Pascagula Head & Brain Injury Lawyer
The goal in a head or brain injury claim at work is simple to state and hard to reach: medical care that continues for as long as the brain needs it, and wage benefits that do not stop because an adjuster decided you look fine. Pascagoula head and brain injury lawyer help from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC means a workers’ compensation firm that handles these claims for injured workers in Pascagoula, Jackson County, and across Mississippi and Louisiana.
Brain injuries are different from a torn shoulder or a fractured ankle. There may be no cast, no scar, and no obvious reason for an insurer to believe you. A worker can walk out of the plant under his own power and still be dealing with headaches, memory gaps, dizziness, light sensitivity, mood changes, and trouble focusing weeks later. Those symptoms are real, and they are exactly the ones an insurance company tends to discount.
Pascagoula’s economy is built on heavy industry: shipbuilding, refining, fabrication, marine work, and the contractors who support them. Workers in those settings are exposed to falls from height, struck-by incidents, swinging loads, confined-space accidents, and explosions. Each is a recognized way to sustain a concussion or a more serious traumatic brain injury, and each is the kind of event that sends a claim into dispute.
Why Pascagoula Workers Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for Brain Injury Claims
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Pascagoula, Jackson County, and the Gulf Coast. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, and it works on a no recovery, no fee basis. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
That focus matters in a head injury case because these claims turn on medical proof, and proof is built early. 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, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms 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.
The firm’s results show what serious injury claims can look like when they are built carefully: $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 describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays with them through the insurance fight.
Ways a Pascagoula Worker Sustains a Head or Brain Injury on the Job
- Falls from scaffolds, ladders, and vessel decks: Shipyard and industrial construction work involves heights, wet steel, and tight staging. A fall onto a hard surface can produce a skull fracture, bleeding in the brain, or a concussion even when a hard hat was worn.
- Struck-by and caught-between incidents: Dropped tools, swinging rigging, shifting loads, and moving equipment cause blunt trauma to the head. Crane and forklift operations around fabrication yards are common sources.
- Concussions that go unreported: Many workers shake off a hit and keep working. Symptoms like confusion, nausea, and sleep disruption can surface later, and an insurer may argue the injury did not happen at work. Reporting within 30 days is required in Mississippi, so documenting the event fast matters.
- Vehicle and equipment accidents: Drivers, delivery workers, and field employees traveling on Highway 90, Highway 63, and surrounding roads can suffer head trauma in a work-related crash. If another driver caused it, a separate injury claim may exist alongside comp.
- Explosions, flash fires, and chemical exposure: Refinery and plant incidents can cause blast-related brain injury as well as burns. Some exposures produce neurological symptoms that appear gradually.
- Post-concussive and cognitive symptoms: Headaches, memory loss, vision problems, balance issues, irritability, depression, and difficulty concentrating can keep a worker out of safety-sensitive jobs even after the scans look clear.
- Second-impact and aggravation cases: A worker with an earlier head injury who is hurt again on the job may still have a compensable claim. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim when work caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem.
What to Do After a Head Injury at Work in Pascagoula
Get medical attention first, and tell the provider exactly how the injury happened, including the hit, the fall, or the blast. Do not downplay symptoms because you feel embarrassed or worried about your job. Early records that connect the symptoms to the work event are the foundation of the claim. If you went to an urgent care or emergency department and left without a clear diagnosis, follow up with a physician and a neurologist if symptoms persist.
Report the injury to your employer, in writing if possible. Under Mississippi law, notice must be given within 30 days of the accident. Louisiana carries the same 30-day notice rule, which matters for Pascagoula workers whose jobs take them across the state line. Waiting is the most common way a legitimate claim gets weakened, because the insurer then argues the injury came from somewhere else.
Next comes the filing clock. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the date of injury, the right to benefits can be lost unless a claim is filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission during that period. A worker generally has two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment to file a Petition to Controvert. Louisiana generally requires a formal claim within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment in some cases. These deadlines do not pause while you recover, and head injuries often delay a worker’s ability to deal with paperwork, so do not let the cognitive fog run out the clock.
Keep your own record. Write down symptoms as they occur, note missed work, save every medical bill and prescription, and collect names of coworkers who saw the incident or noticed changes in you afterward. A spouse or family member who sees the difference in your memory, temper, or sleep can be a valuable witness. Do not give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster without speaking to a lawyer first.
Mississippi workers’ compensation claims are heard by the Commission, not a regular court. A contested claim is decided at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge. An appeal to the Full Commission is a review of the record made before the judge, not a new trial. A final award can then be appealed on the record within 30 days, and the Mississippi Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Building the medical record carefully at the start is what carries a claim through those stages.
How Insurers Contest Brain Injury Claims
The playbook is familiar. The adjuster points to a normal CT scan or MRI and argues there is no injury. In fact, many concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries do not show on standard imaging, and the diagnosis rests on clinical evaluation, neuropsychological testing, and consistent symptom reporting. A claim that depends on that kind of evidence needs doctors who understand it.
Insurers also lean on pre-existing conditions, attributing memory trouble or mood changes to age, stress, or prior health problems. They question delays in reporting, send workers to physicians who tend to side with carriers, and push for a return to work before a treating doctor clears it. The firm builds these cases with medical evidence, witness accounts, and work history so each of those arguments has an answer.
Benefits in a serious claim include all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage replacement while you cannot work, and additional benefits when the injury leaves a permanent disability. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability pay up to two-thirds of the average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a cap of 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in other cases is also limited to 450 weeks. A worker covered from the first day on the job has no waiting period. Vocational issues matter too: a person who cannot safely return to heights, heavy machinery, or fast-paced yard work may need a different benefit analysis than someone with a simple orthopedic injury.
Some head injuries involve more than the employer. A negligent driver, a subcontractor, or an equipment manufacturer may share responsibility, which can open a personal injury claim in addition to comp. The firm handles personal injury, car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death, so the two claims can be coordinated rather than allowed to undermine each other.
Questions Pascagoula Workers Ask About Head and Brain Injury Claims
Can I get workers’ compensation for a concussion?
Yes. A concussion caused by a work incident is a compensable injury. The challenge is proof, since concussions often do not appear on scans. Prompt medical care, consistent symptom documentation, and a clear account of how the injury happened carry most of the weight.
How soon do I have to report a head injury to my employer?
Within 30 days of the accident in Mississippi, and the same 30-day notice applies in Louisiana. Report in writing when you can and keep a copy.
What is the deadline to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no benefits were paid within two years of the injury and no claim was filed, the right to benefits can be barred.
What if my CT scan or MRI came back normal?
A normal scan does not mean there is no brain injury. Many mild traumatic brain injuries are diagnosed through clinical examination, symptom history, and neuropsychological testing rather than imaging. Insurers often overstate what a clean scan proves.
Will my claim be denied because I had prior head injuries or a medical condition?
Not automatically. If the work incident caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be available. Insurers raise this argument often, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a core part of the firm’s work.
Do I need a lawyer for a brain injury workers’ comp claim?
If benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. Brain injury claims are rarely straightforward, and the insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its side.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are paid only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
Can my employer fire me because of my head injury claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, raise it in your consultation so the situation can be reviewed.
What if I cannot remember exactly how the accident happened?
Memory gaps are common with head trauma and do not defeat a claim. Coworker statements, incident reports, security footage, emergency medical records, and the physical circumstances of the workplace can fill in what you cannot recall. Tell your lawyer and your doctors about the gaps rather than guessing.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my comp claim is pending?
Workers’ compensation is supposed to pay for reasonable and necessary treatment for a work injury. When the insurer denies or delays, workers sometimes use health insurance as a stopgap, which can create reimbursement questions later. Talk to a lawyer before deciding how to handle bills during a dispute.
What if I was hurt in a crash on the job caused by another driver?
You may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a separate personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. Time limits differ between the two, and they should be handled together. In Mississippi, many negligence claims carry a three-year period, but you should not wait to find out which deadline applies to you.
Can I still get benefits if I return to work at lower pay because of my symptoms?
Possibly. In Louisiana, supplemental earnings benefits exist for workers who return at reduced earnings, and in Mississippi partial disability benefits may apply. Cognitive limits that reduce your hours or the type of work you can do are relevant to these benefits.
Serving Pascagoula, Jackson County, and the Gulf Coast
The firm represents injured workers in Pascagoula and across Jackson County, including Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs, Gulf Hills, Escatawpa, Vancleave, and the surrounding communities. Workers in the shipyards, refineries, and marine and fabrication operations around the Pascagoula River come to the firm from all of these areas.
Beyond Jackson County, the firm helps workers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the neighboring communities of Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Bay St. Louis, and inland toward Hattiesburg, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta. It also represents injured workers statewide in Mississippi, from north Mississippi to the coast. Across the line in Louisiana, the firm serves workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana, which matters for Gulf Coast workers whose jobs take them to projects in both states.
Talk to a Pascagoula Brain Injury Attorney Today
If a blow to the head at work has changed how you think, sleep, or feel, you do not have to prove it to the insurance company by yourself. A Pascagoula brain injury attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain how the Mississippi and Louisiana deadlines apply to you, and start building the medical and witness evidence your claim needs. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you. Call today to schedule a consultation.
