Mississippi Construction Worker Injury Lawyer
On a construction site, the person who signs your paycheck is often not the only company with a hand in your injury. A general contractor, a subcontractor, an equipment owner, and a staffing agency can all be tied to the same fall or crush injury, and which of them owes you what is the first question a good Mississippi construction worker injury lawyer sorts out. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, including ironworkers, laborers, equipment operators, and tradespeople hurt on job sites throughout the Jackson area, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta.
Mississippi’s comp system is built to be no-fault, which means you generally do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong to get medical care and wage benefits. That is the good news. The harder part is that the same system gives insurers plenty of room to dispute whether an injury was work-related, whether a pre-existing back problem is really to blame, and when you are well enough to go back. Construction claims draw those arguments constantly, because the work is physical and the injuries are rarely subtle.
Why Construction Claims Get Contested More Than Most
Insurers look at a construction injury and see ready-made defenses. A worker in his forties with a herniated disc has years of lifting, bending, and climbing behind him, so the carrier points to degenerative disc disease and says the job had nothing to do with it. A shoulder tear gets labeled an old sports injury. A worker who delays reporting because he hoped it would heal gets accused of hurting himself at home.
Mississippi law does not let a pre-existing condition end a claim automatically. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits can still be owed. Winning that argument depends on medical evidence: treating physician opinions that tie the injury to specific work activity, imaging that shows what changed, and a work history that shows what the job actually demanded. It also depends on witnesses, since a foreman or coworker who saw the incident can undercut a carrier’s story quickly.
Another feature of construction work is the layered employment relationship. Many workers are hired through subcontractors or labor brokers, and the question of who the legal employer is, and who carries the comp coverage, is not always obvious from a paycheck. Sorting that out early prevents a claim from stalling while two companies point at each other.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Construction Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. The firm’s 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.
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 successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears for injured workers before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out an attorney team built around this work.
The results reflect the kind of injuries construction workers suffer. The firm secured $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients describe a team that listens, stays responsive, and fights the insurance company at each step. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and you owe no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking workers can work with the team in their own language from the first call.
Common Construction Injuries and What Makes Each One Hard
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are the backbone of construction claims, caused by heavy lifting, falls, and repetitive strain. Carriers routinely blame degenerative disc disease, so the case turns on medical opinions linking the injury to a specific incident or years of physical labor.
- Falls from scaffolds, ladders, and roofs: Falls produce fractures, spinal damage, and head injuries, often requiring specialists and multiple surgeries. These can also support a separate claim against a contractor or equipment supplier who is not your employer.
- Shoulder and knee tears: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears come from pulling, climbing, and awkward loads. Employers frequently call them old sports injuries, so documenting the work event and your pre-injury function matters.
- Fractures of the feet, ankles, and hips: Crush injuries and falls from height can leave a worker unable to stand for long periods, which for most trades means unable to do the job at all.
- Burns and electrical injuries: Industrial sites, plants, and utility work expose workers to severe burns that bring long recoveries, skin grafts, and permanent scarring.
- Struck-by and caught-between incidents: Moving equipment, falling materials, and vehicle strikes on or near the site cause some of the most catastrophic injuries and often involve parties beyond the employer.
- Cumulative trauma and occupational conditions: Hearing loss, repetitive strain, and respiratory problems develop over time, which creates disputes about when the injury happened and whether the job is the cause.
What to Do After a Construction Site Injury in Mississippi
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi requires notice within 30 days of the accident, and waiting gives the insurer an easy argument that the injury happened somewhere else. Name the date, the location on the site, what you were doing, and the body parts hurt. Keep a copy. If a supervisor tells you not to bother with paperwork, or suggests you use your health insurance instead, do not accept that; it is a common way claims quietly die.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened at work. Offhand descriptions in an emergency room chart, such as “back pain, unknown cause,” get quoted back by insurers months later. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even when a foreman pressures you to push through them, and do not sign off on a return to full duty you are not ready for.
Mississippi gives you two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a petition to controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. The Commission, not a court, handles these claims. Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge, and either side can ask the Full Commission to review the record. That review is not a new trial, which is why building the record carefully at the first hearing matters so much. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may send the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Coverage begins on your first day on the job, with no waiting period. Wage benefits run at up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a cap of 450 weeks for total disability and for most other permanent partial disability cases. Photograph the scene and your injuries if you can, collect names of coworkers who saw it happen, and keep a log of missed work, mileage to medical appointments, and every conversation with the adjuster. Be cautious about recorded statements to the insurer before you have spoken to a lawyer.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Is Responsible
Comp is the exclusive remedy against your own employer, but it does not shield everyone else on a busy site. If a subcontractor’s negligence dropped material on you, if a defective piece of equipment failed, or if a driver hit your work vehicle, you may have a separate personal injury claim against that outside party. That claim can reach damages comp does not cover, such as pain and suffering. The firm also handles car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases, and the two claims need to be coordinated so that a settlement in one does not damage the other.
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence in these outside claims, so being partly at fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it. The general time limit for most negligence claims is three years, though claims against a county or other governmental body carry a one-year limit and notice requirements. Deadlines for the comp claim and the injury claim run separately, so do not assume the longer one protects the shorter one.
Questions Construction Workers Ask About Mississippi Comp Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a construction injury claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long stretch, a lawyer changes the picture. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys working for it. You should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and you pay only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report and file in Mississippi?
Report within 30 days of the accident. You then generally have two years from the injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a petition to controvert with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. Exceptions can apply, so speak with an attorney early.
Does Mississippi comp cover me if I just started the job?
Yes. Coverage applies from the first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement, provided the employer is one the law requires to carry coverage.
What if the insurer says my back problem was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically defeat a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, benefits may still be owed. Strong medical opinions and a clear account of your job duties are how that argument is won.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it in your consultation so the firm can review your options.
I was hired through a subcontractor or staffing company. Who is my employer?
That depends on the facts of the relationship, including who paid you, directed your work, and carried coverage. It is a common source of delay on construction claims, and identifying the right party early keeps the claim moving.
Can I sue the general contractor or another company on the site?
Possibly. If a party other than your employer was negligent, you may have a separate injury claim alongside your comp benefits. Those claims are decided on fault and can include damages that comp does not.
What happens at a Commission hearing?
Cases are heard first by an Administrative Judge in an evidentiary hearing, where testimony and medical evidence are presented. If either side appeals, the Full Commission reviews that record rather than holding a new trial, so the quality of the first hearing largely sets the outcome.
What if my claim is denied and I have been told to go back to work?
Do not return to duties your doctor has not cleared, and do not ignore a denial letter. Denials and cutoffs can be challenged before the Commission, and the clock on your filing deadline keeps running while you wait.
How long can I receive wage benefits?
For temporary total and permanent total disability, wage benefits run at up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to the statutory weekly maximum, for no more than 450 weeks. Most other permanent partial disability payments are capped at the same length.
Do you handle construction injuries in Louisiana too?
Yes. The firm represents injured workers in both states, and Louisiana claims follow their own deadlines and procedures, including a one-year window to file a formal claim.
Representing Injured Construction Workers Across Mississippi
The firm’s Mississippi work runs from the Jackson metro area, including Jackson, Madison, and neighboring communities, to the Gulf Coast, where industrial and commercial building never stops. It extends to Hattiesburg and the Pine Belt, north to Southaven and the DeSoto County corridor, and into the Delta, where agricultural, levee, and heavy civil projects keep crews busy. Wherever a project puts workers at height, around heavy equipment, or in front of industrial hazards, the firm represents those who get hurt, including ironworkers, firefighters, truck drivers, oil field workers, nurses, and general laborers. Spanish-speaking workers on those job sites are welcome to work with the team in their own language.
Talk to a Mississippi Construction Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a job site, the insurance company is already building its file. A Mississippi construction injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can take over the dealings with your employer and its carrier, push for the medical care your doctor says you need, and pursue the wage benefits the law provides. Call the firm any time, day or night. Consultations are free and you pay nothing unless benefits are recovered.
