Mississippi Shipyard Worker Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across Mississippi, including welders, fitters, pipefitters, painters, and crane operators hurt in the shipyards and fabrication yards along the Gulf Coast, and handles workers’ compensation claims for people in Jackson, Hattiesburg, the Delta, and every community in between. Workers’ compensation has been the center of the firm’s practice for years, and shipyard cases are the kind of claim where the details decide everything.
A Mississippi shipyard worker injury lawyer has to answer a question most injury lawyers never face: which law governs this claim? A worker hurt on a vessel in the water, on a dock, or in a dry dock may fall under the state compensation system, the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, or maritime law. The wrong guess can cost a worker months, or the claim itself.
Shipyard work also produces injuries that insurers like to argue about: crushed hands, falls from scaffolding and hulls, burns from hot work, hearing loss, and back and shoulder breakdown from years of overhead welding and heavy lifting. Those arguments are predictable, and they can be answered with the right medical proof.
Which Compensation System Covers a Shipyard Injury?
This is the first question to settle, and it is not always obvious. Mississippi’s workers’ compensation system covers most employees from their first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Claims under that system go to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not to a court.
Shipyard injuries sometimes fall outside that system. Work on or near navigable water can bring in federal programs or maritime remedies, and the answer often turns on where the injury happened, what the worker was doing, and who employed them. A fabrication shop on land, a repair job on a vessel afloat, and a dock-side accident can each lead to a different result.
We look at the facts before anyone files anything. Filing in the wrong forum, or letting a deadline pass while an employer and insurer argue about coverage, is one of the most damaging mistakes an injured shipyard worker can make. If you are unsure which system applies, call us before the insurer decides for you.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Shipyard Injury Claim
Most attorneys who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one happens to come through the door. Our firm was built the other way around. We serve injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients.
Rob Lunsford, 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, 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.
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 injured after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Those are the same kinds of heavy-industry injuries shipyard workers suffer, and the same arguments from insurers that we have already answered.
Clients tell us the team listens, stays in contact, and fights the insurance company at every step. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish: hablamos español.
Common Shipyard Injuries and How Claims Get Fought
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting plate, dragging cable, and working bent over in hull compartments wear down discs and can cause herniations. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical record has to show how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Overhead welding and grinding tear rotator cuffs and labrums, and kneeling or climbing in confined spaces tears menisci and ligaments. Employers frequently call these old sports injuries.
- Burns and Hot Work Accidents: Cutting torches, arc flash, and fires in enclosed compartments cause severe burns that require specialists, grafting, and long recoveries.
- Falls from Heights: Scaffolds, staging, ladders, and open hull sections produce fractures of the feet, ankles, hips, and other bones, often needing complex surgical repair.
- Crush and Struck-By Injuries: Cranes, moving steel, and heavy equipment cause crushing injuries to hands, arms, and legs, and in the worst cases, catastrophic harm.
- Hearing Loss and Respiratory Illness: Years of grinding noise, welding fumes, paint, and solvent exposure can lead to occupational hearing loss and lung conditions. These develop slowly, which is exactly why insurers dispute when and where they began.
- Injuries Caused by Someone Other Than Your Employer: A negligent subcontractor, equipment maker, or vessel owner may be responsible in addition to your employer, opening a separate personal injury claim alongside your compensation benefits.
What to Do in the Days After a Shipyard Injury
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi requires notice within 30 days of the accident, and waiting gives the insurer an easy argument. Name the date, the location in the yard, what you were doing, and the body parts hurt. Keep a copy.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened at work. Offhand remarks recorded in a chart, such as “back pain for a while,” get quoted back later. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not return to full duty before you are cleared.
Write down who saw the accident, who your supervisor was, what equipment was involved, and whether anyone else had been hurt the same way. Photographs of the area, the tool, or the scaffold help if you can take them safely. Keep pay stubs and your work history; they show your average weekly wage and the physical demands of your job.
Know the deadlines. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, the right to benefits is barred unless a claim is filed with the Commission within that time. The formal claim is a Petition to Controvert. If you worked in Louisiana yards, such as along the Gulf near New Orleans or Lake Charles, the notice period is also 30 days, and a claim generally must be filed within one year.
Mississippi disputes are heard by an Administrative Judge, and a party can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record from the first hearing 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. Missing these windows can end a case, so call a Mississippi workers’ compensation attorney early.
Finally, be careful with recorded statements and with the insurer’s paperwork. Adjusters are not on your side. Sending a call to a lawyer first costs you nothing.
What Benefits a Hurt Shipyard Worker Can Pursue
Under Mississippi’s system, the insurer must pay reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury. If you cannot work, wage-loss benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a weekly maximum set by law. For total disability, those payments generally cannot run beyond 450 weeks, and permanent partial disability in most cases carries the same 450-week ceiling.
Shipyard wages are often high and tied to overtime, so calculating the average weekly wage correctly matters. An insurer that leaves overtime or per diem out of the figure shortchanges you every week for the life of the claim.
Many cases settle, and the value depends on the medical outcome, your ability to return to heavy work, and whether a third party is also at fault. We build the case around those facts, not around a number the adjuster hands you.
Shipyard Worker Injury Questions, Answered
Do I need a lawyer after a shipyard injury?
Not every claim needs one, but if benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests.
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. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report a shipyard injury in Mississippi?
You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it right away and in writing.
How long do I have to file a claim?
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. Exceptions exist, so confirm your deadline with an attorney.
Am I covered from my first day at the yard?
Yes. Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period or minimum earnings requirement, as long as the employer is subject to the law.
Is my shipyard injury covered by state compensation or a federal program?
It depends on where you were hurt, what you were doing, and who employed you. Work on or near navigable water can bring in federal or maritime law. We sort this out at the start so your claim is filed in the right place.
Can I sue someone besides my employer?
Sometimes. If a subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or another outside party caused your injury, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so your own share of fault reduces a recovery rather than barring it. We coordinate both claims so they work together.
What if the insurer says my injury is from a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If the job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical evidence is the answer.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation.
What if my hearing loss or lung problem developed over years?
Occupational conditions that build slowly are common in shipyards. Insurers often argue the condition began elsewhere or too long ago. We gather your work history, exposure records, and medical opinions to tie the condition to the yard.
Does health insurance pay while my claim is pending?
Sometimes, but health plans usually seek reimbursement when the compensation carrier is responsible. Tell your providers it is a work injury, and let us help you manage who pays what.
Do you handle shipyard injuries in Louisiana too?
Yes. We represent injured workers in both states, including claims before Louisiana workers’ compensation judges and appeals to the Louisiana courts of appeal.
Serving Injured Shipyard Workers Across Mississippi
Our shipyard injury work reaches the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where marine fabrication and vessel repair put thousands of tradespeople on the job. We represent workers from Pascagoula and Moss Point through Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, and Gautier, and in the surrounding Harrison, Jackson, and Hancock County communities.
Inland, we serve injured workers in Hattiesburg, Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, along with north Mississippi and communities across the state. Many shipyard tradespeople live well away from the water and commute or travel for yard work, and we handle their claims wherever they live. We also represent injured workers across South Louisiana and north Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport.
Talk to a Mississippi Shipyard Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a shipyard, the sooner someone looks at your claim, the more options you keep. A Mississippi shipyard injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can tell you which system covers you, what deadlines apply, and what your claim may be worth.
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 getting better.
