Brookhaven Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Brookhaven and across Lincoln County, along with the rest of southwest Mississippi, the Jackson metro, the Gulf Coast, and South Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, and a Brookhaven workers’ compensation lawyer from our team handles denied claims, cut-off benefits, disputed medical care, and settlements for people hurt at warehouses, manufacturing plants, timber and logging operations, construction sites, and on the highways that run through this part of the state.
Brookhaven sits on the Interstate 55 corridor, and that matters more than most people realize. Plenty of local workers drive for a living, whether hauling freight, delivering parts, or traveling between job sites in a company vehicle. A wreck on the clock is both a workers’ compensation claim and, very often, a claim against the other driver. Workers who stand on concrete floors, lift pallets, run machinery, or climb scaffolding carry a different kind of risk, the slow kind, where a back or shoulder gives out after months of repetitive strain and the employer suddenly says it never happened at work.
Mississippi’s system is built on short deadlines and paperwork that insurers know by heart. Your claim is decided by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission rather than a jury in a county courtroom, and the way the first few weeks go often shapes everything that follows. What you tell your supervisor, which doctor you see, and whether the insurer accepts or contests the claim can set the course of the case.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Brookhaven Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Brookhaven, Lincoln County, and neighboring communities. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see a work injury only when one walks through the door. Our firm is built the other way around: 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. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients, and we work on a no recovery, no fee basis. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call.
The people doing the work matter. 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.
Results tell the story better than adjectives. Our recoveries include $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 stays in the fight with the insurance company at every step. If you want a Brookhaven workers’ comp attorney whose practice is this work and nothing else, that is what we offer.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Southwest Mississippi Workplaces
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are the most common serious claims in physical jobs. Insurers routinely blame degenerative disc disease, so the case turns on medical evidence showing that years of lifting or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are frequent among warehouse, plant, and construction workers. Employers often call them old sports injuries, which is why the timeline of symptoms and treatment records matters.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls, struck-by accidents, and equipment incidents can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites, plants, and oil field work carry exposure to fire, chemicals, and heavy machinery, and these injuries bring the largest medical and wage-loss stakes.
- Truck and Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Drivers and workers traveling between sites along I-55 and the surrounding highways may have a comp claim and a separate claim against a negligent third party, and the two must be handled so they do not undercut each other.
- Repetitive Strain and Occupational Conditions: Injuries that build over time, such as hearing loss or cumulative joint damage, are often contested on the grounds that no single accident occurred.
- 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 their communities.
- Denied and Terminated Benefits: Claims denied outright, wage checks that stop without warning, and workers pushed back to duty before a doctor clears them all fall within our practice.
What to Do After a Work Injury Near Brookhaven
Start with the deadlines, because they are the part of this process that cannot be repaired later. Mississippi law expects you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and sooner is far better. Tell your supervisor, preferably in writing, and keep a copy. A verbal mention on the shop floor is easy for an insurer to dispute weeks later. Separately, you generally have two years from the date of injury, or one year from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury and no claim has been filed, the right to benefits is barred. Coverage begins on your first day of employment, with no probationary period.
Get medical attention right away and be specific with the provider about how the injury happened and that it occurred at work. Gaps in treatment and vague histories become the insurer’s best exhibits. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even when a supervisor pressures you to do more, because returning to full duty too early can worsen the injury and undermine your claim. Keep a record of every appointment, work restriction, missed shift, and conversation with the adjuster. Be cautious with recorded statements; adjusters are trained to ask questions that sound routine and later become the basis for a denial.
If the claim is denied or contested, the dispute is heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which is an administrative body rather than a court. Cases are tried at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge. If either side disagrees with that decision, the case goes to the Full Commission, which reviews the record built before the judge; it is not a second trial, so the evidence you develop at the first hearing is the evidence you live with. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the existing record. This is why getting a lawyer involved early, before the record is made, matters so much.
If you are a Louisiana resident working in Mississippi, or a Brookhaven-area worker hurt on a job in Louisiana, different rules apply. In Louisiana you should also report within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension possible when benefits have been paid. Tell us where the accident happened and who employs you, and we will sort out which state’s system governs.
How Wage Benefits and Medical Care Work in Mississippi
Mississippi workers’ compensation pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury, and it pays wage-loss benefits while you cannot work. For temporary total and permanent total disability, the weekly benefit is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted over time, and payments cannot run past 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in other cases is also capped at 450 weeks. How your average weekly wage is calculated is a fight in its own right; overtime, second jobs, and fluctuating hours can all be left out of the insurer’s math if no one checks it.
The disability question is where most serious claims are won or lost. Insurers like to argue that a worker has reached maximum improvement and can return to some form of work, and they use that argument to shrink or end benefits. Whether you have lost earning capacity depends on your medical restrictions, your education and work history, and what jobs are realistically available to you. A construction worker with permanent lifting limits is in a very different position from an office employee with the same restrictions, and the evidence presented to the Commission should show that.
Settlement is the other major decision point. A settlement can close out future medical care, so accepting one without understanding what your injury will cost over the next decade is a serious mistake. We evaluate offers against your medical prognosis, your wage loss, and what a contested hearing would likely produce, and we do not recommend settling until those numbers are clear.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Caused the Injury
Workers’ compensation generally prevents you from suing your employer, but it does not stop a claim against a third party whose negligence caused the injury. A driver who strikes your work truck, a contractor whose unsafe site leads to a fall, or a manufacturer of defective equipment can all be responsible in a separate personal injury claim. That claim can recover losses comp does not pay, including pain and suffering. Our firm also handles car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases, so the comp claim and the injury claim are coordinated by the same team rather than pulling in opposite directions.
Brookhaven Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Brookhaven?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
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 for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury and file a claim in Mississippi?
Report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident. You generally have two years from the date of injury, or one year from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If nothing has been paid and no claim is filed within the two years, the right to benefits is lost.
Am I covered if I was hurt in my first week on the job?
Yes. Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no probationary period and no minimum earnings requirement. Employers with five or more employees must carry coverage.
What if the insurance company says my injury is from a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering this argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Louisiana bars employers from firing workers for filing a comp claim; Mississippi does not, but a firing in either state does not take away the benefits owed for the injury. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
Who decides my case if the claim is denied?
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a jury. An Administrative Judge hears the evidence first, and the Full Commission reviews that record if the decision is appealed. Further appeal goes to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days of the final award.
Can I choose my own doctor, and what if the insurer’s doctor says I can go back to work?
Medical choice and the weight given to different opinions are frequent points of dispute. An insurer-selected doctor’s release is not the final word, and a treating physician’s restrictions and a second opinion can be critical evidence. Do not return to full duty against your own doctor’s advice without talking to a lawyer first.
I was hurt in a wreck while driving for work on I-55. Can I get comp and sue the other driver?
Often yes. Workers’ compensation covers your medical care and wage loss regardless of fault, and you may also have a personal injury claim against the negligent driver. The two claims interact, particularly on reimbursement to the comp carrier, so they should be handled together.
Will my health insurance pay while my comp claim is being fought?
Health insurers frequently refuse work-related treatment and point to workers’ compensation as the responsible payer, which leaves injured workers stuck in the middle. Keep every bill and denial letter. We work to get the carrier to authorize treatment and to sort out reimbursement so you are not left carrying the cost.
What if I live in Brookhaven but was injured on a job in Louisiana?
The state where the injury occurred or where your employment is based can control which system applies. Louisiana generally requires notice within 30 days and a formal claim within one year of the accident. Because the deadlines are shorter than Mississippi’s two years, call us quickly so nothing is missed.
Serving Brookhaven and Lincoln County Workers’ Compensation Clients
Our work for injured workers starts in Brookhaven and Lincoln County and extends across southwest Mississippi. We represent clients in Brookhaven itself, in nearby towns like Wesson and Hazlehurst, and in neighboring Pike County communities including McComb, along with Natchez and the Adams County area to the west. Moving north along I-55, we serve workers in Crystal Springs, Terry, Byram, Clinton, and Madison, and throughout the Jackson metro area. We also represent injured workers in Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, and in north Mississippi.
Our reach continues into Louisiana, where we represent workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and across South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether you work at a plant, a warehouse, a job site, a fire station, or behind the wheel of a truck, we handle your workers’ compensation claim and any related injury case wherever the injury happened.
Speak With a Brookhaven Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, the insurance company already has people working to limit what it pays. A Brookhaven workers’ compensation attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can take over the dealings with your employer and its insurer, line up the medical evidence, and fight for the care and wage benefits the law entitles you to. 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 to talk through what happened and what comes next. We help injured workers. That is all we do.
