Mississippi Product Liability Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims throughout Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. When a defective tool, machine, vehicle part, or chemical hurts someone, the case often runs on two tracks at once, and our firm works both of them. As a Mississippi product liability lawyer team, we pair that with the workers’ compensation focus that has been the center of our practice.
Product cases look different from ordinary accident cases because the person who caused the harm may never have set foot in your workplace. A forklift with a failed brake, a nail gun that fires without warning, a respirator that did not filter what it promised, a scaffold component that gave way under rated weight: each of these points back to a manufacturer, a designer, or a supplier somewhere up the chain. That is where a product claim begins.
For a lot of Mississippians, the injury happened at work, which means workers’ compensation is already in the picture. Comp pays regardless of fault, but it does not pay for pain and suffering, and it does not hold the company that built the dangerous product accountable. A third-party product claim can.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Product Liability Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that also handles personal injury, car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death for people across Mississippi and Louisiana. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish with clients from the first call to the end of the case.
That experience matters in product cases because the workplace injury is usually where the evidence lives. Our attorneys have handled burns suffered on oil rigs and industrial sites, a derrickhand’s complex shoulder injuries from pulling large pipes, a diesel mechanic’s SLAP tear, and back injuries that produced a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker. Another client, a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities, recovered $221,000. Injuries like these are the ones where a defective piece of equipment is most often the real cause, and where medical records, job duties, and equipment history all have to line up.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, 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 has argued personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients regularly tell us in their reviews that we listened, stayed professional, and fought the insurance company at every step.
Products and Injuries That Lead to Product Liability Claims in Mississippi
- Defective Industrial and Construction Equipment: Power tools, lifts, cranes, presses, and conveyors that lack guards, fail under normal load, or malfunction without warning. These claims often arise alongside comp claims for crush injuries, amputations, and fractures on job sites and in plants.
- Vehicle and Tire Defects: Brake failures, tire tread separations, steering problems, and airbags that fail to deploy. Truck drivers and delivery drivers who are hurt in work vehicles can have a comp claim and a product claim from the same wreck.
- Burn and Explosion Injuries: Faulty heaters, pressure vessels, wiring, and fuel equipment. Oil field and industrial burn cases can involve severe injuries to the lower extremities and long treatment, and a defective component may be the reason a fire started.
- Chemical and Respiratory Exposure: Solvents, fumes, dust, and protective gear that did not do what the label or manual said it would. Occupational illness claims can overlap with a failure-to-warn theory against the manufacturer.
- Fall Protection and Safety Gear Failures: Harnesses, lanyards, ladders, scaffolds, and hard hats that break or give way. When the equipment itself failed, the manufacturer may share responsibility with the contractor or employer.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries From Defective Equipment: Disc herniations and fractures caused by a seat, lift, or machine that failed. These are among the most common injuries in our practice and often the most expensive to treat.
- Shoulder, Knee, and Joint Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears from tools that kick back, handles that snap, or machinery that jerks unexpectedly.
- Wrongful Death From Defective Products: When a defect kills someone, family members may pursue a claim against the manufacturer in addition to any death benefits available through workers’ compensation.
What to Do After a Product Injury in Mississippi
Start with the evidence, because in a product case the object itself is the most important exhibit. Do not let anyone throw it away, repair it, send it back to the manufacturer, or “test” it without you knowing. If it is in your employer’s possession, tell us early so we can send a written request to preserve it. Photograph the item, the label, the serial number, any warnings, and the spot where the injury happened. Keep the manual or packaging if you have it. Write down who else was there and what each person saw.
Get medical care and be specific with the doctor about how you were hurt. If a machine or tool failed, say so, because the records created in the first days carry weight later. If you were hurt at work, report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. In Mississippi you must report a work injury within 30 days of the accident, and the deadline to file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission is generally two years. Workers’ comp claims are decided by the Commission, not a court, with evidentiary hearings before an Administrative Judge and review by the Full Commission in Jackson.
The product claim runs on a separate clock and in a different forum. Mississippi’s general statute of limitations for claims without a specific limit is three years from when the cause of action accrued, and the discovery rule can matter when an injury or illness is not apparent right away. Product suits are filed in court, either a Mississippi circuit court or, where the parties are from different states, federal court. Depending on where the injury happened, that could be the Seventh Circuit Court District in Hinds County or one of the federal divisions of the Northern or Southern District of Mississippi. Claims against a county or government agency are a different matter: they carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act.
Be careful with insurance adjusters. The comp insurer, the employer’s liability carrier, and the manufacturer’s insurer all have different interests, and anything you say in a recorded statement can be used in more than one claim. Do not sign a release or accept a quick settlement from anyone before you understand whether it affects other claims. A Mississippi product liability attorney who also understands comp can keep those claims from colliding.
How Comp Benefits and a Product Claim Fit Together
If you were hurt on the job, workers’ compensation covers reasonable and necessary medical care and replaces part of your lost wages whether or not anyone did anything wrong. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and for most categories they cannot run longer than 450 weeks. You are covered from your first day on the job, with no waiting period.
What comp does not do is compensate for pain, suffering, or the full measure of what you lost. A product liability suit against the manufacturer can, because the manufacturer is not your employer and is not protected by the comp system. The two claims have to be coordinated. The comp carrier may have a right to be repaid from part of a third-party recovery, and the timing of a settlement in one case can affect the other. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so if a jury finds you partly at fault, your recovery is reduced by your share rather than eliminated. Noneconomic damages are capped by statute in some case types, such as wrongful death and medical malpractice, while economic damages like medical bills and lost income are not subject to those caps.
Product cases generally rest on one of three theories: a design that is unreasonably dangerous, a manufacturing flaw that made one unit different from the rest, or a failure to warn users of a risk the maker knew or should have known about. Which theory fits depends on the product, and proving it usually requires an engineer or other expert who can examine the item and explain why it failed. That is an expense we advance.
Questions About Mississippi Product Liability Claims
What is a product liability claim?
It is a civil claim against a manufacturer, distributor, or seller when a defective product causes injury. The defect can be in the design, in how the product was made, or in missing warnings and instructions.
Can I file a product claim if I was hurt at work?
Often yes. Workers’ compensation prevents most lawsuits against your own employer, but it does not stop a claim against the company that made or sold the equipment. You can usually pursue comp benefits and a third-party product claim at the same time.
How long do I have to file in Mississippi?
The general limit for claims without a specific statute is three years from when the claim accrued, and the discovery rule may apply when an injury or illness is not immediately apparent. Separate workers’ comp deadlines apply: report within 30 days and file with the Commission generally within two years. Claims involving a government entity have a one-year limit. Because these clocks differ, speak to an attorney early.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not barred. Manufacturers often argue misuse or ignored warnings, so how you were using the product matters.
Should I keep the defective product?
Yes, if you can, and do not alter it. If your employer controls it, ask that it be preserved. The condition of the item is often the strongest evidence in the case.
Will a product claim affect my workers’ comp benefits?
It can, because the comp carrier may be entitled to reimbursement from part of a third-party recovery. That is why settlements should be coordinated rather than handled separately.
Does my employer have to cover me if the equipment was defective?
Comp is a no-fault system, so your employer’s coverage applies whether the cause was a defective product, a coworker’s mistake, or your own error. Mississippi employers with five or more employees must carry it.
Can I recover if a family member was killed by a defective product?
Possibly. Wrongful death claims in Mississippi are generally three years for negligence-based claims and one year for intentional torts, and noneconomic damages are capped in many wrongful death cases. Workers’ comp death benefits may also be available if the death happened at work.
What if the injury or illness did not show up right away?
Under Mississippi’s discovery rule, the clock on a latent injury or disease does not start until you discover it, or reasonably should have. That can matter for exposure cases, but do not rely on it without advice.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if the manufacturer is out of state?
Often it is more important. Out-of-state manufacturers frequently move cases to federal court, and appeals go to the Fifth Circuit. Handling that process takes preparation, and we handle the expense of building the case, with no fee unless we recover.
What does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs, and we are paid only if we recover. Attorney fees in workers’ comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
Serving Product Liability Clients Across Mississippi
We represent injured people throughout Mississippi. In the capital region, that includes Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Brandon, Pearl, Clinton, Byram, Terry, and Raymond in Hinds County and the surrounding area. We also work with clients on the Gulf Coast in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Ocean Springs, in the Pine Belt around Hattiesburg and Laurel, and in north Mississippi in Southaven, Olive Branch, Oxford, Tupelo, and Corinth. Our reach extends to the Delta, including Greenville, Greenwood, Clarksdale, and Cleveland, and to Meridian, Vicksburg, Natchez, and Columbus.
Mississippi’s industries produce many of the injuries that lead to product claims: construction and ironwork, trucking and delivery, oil field work, manufacturing, and healthcare. We also serve injured people in South Louisiana and north Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, where Louisiana has its own product liability rules and deadlines.
Talk to a Mississippi Product Liability Attorney Today
If a defective product hurt you or killed someone in your family, a Mississippi product liability attorney can tell you whether you have a claim, what deadlines apply, and how it fits with any workers’ compensation benefits. Our phones are answered around the clock, consultations are free, and you pay nothing unless we recover for you. Call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe today and tell us what happened.
