Madison Burn Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Madison, Madison County, and across Mississippi and Louisiana, including people whose jobs left them with burns that changed how they work and live. A Madison burn injury lawyer has to deal with something most workplace injuries do not involve: wounds that keep demanding care long after the accident, from debridement and skin grafts to months of wound care, scar management, and therapy to regain movement.
Burns on the job come from more places than most people expect. Flash fires and arc flashes in electrical work, steam and hot liquid in commercial kitchens and plants, chemical splashes, hot asphalt on road crews, welding and cutting accidents, and fires on rigs and industrial sites all produce them. Our firm has recovered a $221,000 settlement for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities, and we know how insurers try to shrink a burn claim once the bandages come off and the injury looks less dramatic than it is.
What Burn Injuries Mean for a Workers’ Compensation Claim
Mississippi workers’ compensation covers a burned worker from the first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Benefits include reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement while you cannot work. For total disability, whether temporary or permanent, the weekly wage benefit is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and generally cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most other cases are subject to the same 450-week ceiling.
Burns complicate those numbers in ways a standard sprain or strain does not. A worker may be cleared for light duty while still needing dressing changes several times a day, or while unable to tolerate heat, sun, or chemical exposure that the old job required. Hands, face, and joints that have scarred and tightened can limit what a person can physically do long after the wound has closed. These are the facts that decide whether you are truly able to return to your pre-injury job, and they are the facts the insurer’s adjuster will downplay.
Disfigurement and loss of function matter too. A burn that scars the hands, arms, or legs affects earning capacity in a way that raw medical records may not capture, so we build the claim around how the injury limits real work, not just what the chart says.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for Madison Burn Injury Cases
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. We represent clients in Madison, throughout Mississippi, and across Louisiana, and our team is available around the clock by phone.
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 regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Our results show what serious injuries can be worth: $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager injured after being struck in his work vehicle. Clients tell us they felt heard and supported, and that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at every step. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Hablamos español.
Common Ways Workers Get Burned in Madison and Central Mississippi
- Thermal Burns from Fires and Flash Events: Flash fires, explosions, and ignited fuel or vapor injure workers in industrial settings, on construction sites, and around equipment that runs hot. These often cause deep burns requiring surgery and grafting.
- Electrical Burns and Arc Flash: Electricians, linemen, and maintenance crews face contact with energized equipment. Electrical injuries can cause damage beneath the skin that is worse than the surface wound suggests, including nerve and muscle injury.
- Chemical Burns: Cleaning agents, industrial solvents, acids, and caustic materials burn skin and eyes. Splash exposure in plants, warehouses, and janitorial work is a frequent source of these claims.
- Scalds from Steam and Hot Liquids: Commercial kitchens, food processing, and equipment with pressurized steam or hot water produce scald injuries, often to the hands, forearms, and face.
- Hot Surface and Asphalt Burns: Road and paving crews, roofers, and workers handling heated metal or pipe can suffer contact burns that leave permanent scarring.
- Welding, Cutting, and Hot Work Injuries: Sparks, molten metal, and torch accidents injure fabricators, ironworkers, and pipefitters, often when protective equipment fails or safety procedures are skipped.
- Oil Field and Rig Burns: Fires and heated fluids on drilling sites cause severe burns, particularly to the lower extremities, as in the oil rig worker case we resolved for $221,000.
- Firefighter and First Responder Burns: Firefighters and other responders are burned in the line of duty, and their claims often come with additional smoke, heat, and exposure-related health consequences.
What to Do After a Burn Injury at Work
Get medical care first, and make sure the treating provider records that the burn happened at work and how. Burns can worsen over the first days as tissue damage declares itself, and early records that describe the cause clearly are the foundation of your claim. Follow the wound care and follow-up instructions exactly, and keep every appointment; gaps in treatment are something insurers use against injured workers.
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. In Mississippi you must give notice within 30 days of the accident, and the same 30-day notice window applies in Louisiana. Then protect your claim itself: under Mississippi law 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 in Louisiana, a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though that can extend when benefits have already been paid.
Take photographs of the injury at each stage of healing, along with the scene, the equipment, and any missing or defective safety gear. Write down who saw the accident. Hold on to damaged clothing and protective equipment if you can, and keep a record of every medical bill, prescription, and day of missed work.
Mississippi workers’ compensation claims are decided by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a court. Disputed cases are heard by an Administrative Judge, and a decision can be reviewed by the Full Commission, which examines the record already made rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, which may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because appeals turn on the existing record, the evidence you build at the start matters enormously.
Be careful with the recorded statement the adjuster will ask for, and do not return to heavy or hot work before your doctor clears you. Do not sign anything that releases the insurer, and do not assume a first denial is the end. Speak with a Madison burn injury attorney before you commit to a version of events.
How Insurers Challenge Burn Claims and How We Answer
Insurance carriers often argue that the injury did not happen at work, that the worker was careless, or that the worker has recovered enough to go back. In burn cases, the dispute usually centers on medical questions: whether grafts, scar revision, or ongoing wound care are reasonable and necessary, and whether lasting limits on movement, grip, or heat tolerance prevent a return to the old job. We build each claim with the medical evidence, witness accounts, and work history needed to answer those arguments.
Some burn injuries also involve a party other than your employer, such as a manufacturer of defective equipment, a contractor who created an unsafe site, or a negligent driver in a vehicle fire. In those situations you may have a personal injury claim in addition to your comp benefits, and we coordinate the two so they work together instead of against each other. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, which reduces recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it, and the general limitation period for many Mississippi injury claims is three years, though shorter deadlines apply to claims against governmental entities.
Burn Injury Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Does workers’ compensation cover burn injuries in Mississippi?
Yes. A burn suffered in the course of your job is a compensable injury, and benefits include reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement. Coverage begins on your first day of employment.
How soon do I have to report a burn at work?
Report it to your employer right away and within 30 days at the latest. Missing that window can put your claim at risk, so put the report in writing.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
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. Exceptions can apply, so do not wait.
What wage benefits can I receive while I recover?
For total disability, benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically. Total disability payments generally cannot exceed 450 weeks.
Can I choose my own doctor for burn treatment?
Mississippi has rules about physician selection and changes of physician, and burn care often requires specialists such as burn surgeons and plastic surgeons. If the insurer refuses to authorize necessary specialty care, an attorney can press for it before the Commission.
Will my claim cover scarring and disfigurement?
Scarring matters when it limits function or earning capacity, such as tightened skin over a joint or scarring on the hands. We document how the injury affects real work so the lasting effects are reflected in the claim.
What if my employer says I caused the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so carelessness on your part does not ordinarily defeat a claim. Insurers still raise it, and we respond with witness accounts and evidence about safety conditions.
What if I was burned in Louisiana but live in Madison?
Louisiana law can apply to an injury that happened there. In Louisiana, notice is due within 30 days and a formal claim generally within one year, and claims are heard by workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. The worker can choose the parish of the injury, the parish of residence at the time, or the employer’s principal place of business for the hearing.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Often yes. If a third party such as an equipment maker or negligent contractor contributed to your burn, you may have a separate injury claim alongside your comp case.
Can I be fired for filing a burn injury claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting your injury, tell us during your consultation.
What happens if my claim is denied?
A denial is not final. In Mississippi your case goes before an Administrative Judge, with review by the Full Commission and then appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court if needed. We handle each stage.
Is a burn claim worth pursuing if I healed quickly?
Even a burn that closes well can leave scarring, sensitivity, or limited motion, and you may be owed medical bills and lost wages. A consultation costs nothing, and we can tell you what your claim realistically involves.
Representing Burn Injury Clients in Madison and Surrounding Communities
From Madison and Ridgeland through Flora, Canton, and the Gluckstadt area, Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe represents burned workers across Madison County. We also serve clients in neighboring Jackson, Clinton, Brandon, Pearl, Flowood, and Byram, and throughout central Mississippi.
Our work extends across the state, from Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast to Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta. In Louisiana we represent injured workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across south and north Louisiana. Whether the burn happened at a plant, on a job site, on a rig, or in a restaurant kitchen, we take the case wherever you work.
Speak With a Madison Burn Injury Attorney Today
If a burn on the job has put your income and your recovery at risk, a Madison burn injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation and explain what your claim is worth and what comes next. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today and let us deal with the insurance company while you focus on healing.
