Columbus Forklift & Crane Accident Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Columbus and across Mississippi and South Louisiana, handling workers’ compensation claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off. When the injury came from a forklift or a crane, the firm also looks at whether someone other than the employer caused it, because that can open a second claim alongside comp benefits. If you need a Columbus forklift and crane accident lawyer, that dual-track analysis is where a case like yours should start.
Forklift and crane injuries are rarely minor. A tipped forklift can pin an operator’s legs or crush a pedestrian against a rack. A load that shifts, a boom that contacts something it shouldn’t, a failed rigging component, or an unstable outrigger can leave a worker with fractures, crush injuries, spinal damage, or worse. Columbus sits in Lowndes County, with manufacturing plants, warehouses, distribution operations, and construction sites that put powered equipment and heavy lifts in daily use, and the injuries that come out of those environments tend to need surgery, long recoveries, and months away from work.
The first practical question is usually who is responsible. Your employer’s comp insurer pays regardless of fault, but a defective machine, an outside rigging contractor, a negligent equipment owner, or a driver who was not your co-worker may owe you more. Sorting that out early, before evidence disappears, shapes everything that follows.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Forklift or Crane Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving Lowndes County and Columbus, along with communities throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana. Workers’ comp is the center of the firm’s practice, not a side matter taken when it walks in the door. The attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and there is no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients are served in their own language.
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 in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and routinely appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results that matter most for heavy-equipment cases involve serious structural injuries: a $685,000 settlement 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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Forklift and crane accidents produce the same kinds of injuries, and the same kind of medical proof is what moves them. Clients describe the firm as easy to work with and professional, and say attorneys took the time to listen and stayed with them against the insurance company at every step.
Common Forklift and Crane Injuries and How They Happen
- Crush and Pinning Injuries: A forklift rollover, a pallet stack collapse, or a load swinging into a worker can crush limbs or the torso. These often require surgery, and the resulting hip, pelvis, and leg fractures may need specialists and months of recovery.
- Struck-By Injuries: Pedestrians in warehouses and plants are hit by forklifts backing up or turning blind corners, and workers on crane jobs are hit by swinging loads or falling materials. The firm has handled cases where a worker was struck while in a work vehicle, and the medical picture is often back, neck, and head trauma.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Sudden impacts, falls from forklift platforms, and repeated jarring from operating equipment can herniate lumbar and cervical discs. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, and answering that argument with medical evidence is central to these claims.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears occur when workers are caught by a moving load, thrown from equipment, or pulling and guiding heavy materials. Employers sometimes try to label these as old sports injuries.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and other bones break when a forklift runs over a foot or a load drops. Complex fractures can require repeated surgeries and specialist care.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Cranes on industrial and oilfield sites bring contact with energized lines, fires, and heavy structural failures that can cause burns, amputations, and life-altering injuries.
- Fatal Accidents: When a crane collapse or forklift incident kills a worker, dependents may have death benefits under comp and, depending on who was at fault, a separate wrongful death claim.
What to Do After a Forklift or Crane Accident in Columbus
Get medical care first, and tell every provider the injury happened at work and how. That sentence in the first chart note matters later when an insurer goes looking for a gap between the accident and the diagnosis. If you can, keep records of who treated you and when, and do not downplay symptoms because the adrenaline has not worn off.
Report the injury to your employer in Mississippi within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing if possible, and keep a copy. Reporting right away is better than waiting out the full window, because the longer the gap, the more room the insurer has to argue the accident did not happen at work. Mississippi coverage starts on your first day of employment, so a new hire is covered the same as a longtime employee.
Then protect the evidence. Photograph the equipment, the load, the floor or ground conditions, and any damage. Write down the names of witnesses, the operator, the crane crew, the signal person, and any outside company on site. Note the forklift or crane make and unit number if you can. Maintenance logs, operator certification records, load charts, inspection records, and incident reports are the kinds of documents that decide fault, and employers and equipment owners do not always keep them forever. A lawyer can send preservation demands early so the paper trail stays intact.
In Mississippi, workers’ compensation claims are handled by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission rather than a court. If benefits are not being paid, a claim generally must be filed with the Commission within two years of the date of injury or the last compensation payment. Disputed claims go to an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge, and either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Do not give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster before speaking with a lawyer, and do not sign medical releases broader than you have to. Do not return to work before your doctor clears you simply because someone is pushing you. And do not assume that because comp is paying, you have no other claim. A third-party lawsuit is a separate action with its own deadline, and in Mississippi the general three-year period for negligence claims applies to many such cases. The right deadline depends on who you are suing and why, so get the question answered early.
Comp Benefits and Third-Party Claims: Two Routes After One Accident
Workers’ compensation pays regardless of fault. It covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replaces part of your lost wages when you cannot work. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability benefits are two-thirds of your 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. Comp does not pay for pain and suffering, which is why the second route matters.
A third-party claim targets someone other than your employer. In forklift and crane cases, that might be the manufacturer of a machine with a defective brake, mast, or load-limiting system; a company that owned or leased the equipment and failed to maintain it; a general contractor or subcontractor who ran an unsafe site; a crane rental company; or a driver or operator who works for a different employer. These cases are decided on negligence or product liability, and because you are suing a third party, you can pursue the full range of damages rather than only comp’s limited benefits. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so if you are found partly at fault, your recovery is reduced by your share rather than barred.
The two claims need to be coordinated. The comp insurer often has a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, and settling one claim carelessly can damage the other. Firms that handle both tracks, as this one does through its personal injury practice, can keep them from working against each other.
Employers also deny forklift and crane claims on familiar grounds: that the worker was not following safety rules, that the injury came from a pre-existing condition, or that the worker was released to return to work too early. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if the job caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Safety-rule violations are generally not a defense to comp in the way people fear, though they can complicate a third-party case. Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a comp claim.
Frequently Asked Questions About Forklift and Crane Accident Claims
Do I need a lawyer after a forklift or crane accident?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. Heavy-equipment accidents often involve more than one responsible party, and sorting that out is difficult without help.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and fees are paid only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a work injury in Mississippi?
You should report to your employer right away, and within 30 days of the accident at the latest. Waiting gives the insurer an argument that the injury was not work-related or that the employer was prejudiced by late notice.
How long do I have to file a Mississippi comp claim?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment, filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, the right to them can be lost unless a claim was filed in that time.
Can I sue someone besides my employer?
Often, yes. If a machine manufacturer, equipment owner, outside contractor, or another driver contributed to the accident, you may have a separate injury claim in addition to comp. Because of comp’s exclusive-remedy rule, you generally cannot sue your own employer for negligence in the way you could a third party.
What if my employer says the forklift operator was an independent worker or a temp?
Staffing arrangements complicate who the employer is and which insurer pays. Temp and staffing-agency workers often have comp coverage through the agency or the host company, and the other party may also be a potential third-party defendant. Sort out the paperwork early.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Comp benefits do not depend on fault. In a third-party claim in Mississippi, your own share of fault reduces your recovery in proportion rather than eliminating it. If the case is handled under Louisiana law, a plaintiff found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, with lesser fault reducing the award.
Will comp pay my medical bills and lost wages while the claim is pending?
If the claim is accepted, the insurer should pay reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage benefits as they come due. If the claim is contested, payments may stop until a ruling, which is exactly when many workers need help. Mississippi wage-loss benefits are up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum.
What if the crane accident happened on a job in Louisiana?
Louisiana has its own rules. You should report within 30 days and generally file a formal claim within one year of the accident. Claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and appeals go to the appropriate Louisiana court of appeal. The firm handles claims in both states.
Can I be fired for filing a claim after a forklift injury?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it during your consultation so the firm can review your options.
What evidence matters most in a crane or forklift case?
Operator training and certification records, inspection and maintenance logs, load charts, incident reports, photographs, witness names, and your medical records tying the injury to the accident. Equipment itself can be critical in a product defect case, so ask a lawyer about preserving it before it is repaired or sold.
Serving Columbus and the Surrounding Region
The firm represents injured workers in Columbus and throughout Lowndes County, including the industrial and distribution areas where forklifts and cranes are in constant use. It also works with clients in neighboring communities in north and east Mississippi, and across the state from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta. In Louisiana, the firm serves New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether the accident happened at a plant, a warehouse, a port or yard, a construction site, or an oilfield location, the same questions apply: who is paying, who else is responsible, and what the medical record shows.
Talk to a Columbus Forklift and Crane Accident Attorney
If you were hurt by a forklift or crane, talk to a Columbus forklift and crane accident attorney before the insurer decides how your claim is told. The firm’s phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Call to discuss what happened, what coverage applies, and whether a claim against someone other than your employer is worth pursuing.
