Jackson Manufacturing Plant Injury Lawyer
Hurt at a plant in the Jackson area, you are probably weighing two questions at once: whether to say anything beyond the incident report, and whether to let the company’s claims adjuster steer what happens next. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Jackson manufacturing plant injury lawyer from our team handles claims from Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties and the surrounding communities.
Plant injuries tend to be physical and unforgiving: a hand drawn into a press, a back wrenched lifting stock off a line, a burn from a furnace or chemical line, a fracture from a forklift or falling pallet. They also tend to be disputed in predictable ways. Carriers say the injury was old, that the worker was not following procedure, or that the person is ready for light duty when the surgeon has not said so.
Mississippi covers you from your first day on the job, with no waiting period, and benefits do not depend on proving your employer was careless. What matters is that the injury arose out of your work and that you protect the claim from the start.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Plant Injury Claim
Our firm represents injured workers in Mississippi and Louisiana, and we serve clients throughout the Jackson area and across the state, from the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg to Southaven and the Delta. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury only when one walks in. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients.
Rob Lunsford, our 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. 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. The firm was also ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
Results matter more than adjectives. We secured $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 with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients tell us what stands out is that we listen and that we fight the insurer at every step. We are paid only if we recover for you, consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, our phones are answered around the clock, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español).
Common Plant Injuries and the Claims They Produce
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Repetitive lifting, awkward loading, and sudden strains on a production line commonly lead to lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Carriers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical record has to show how the work caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are frequent among workers who pull, push, climb, or pivot on concrete all shift. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we answer with imaging and treating-physician testimony.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and hands break when loads fall, equipment shifts, or a worker slips near machinery. These often need specialists and surgical repair, with long recoveries that make wage benefits critical.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Heat, steam, molten material, chemicals, and electrical sources in industrial settings can cause severe burns and life-altering harm, the kind of injury behind our $221,000 recovery for an oil rig worker.
- Crush and amputation injuries: Presses, conveyors, and rotating equipment can take fingers, hands, and limbs. These claims call for careful valuation of permanent loss and future care.
- Hearing loss and occupational illness: Years of plant noise, fumes, and dust can produce conditions that build gradually rather than from a single accident, which affects when your clock starts and how the claim is proved.
- Third-party equipment and contractor injuries: When a defective machine or an outside contractor’s negligence hurts you, a separate personal injury claim may exist alongside comp benefits.
What to Do After a Plant Injury in the Jackson Area
Get medical care first. Then tell your supervisor, and do it in writing. In Mississippi you must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and an email or signed note creates a record that a verbal mention does not. Make sure the incident report describes what actually happened, including the machine, the task, and the body parts hurt. Do not let a supervisor shorten it to “tweaked back” if your shoulder and neck also hurt.
Take photos of the equipment, the floor, and any missing guards, and write down names of coworkers who saw it. Keep every medical record, work-status note, and pay stub. Be careful with recorded statements to the carrier’s adjuster; what you say early is quoted back later when the insurer wants to argue the injury is not work-related.
Filing is a separate step from reporting. Mississippi workers 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 no disability benefits were ever paid and you did not file within those two years, the claim is barred. The deadlines come from Miss. Code section 71-3-35, and waiting to see whether you recover on your own is how workers lose valid claims.
Comp cases here are not heard in a courtroom. The Commission, whose members are appointed by the Governor, decides disputes through evidentiary hearings before an Administrative Judge. Full Commission review, held in Jackson, is based on the record made before the judge and is not a new trial. A final award can be appealed within 30 days, and Mississippi’s statute sends that appeal to the Supreme Court, which may assign it to the Court of Appeals. Because appeals look only at the existing record, the evidence has to be built correctly at the first hearing.
How Insurers Contest Manufacturing Injury Claims
Carriers rely on a familiar set of arguments. They say the accident did not happen at work, especially if no one saw it. They point to a pre-existing condition, even though a condition your job worsened or accelerated can still be compensable. They push you toward light duty before your doctor clears you, or they stop paying benefits without warning. Our job is to answer each argument with medical evidence, witness accounts, and your work history.
Wage-loss benefits for total disability run at roughly two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically, and for up to 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments are likewise capped at 450 weeks. Your medical care is paid on top of that, and choosing and keeping the right treating physician affects everything downstream.
Retaliation is a separate problem. Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim, and if you were disciplined or let go after reporting a plant injury, tell us during your consultation.
Some plant injuries also involve a party other than your employer, such as the maker of a defective press or an outside contractor working in your area. Comp does not bar those claims. Our personal injury work covers them, and we coordinate the two so they do not undercut each other.
Questions About Jackson Plant Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a manufacturing plant injury claim?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The carrier has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How soon must I report a plant injury in Mississippi?
Within 30 days of the accident. Report it in writing as soon as you can, and keep a copy.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment, by filing with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were paid within two years of injury and no claim was filed, the right to benefits is barred.
What if the company says my injury was pre-existing?
That does not automatically end your claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, benefits may still be owed. Strong medical evidence is how we answer this common defense.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing. If you were terminated or punished after reporting an injury, let us know so we can review your options.
My employer wants me back on light duty. Do I have to accept?
You should not return to work beyond what your treating doctor has cleared in writing. Refusing work that is within your restrictions can affect your benefits, so call us before you decide either way.
Does workers’ comp cover an injury from a gradual condition, not a single accident?
It can. Repetitive-motion injuries, hearing loss, and conditions caused by long exposure at a plant may qualify. Timing questions are more complicated, so get advice early.
Can I also sue the company that made the machine that hurt me?
Possibly. Comp limits claims against your employer, but not against outside parties whose negligence or defective equipment contributed. Mississippi’s general limit for claims with no other prescribed period is three years, and claims against government entities carry shorter limits and notice rules.
Who hears my case if the insurer denies it?
An Administrative Judge at the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission hears evidence. Either side can seek review by the Full Commission, then appeal to the Supreme Court within 30 days of the final award.
I was hurt at a plant in Louisiana but live in Mississippi. What applies?
Louisiana law may govern where the injury happened. In Louisiana you must report within 30 days and generally file within one year of the accident. We represent workers in both states and can sort out which rules apply to you.
Do you help Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Plant Workers Across Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties and Beyond
Our manufacturing injury representation starts in Jackson and reaches across Hinds County, including Byram, Clinton, Terry, Raymond, Edwards, Bolton, and Utica. We also serve workers in Madison County, including Madison, Ridgeland, Canton, and Flora, and in neighboring Rankin County communities such as Brandon, Pearl, Flowood, and Richland.
From there our reach extends across Mississippi to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta. In Louisiana we represent injured workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and throughout south and north Louisiana. Wherever the plant is, the claim process is the same in principle: report promptly, document everything, and do not let the carrier set the terms.
Talk to a Jackson Plant Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job at a manufacturing facility, a Jackson plant injury attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your claim, explain your deadlines, and take on the insurance company so you can focus on recovery. 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 to schedule your consultation.
