Brandon Back & Spine Injury Lawyer
The goal in a back or spine injury case is simple to say and hard to reach: get the surgery, injections, or therapy your doctor recommends approved and paid for, and keep wage checks coming while you recover. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers in Brandon, Rankin County, and communities across Mississippi and Louisiana, and spinal injuries make up a large share of what we handle. If you are searching for a Brandon back and spine injury lawyer, you are probably dealing with an adjuster who questions your MRI, a doctor who has not been authorized, or a claim that has stalled.
Spine claims get fought harder than most. A herniated disc is expensive to treat, and the lifting, climbing, driving, and bending that wear down a back are exactly the activities insurers point to when they say your injury is just age. Many Brandon workers commute into Jackson, work at distribution centers and construction sites around the Rankin County and Pearl area, or spend their days on the road hauling freight. Those jobs punish the lumbar and cervical spine, and the claims that follow deserve careful medical proof from the start.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Back or Spine Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury only when one walks in. This firm was built the other way around, with workers’ compensation at the center of the practice. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. We serve injured workers in Brandon and Rankin County, throughout Mississippi, and across South Louisiana and the rest of that state. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, you pay nothing unless we recover benefits for you, and our phones are answered around the clock. Hablamos español.
The results that matter most on a spine page are back results. We secured $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. A project manager struck in his work vehicle recovered $385,000 for back injuries, and a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job received $190,000. Other back, neck, and lumbar settlements include $175,000 for a delivery driver, $145,000 for a retail supervisor, and several in the $115,000 to $140,000 range. Past results do not guarantee any outcome, but they show the kind of claim we know how to build.
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 tell us they felt heard and that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at every step.
Spinal Injuries We See in Work Injury Claims
- Lumbar Disc Herniations: The most common spine claim. Lifting freight, patient transfers, and repetitive bending at warehouses, plants, and job sites can rupture or bulge a disc at L4-L5 or L5-S1, often causing sciatica that runs down the leg.
- Cervical Disc Injuries: Neck herniations from falls, overhead work, or a jolt in a work vehicle can cause arm numbness and weakness. Surgeons often recommend a cervical fusion or disc replacement, which the carrier may resist authorizing.
- Aggravation of Degenerative Disc Disease: Insurers love to call a back injury degenerative. A job that caused, worsened, or sped up a condition can still be compensable, and the medical opinion linking work to the flare-up is the heart of the case.
- Fractures and Compression Injuries: Falls from ladders, scaffolding, and truck beds can fracture vertebrae and require surgical stabilization and long recovery.
- Vehicle and Struck-By Injuries: Delivery drivers, truckers, and field workers hurt in a crash may have both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Cumulative Trauma to the Back: Years of heavy labor, vibration from equipment, or long hours behind the wheel can wear on the spine gradually, which raises notice and causation questions.
- Failed Back Surgery and Ongoing Pain: When a fusion does not resolve symptoms, the questions become future medical care, pain management, and permanent restrictions.
What to Do After a Back Injury at Work in Mississippi
Tell your employer about the injury right away, and in writing if you can. Mississippi gives you 30 days from the accident to report it, and missing that window gives the carrier an easy argument. Name the date, what you were doing, and the body parts hurt. Do not downplay it as “just a ttweak.” Back pain that seems manageable on day one often turns into a herniation on the MRI two weeks later, and an early note that says “mild strain” will be quoted back to you.
Get medical care and tell every provider the injury happened at work. Be specific about how, because the history in your first chart note will be read closely for years. Follow work restrictions, keep every appointment, and keep copies of imaging, prescriptions, and work excuses. If the carrier has a panel doctor or a nurse case manager pushing you toward light duty before your physician agrees, talk to us before you sign anything or return to a job your spine cannot handle.
Workers’ comp claims in Mississippi are heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a regular court. Cases go first to an Administrative Judge for an evidentiary hearing. A party unhappy with that decision can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than starting over, so the evidence built at the first hearing is the evidence that counts. A final Commission award can then be appealed within 30 days, and appeals are decided on the record made before the Commission. The appeal goes to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign it to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
The filing deadline is separate from the 30-day notice rule. Generally you have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission. If no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed in that window, the right to benefits can be lost. Do not wait for a denial letter to start the clock in your mind; the clock is already running.
If you work in Louisiana, the rules differ. Report within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment if comp payments were made. When a treatment request such as a spinal surgery is denied, you have 15 calendar days after written notice of the denial to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. Missing that 15-day window can be costly.
How Insurers Attack Spine Claims and What the Benefits Look Like
The pre-existing condition argument comes first. The adjuster finds age-related changes on your imaging and says the job did not cause them. The answer is medical evidence: records showing you worked without restrictions before the incident, a treating surgeon who explains how the event or years of heavy work caused or aggravated the problem, and consistent histories across every chart. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if work caused, worsened, or accelerated it.
The next move is delaying or refusing the care your surgeon recommends. Carriers may demand an independent medical examination, question whether the fusion is necessary, or authorize conservative treatment indefinitely. We press for the treatment your treating physician orders and take disputes to the Commission when needed.
On the wage side, Mississippi temporary and permanent total disability pay up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and generally not exceeding 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in other cases is also capped at 450 weeks. Coverage begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period. In Louisiana, if you return to work earning less because of your injury, supplemental earnings benefits can replace two-thirds of the difference between your old and new earning capacity, up to a 520-week maximum, with any temporary total disability weeks counting toward that total. Louisiana weekly rates are set by the date of the accident, so they do not change later.
If someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a driver who hit your work truck or a contractor with an unsafe site, you may have a separate personal injury claim. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than barred. That claim and your comp claim have to be coordinated, because the comp carrier may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery.
Brandon Back and Spine Injury Questions, Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a back injury workers’ comp claim?
Not every claim requires one, but spine injuries are different. When surgery is on the table, when your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or when you may be out of work for a long time, an attorney makes a real difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers on its side.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a back injury in Mississippi?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it immediately if you can, and put it in writing.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally 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 no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed within that period, the right to benefits can be barred.
Can I still get benefits if I had back problems before the injury?
Yes, if your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition. Insurers raise this defense constantly, and strong medical evidence from your treating physician is usually what defeats it.
Can the insurance company choose my back doctor?
The carrier will often steer you toward certain providers, but you have rights regarding your treatment, and a disagreement about the right surgeon or the right procedure can be taken to the Commission. Do not stop treating with a doctor you trust without talking to a lawyer first.
What if the insurer sends me to an independent medical exam and the doctor says I am fine?
A one-time exam by a doctor the carrier selected does not outweigh your treating surgeon automatically. We compare it against your imaging and treatment history, and often prepare cross-examination or obtain a rebuttal opinion.
Will I get permanent disability if I need a fusion?
Possibly. After you reach maximum medical improvement, a physician assigns an impairment rating and restrictions. Whether you receive partial or total disability benefits depends on your medical limitations and your ability to earn wages in the job market.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim for my back?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review your options.
Is a back injury from a car wreck while driving for work covered?
Often yes, if you were doing your job at the time. You may also have a claim against the other driver. Both claims have their own deadlines, so address both early.
Do you handle Louisiana back injury claims too?
Yes. We represent injured workers throughout Louisiana as well, including claims before workers’ compensation judges and appeals to the Louisiana courts of appeal, and we serve Spanish-speaking clients in their own language.
How long does a spine injury comp case take?
It depends on your medical course. Cases involving surgery often wait until you reach maximum medical improvement, and settlement discussions usually make the most sense after the long-term picture is clear. A disputed claim that goes to hearing takes longer.
Serving Back and Spine Injury Clients in Brandon and Across the Region
We represent injured workers in Brandon and throughout Rankin County, including neighboring Pearl, Flowood, Richland, and Florence. From there our reach extends into Jackson and Madison, and into the Hinds County communities of Clinton, Byram, Terry, and Raymond. We serve clients along the I-20 and I-55 corridors, in Hattiesburg, on the Gulf Coast, in Southaven and north Mississippi, and across the Delta.
Our Louisiana work reaches New Orleans and South Louisiana, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as north Louisiana. Whether you hurt your back on a Rankin County job site, a Gulf Coast rig, a Delta farm, or a highway in either state, our workers’ compensation attorneys can evaluate your claim.
Talk With a Brandon Spine Injury Attorney Today
If you are looking for a Brandon spine injury attorney who handles work injuries every day, call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Tell us what happened, what your doctor has said, and where the insurance company has pushed back, and we will tell you what we see and what comes next. We help injured workers. That is what we do.
