, provided your employer is one the law requires to carry coverage.
What if my injury was caused by a pre-existing condition?
A prior condition does not automatically defeat your claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical evidence is what answers this argument.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect 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.
Where is my Hattiesburg comp case actually decided?
Before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a county court. An Administrative Judge hears the evidence first. Either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which works from the record already made, and a final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days.
Will my health insurance pay while my claim is pending?
Treatment for a work injury is supposed to be paid through comp, and health insurers often resist covering it. If the comp carrier denies the claim, you may need to use other coverage temporarily so you do not lose care. Tell your providers about the pending claim and talk to us before you assume anything about reimbursement.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Possibly. If a negligent driver, a contractor, or a property owner caused your injury, a separate personal injury claim may exist alongside your comp benefits. Mississippi generally allows three years for such negligence claims, and a worker’s own share of fault reduces the recovery proportionally.
What if I was hurt on a Louisiana job but live in Hattiesburg?
Louisiana law may apply. Louisiana requires notice within 30 days, a formal claim generally within one year of the accident, and handles disputes through its Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. We represent injured workers in both states and can tell you which rules control your claim.
Do you handle Spanish-speaking clients?
Yes. Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Hattiesburg Workers’ Compensation Clients Across the Pine Belt and Beyond
We represent injured workers throughout Hattiesburg and Forrest County, including the neighborhoods around the university and downtown, Palmer’s Crossing, and the commercial corridors where distribution and healthcare employers operate. Our clients also come from neighboring Lamar County and the communities of Purvis and Sumrall, as well as nearby Petal, Oak Grove, and Eatonville.
Beyond the Hattiesburg area, we serve workers across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta. In Louisiana, we handle claims in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Wherever you were hurt, the same attorneys who know the denial tactics will take your case.
Speak With a Hattiesburg Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to fight the insurance company alone. A Hattiesburg workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your denial, your medical records, and your deadlines, and tell you plainly where you stand. Consultations are free, our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us today and get your claim moving before a deadline decides it for you.
