Pascagoula Shipyard Worker Injury Lawyer
A shipyard injury rarely looks like a simple one. A fall from staging inside a hull, a crushed hand between steel plates, a back that gives out after years of overhead welding: each of these raises an immediate question about whether the claim belongs under Mississippi’s state workers’ compensation system or under a federal maritime or longshore framework. At Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC, we represent injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, including the Gulf Coast communities where shipbuilding and repair put thousands of people on steel every day.
If you are searching for a Pascagoula shipyard worker injury lawyer, the first thing worth knowing is that the answer to “which system covers me?” decides almost everything that follows: which agency hears your case, which deadlines apply, what benefits you can collect, and whether someone other than your employer can be sued. Insurers and employers sometimes lean on that uncertainty. A claim filed in the wrong place, or filed late because a worker assumed a different system applied, can be damaged before it ever gets heard.
Pascagoula sits in Jackson County, on the Gulf side of the state, and the shipyard economy there draws workers from the surrounding Gulf Coast and from neighboring Alabama and Louisiana. Welders, pipefitters, electricians, painters, blasters, crane operators, riggers, and laborers all face hazards that office-based injury claims never involve, and the legal analysis has to account for them.
Which System Governs a Shipyard Injury: State Comp or Federal Coverage
Mississippi workers’ compensation is the system most workers have heard of. It covers employees from their first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement, and claims are administered by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission rather than a court. But shipyard work sits at the edge of that system. Employees who work on navigable waters, or on land areas adjoining them that are used for building, repairing, or breaking ships, can fall under federal coverage instead of, or in addition to, state benefits. Workers who spend a meaningful part of their time aboard vessels may have different rights altogether.
We do not pretend that a single rule sorts every shipyard worker into the right category. Your job title, where on the property you were hurt, whether the vessel was afloat or in dry dock, and who actually employed you (the yard itself, a staffing company, or a subcontractor) all matter. Our practice centers on workers’ compensation, and our attorneys review these facts at the start so the claim is filed under the framework that fits, with the 30-day notice requirement and the filing deadlines protected while the question is sorted out.
Why Injured Shipyard Workers Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Pascagoula, Jackson County, and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks in. We built our firm the other way around.
Our founding partner, Rob Lunsford, 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, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out a team that can take a claim from the first report through a hearing and an appeal.
The results reflect that focus. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients, including $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 to the lower extremities. Industrial back, shoulder, and burn injuries are the same kinds of harm we see in shipyards. Clients consistently describe an attorney who fought the insurance company at every step and a team that listened. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, we are paid only if we recover benefits for you, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
Injuries and Claims We See From Shipyard Work
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lifting, crawling through tight compartments, and holding awkward positions while welding or grinding produce lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence showing how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Falls from staging, scaffolding, and ladders: Hull work means working at height inside and outside vessels, and falls lead to fractures of the ankles, hips, and wrists that can require specialists and complex surgical repair.
- Burns and flash injuries: Welding, cutting, and hot work in confined spaces cause serious burns and eye injuries. Burns and catastrophic injuries on industrial job sites are part of our regular caseload.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Overhead grinding, pulling cable, and climbing produce torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we show the connection to the job.
- Crush and caught-between injuries: Moving steel plate, rigging loads, and heavy equipment can crush hands, arms, and legs, sometimes leading to amputation and permanent disability.
- Hearing loss and respiratory disease: Years of grinding, blasting, painting, and welding fume exposure can cause hearing loss and lung conditions that develop slowly and are easy for an insurer to dispute.
- Injuries caused by someone other than your employer: A contractor on a shared site, a negligent equipment maker, or a driver who hits a work vehicle can create a separate personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits.
What to Do After a Pascagoula Shipyard Injury
Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can, and in no case later than 30 days after the accident. Mississippi requires that notice, and a late report hands the insurer an easy argument. Get medical care immediately and tell every provider that the injury happened at work and exactly how. Vague histories in medical records, such as “back pain, onset unknown,” are the raw material insurers use to blame a pre-existing condition. If your employer or the company’s clinic sends you somewhere, go, but tell us if you feel pressured to downplay symptoms or return to work before your doctor clears you.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: the vessel or hull number if you know it, the area of the yard, the task, the equipment, and the names of coworkers who saw it or who have been hurt in the same place before. Photographs of the scene, your injury, and any defective equipment help. Keep copies of your pay stubs, since your average weekly wage drives your wage-loss benefit, which in Mississippi is up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a cap of 450 weeks for total disability.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. 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. Disputed claims are heard by an Administrative Judge, and an appeal to the Full Commission is a review of the existing record rather than a new trial, so the evidence has to be built correctly from the start. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Court of Appeals. If your claim falls under a federal system instead, different forms and deadlines apply, which is exactly why we evaluate coverage first.
Be careful with recorded statements and with signing anything the insurer sends. Adjusters are friendly, and what you say can be used later. Do not return to full duty before you are cleared, and do not stop treatment because benefits have slowed. If your employer retaliates for reporting an injury, tell us; Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim.
How Insurers Contest Shipyard Claims
The arguments are predictable. The carrier says the injury did not happen at work, that no one saw it, or that you waited too long to report. It points to old imaging showing degeneration and says the job did nothing. It argues you were an employee of a subcontractor, or a worker covered by a different system, so that someone else owes the benefits. It sends you to a doctor who releases you early. Because many shipyard workers are employed through contractors and staffing companies, the question of who is responsible for coverage is often fought before the medical question is even reached.
A pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If the work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed. We build the answer with treating physician opinions, imaging comparisons, work history, and witness accounts. Where a third party contributed to the injury, we also look at whether a separate claim exists. A defective rigging component or a negligent outside contractor can mean recovery beyond comp benefits, and we make sure the two claims work together instead of against each other.
Pascagoula Shipyard Injury Questions Answered
Can a shipyard worker get Mississippi workers’ compensation?
Many can, but not all. Coverage depends on where you were hurt, what you were doing, and who employed you. Some shipyard workers fall under federal coverage, and some qualify for more than one source of recovery. We sort out the correct system at the outset so deadlines are protected either way.
How soon must I report a shipyard injury?
Tell your employer as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after the accident. Waiting gives the insurer an argument that you were not really hurt at work.
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 if benefits were paid, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Exceptions exist, so speak with an attorney early.
What wage benefits can I receive while I cannot work?
For temporary or permanent total disability, Mississippi pays up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, for as long as 450 weeks. Partial disability benefits are calculated differently, and medical treatment that is reasonable and necessary is covered in addition to wage replacement.
Do I need a lawyer if my employer’s insurer is paying my bills?
Not always, but benefits can be reduced, delayed, or stopped without warning, and early settlement offers are usually well below what a serious injury is worth. A consultation costs nothing and tells you whether your claim is on solid ground.
What does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the 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.
My injury happened years of exposure, not one accident. Can I still file?
Often yes. Hearing loss, respiratory disease, and repetitive-motion injuries develop over time, and the clock questions depend on when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related. Report it promptly once a doctor connects it to the job.
What if I was working for a subcontractor or staffing company, not the shipyard?
You may still have a claim, possibly against more than one party. Employment relationships on shipyard sites are layered, and the insurer for one company may point at another. We trace who actually owes coverage and whether a separate liability claim exists against anyone else on the site.
Can I be fired or disciplined for reporting an injury?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go, demoted, or disciplined after reporting, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
Will I get a settlement, and how long will my case take?
Timing varies with the severity of the injury, how long you take to reach maximum medical improvement, and whether the insurer disputes the claim. Many cases resolve by settlement, while contested ones go to an Administrative Judge, and we prepare each as if it may be heard.
Do you represent Spanish-speaking shipyard workers?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Injured Shipyard and Industrial Workers Across the Gulf Coast
We represent injured workers starting in Pascagoula and across Jackson County, and throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the communities along the coast and the neighboring counties where yard employees live. Our team also serves Hattiesburg, Madison, Jackson, Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi, so a worker who commutes from farther inland or has since moved is not outside our reach.
Because shipyard and offshore work routinely crosses state lines, we also handle claims in Louisiana, from New Orleans and South Louisiana to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and into north Louisiana. Whether you were hurt in a Pascagoula yard or on a job that took you across the border, we can evaluate where your claim belongs.
Speak With a Pascagoula Shipyard Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a vessel, in a dry dock, or anywhere in a shipyard, a Pascagoula shipyard injury attorney at our firm can tell you which system covers you, which deadlines are running, and what the insurer is likely to argue. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us today and let us take the insurance company off your shoulders so you can focus on getting well and getting back to work.
