Brandon Construction Worker Injury Lawyer
A fall from a scaffold on a job site off Highway 80, a crushed hand at a framing crew in Rankin County, a back that gave out after months of hauling block: construction injuries in the Brandon area tend to be serious, and the paperwork starts before the pain does. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Brandon construction worker injury lawyer from our team handles the medical care, wage benefits, and insurer disputes that follow a jobsite accident in Rankin County and the surrounding Jackson metro.
Construction claims are different from office-job claims in ways that matter. Injuries are often sudden and severe, but they can also build slowly from years of lifting, kneeling, and climbing. Crews are frequently made up of subcontractors, day laborers, and employees of several companies working one site, which raises the question of who your employer actually is and whose insurance owes you benefits. We sort that out early, because the answer shapes everything that comes after.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Construction Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers from Brandon and the rest of Rankin County, Madison, Jackson, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, along with workers across south and north Louisiana. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits 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.
The results that matter most to a construction worker are the ones involving heavy physical work and hard injuries. We secured $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury and $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury. We also obtained $385,000 for a project manager injured when his work vehicle was struck, $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns, and $195,000 for a derrickhand with complex shoulder injuries from pulling large pipe. Every case stands on its own facts, but these show the kind of injuries we are used to taking on.
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 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. Clients consistently tell us they felt heard, that the process was explained, and that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at each step.
Common Construction Injuries and Claims We Handle
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common construction claims, whether from a single lift gone wrong or years of repetitive heavy labor. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence tying the injury to the work.
- Falls From Height: Scaffolds, roofs, ladders, and open floor edges produce fractures of the ankles, hips, and spine that can require specialists and complex surgical repair.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are routine for crews that overhead-lift, climb, and kneel all day. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we push back with the work history.
- Struck-By and Crush Injuries: Falling materials, swinging loads, and heavy equipment cause fractures and crush injuries to hands, feet, and legs, often with lasting loss of function.
- Burns and Industrial Injuries: Electrical contact, hot work, and plant and rig environments produce burns and other catastrophic injuries that need long-term medical management.
- Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Superintendents, project managers, and drivers hauling materials are hurt in wrecks on the way between sites. These can support both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Third-Party Claims: When a different contractor, an equipment manufacturer, or a property owner caused the accident, you may have a personal injury case on top of your comp benefits.
What to Do After a Construction Injury in Brandon
Get medical care first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work so it is documented that way from the start. Then report it to your employer. Mississippi requires you to give notice within 30 days of the accident, but do not treat that as a target. Report in writing if you can, name the supervisor you told, and keep a copy. Late notice is one of the easiest ways for an insurer to question a claim.
Mississippi covers workers from the first day on the job, with no waiting period, so a new hire hurt in week one is still covered. The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline: you generally have 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. If you were hurt on a Louisiana job site, the rules differ. Notice is also due within 30 days, but a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with a longer window possible if benefits have already been paid.
Collect what you can while it is fresh: photos of the area and equipment, names of coworkers who saw it happen, the name of every contractor on site, and your pay records. Write down how the injury happened in your own words before details blur. On a multi-contractor site, find out who signed your paychecks and who directed your work, because that decides whose carrier owes benefits.
Be careful with recorded statements to the insurance adjuster, and do not go back to heavy work before your doctor releases you. Disputes in Mississippi are heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a court, first before an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. A party unhappy with that result can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made before the judge rather than starting fresh. A final Commission award can then be appealed within 30 days, on the record, to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because appeals are decided on the existing record, the evidence you build at the first hearing matters enormously.
How Insurers Fight Construction Claims
Construction carriers lean on a short list of arguments. They say the accident did not happen at work, that nobody saw it, or that you reported it too late. They blame a pre-existing condition, which is a frequent tactic with back and knee injuries in workers who have done physical labor for years. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if the job caused, worsened, or accelerated it, and the medical records and work history are how that is proven.
Another recurring fight is over who the employer is. Subcontractors and staffing arrangements can leave each company pointing at the other. Misclassifying a worker as an independent contractor is also used to deny coverage entirely. We look at who controlled the work, who paid you, and what the contracts actually say, rather than accepting the label your boss used.
Benefits can also be cut off or reduced while you are still treating. Wage-loss benefits in Mississippi run at up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and for total disability they are generally capped at 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in most cases also cannot run past 450 weeks. Getting your average weekly wage calculated correctly, including overtime and per diem where it applies, can change the value of the entire claim.
Questions Construction Workers Ask Us
Do I need a lawyer for a construction injury claim?
Not every claim requires one, but construction injuries are usually serious enough that representation pays off. If benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it, and you should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
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?
In both Mississippi and Louisiana you should report to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and sooner is far better. Waiting gives the insurer an argument that the injury is not work-related.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of the injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Because exceptions and traps exist, do not wait until the deadline is close.
Am I covered if I had only just started the job?
Yes. In Mississippi, coverage begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review your options.
I was hurt by another company’s crew on the same site. Can I sue them?
Possibly. Your comp claim runs against your employer’s carrier, but a negligent contractor or equipment maker is a separate party. A third-party injury claim can add recovery that comp benefits do not provide, and we coordinate the two so they do not undercut each other.
My boss says I’m an independent contractor. Does that end my claim?
No. The label on your paperwork is not the deciding factor. What matters is how the relationship actually worked, including who directed your work, who set your hours, and who supplied the tools. Many workers called contractors are legally employees.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Health plans generally resist paying for treatment that is the responsibility of the comp carrier, and many will seek reimbursement later. If the carrier denies your treatment, tell us before you start paying out of pocket so we can pursue the authorization.
What if the insurer says my injury is just wear and tear?
That argument is common in back, shoulder, and knee cases. If the job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. We build the medical evidence and work history to show the connection.
What happens if I am hurt on a Louisiana job site while living in Mississippi?
Where the injury happened and where the contract was formed both matter to which state’s system applies. Our attorneys work in both states, so we can evaluate that at the first consultation and bring the claim in the right place.
Serving Brandon and Rankin County Construction Workers
We represent injured construction workers from Brandon and neighboring Pearl, Flowood, Richland, and Florence in Rankin County, across the river into Jackson and Clinton, and north through Ridgeland and Madison. We also serve workers in Pelahatchie, Terry, Byram, Raymond, Canton, and Vicksburg, along with crews working the Hattiesburg corridor, Southaven and north Mississippi, the Delta, and the Gulf Coast. Our reach continues into Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the communities of south and north Louisiana. Wherever the job site is, if you were hurt building it, we can help.
Talk to a Brandon Construction Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a job site, you do not have to argue with the insurance company yourself. A Brandon construction injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC can review what happened, tell you where your claim stands, and start protecting your medical care and wages right away. Call us any hour, because our phones are answered around the clock. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
