Mississippi Aerospace Plant Injury Lawyer
A worker hurt inside an aerospace plant in Mississippi has a claim that looks routine on paper and gets complicated fast. The injury is usually tied to precision, heavy materials, and repetitive physical tasks, and the employer’s insurer tends to scrutinize every medical record for any older condition it can blame. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Mississippi aerospace plant injury lawyer from our team can take over the claim while you focus on treatment.
Aerospace and aviation manufacturing puts people in close contact with composite layup work, metal fabrication, overhead assembly, heavy lifting, chemical exposure, and long hours standing on concrete. Those conditions produce herniated discs, torn rotator cuffs, crushed hands, hearing loss, burns, and respiratory illness. Whether you work on an assembly floor, in a machining cell, in a paint and coating bay, or in maintenance and repair, the same law applies from your first day on the job.
What you do in the first weeks matters more than almost anything an attorney can do later. Reporting the injury correctly, choosing what to tell the adjuster, and deciding whether to accept a return-to-work offer all shape the outcome.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Aerospace Plant Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, as well as South Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice, not a side matter taken when one walks in. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. 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 for clients who prefer to work in their own language.
The people behind those numbers matter. 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. Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, with Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher rounding out the attorney team. The firm was also ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
Results in cases like yours include a $685,000 settlement 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 being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Back, shoulder, and burn injuries are exactly what industrial plant work produces. Clients regularly describe a team that listens, stays in contact, and fights the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claims We See From Aerospace Manufacturing Work
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lifting fixtures, bending over assemblies, and working in awkward positions inside fuselage sections cause lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease; we answer with medical evidence showing how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and rotator cuff injuries: Overhead drilling, riveting, and sustained arm elevation tear rotator cuffs and SLAP lesions. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the dispute turns on medical causation.
- Hand, wrist, and crush injuries: Presses, cutting equipment, and heavy components can crush or amputate fingers and hands. These injuries often involve permanent disability ratings and vocational questions.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Welding, curing ovens, hot work, and chemical processes create thermal and chemical burns that call for specialist care and long recovery.
- Knee, ankle, and foot injuries: Meniscus and ACL tears, fractures, and ankle injuries come from falls off work platforms, slips on coated floors, and long shifts on concrete.
- Occupational illness and exposure: Solvents, resins, metal dust, and fumes can cause breathing problems and skin conditions, and noisy production areas cause hearing loss. These claims develop slowly, so tying them to the job takes careful records.
- Third-party injury claims: When a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or negligent driver caused the harm, a separate personal injury claim may exist beyond comp benefits. We make sure the two claims work together.
What To Do After an Aerospace Plant Injury in Mississippi
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can, and no later than 30 days after the accident. Mississippi workers’ compensation coverage begins on your first day of employment, so a new hire or a worker on a probationary period is covered. Ask for medical care and describe exactly how it happened, including the machine, task, or material involved. Do not minimize the injury to a supervisor because you want to keep working; early statements get quoted back later.
Get medical treatment and tell every provider the injury happened at work, so the records connect the condition to your job. Keep copies of incident reports, work restrictions, pay records, and the names of coworkers who saw what happened. Photograph the equipment or area if you are able. If the company sends you to a clinic, follow the restrictions the doctor gives, not what a supervisor or nurse case manager suggests informally.
Know the two filing clocks. Reporting to the employer has a 30-day limit. Separately, if no disability benefits have been paid, the right to benefits is generally barred unless you file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury; the usual vehicle is a Petition to Controvert. If benefits were paid, the two years can run from the last payment. Do not let a long period of voluntary payments lull you into waiting.
Mississippi comp claims are heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a regular court. An Administrative Judge hears evidence at a hearing, and either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the record built at the Commission, which is why the evidence gathered early decides so much.
One decision comes up repeatedly: whether to accept light duty or a return-to-work date before you are ready. Pushing back too early can end wage benefits, while refusing a legitimate offer can also be used against you. Talk to us before you sign anything or agree to a settlement figure from the carrier.
How Insurers Contest Aerospace Plant Claims and What Benefits Are at Stake
The carrier’s usual positions are familiar: the injury did not happen at work, it came from an earlier condition, or you can do more than your doctor says. In a plant setting they may add that the job did not require the motion you describe, or they may point to a gap between the incident and your first medical visit. We counter with treating-physician opinions, witness statements, job descriptions, and work history that show how the physical demands of the job caused or aggravated the injury. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim when the job made it worse.
Wage-loss benefits for temporary or permanent total disability are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and for total disability they are capped at 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most cases also cannot extend past 450 weeks. Medical care for the injury, including surgery, therapy, and prescriptions, is part of the claim as well. Because the weekly maximum is adjusted over time, we calculate your rate from your actual wages rather than a number you find online.
The type of settlement matters as much as the amount. A lump-sum agreement can close your medical rights, so the decision to settle should come only after we understand your future treatment needs, your ability to return to plant work, and whether retraining may be necessary. That is the kind of judgment that separates a fair outcome from an early, low offer.
Questions About Aerospace Plant Injury Claims in Mississippi
Do I need a lawyer for an aerospace plant injury claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can change the result. The carrier has adjusters and lawyers working for it.
How long do I have to report a work injury in Mississippi?
You must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident. Report in writing as early as possible, because delay gives the insurer a reason to question the claim.
What is the deadline to file with the Workers’ Compensation Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment, if benefits were paid. If no benefits were paid and no claim was filed within that time, the right to benefits is barred.
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.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What if my employer says my injury was pre-existing?
A prior condition does not automatically defeat a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated it, you may still be entitled to benefits, and strong medical evidence is how that argument is won.
Does Mississippi cover me if my employer is a contractor or staffing agency?
Coverage depends on who employs you and who carries the policy. Aerospace plants often use staffing and contract labor, and we sort out which employer and insurer are responsible so the claim is filed against the right party.
Can I sue the manufacturer of the machine that hurt me?
Workers’ compensation generally limits claims against your own employer, but a third party such as an equipment maker or outside contractor may be liable in a separate injury claim. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence for those cases, so your share of fault reduces a recovery rather than barring it. The general limitations period for most such claims is three years.
What happens if my hearing loss or breathing problem developed gradually?
Gradual and exposure-related conditions are handled differently from a single accident, because the question is when you knew or should have known the condition was work related. Report as soon as a doctor links the condition to your job and talk to us quickly, since timing arguments are common in these claims.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
If the carrier denies the claim, your group health plan may cover treatment in the meantime, but the plan may seek reimbursement if comp is later approved. Tell your providers it is a work injury and let us coordinate the billing.
Should I take the first settlement offer?
Be cautious. Early offers often undervalue future surgery, permanent impairment, and lost earning ability, and a lump sum can end your right to further medical care. We review the full picture before advising you.
What if I was hurt in a plant that straddles Mississippi and Louisiana staffing?
Which state’s law applies can depend on where you were hired, where you work, and where the injury happened. If your employment touches both states, we determine which system governs, since deadlines and procedures differ.
Serving Aerospace Plant Injury Clients Across Mississippi
Our work for injured workers reaches across the state. In the Jackson metro we represent plant and industrial workers from Jackson and Madison, and from Ridgeland, Flowood, Pearl, Brandon, Clinton, and Byram. Toward the Pine Belt we serve workers in Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Columbia, and along the Gulf Coast we help clients in Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, and Pascagoula, where shipbuilding and aviation-related industry draw skilled manufacturing labor.
In north Mississippi we assist workers in Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, and the surrounding area, and in the Delta we serve communities such as Greenville, Cleveland, and Clarksdale. We also represent clients in Meridian, Vicksburg, Natchez, and McComb. Our attorneys also represent injured workers in South Louisiana and across north Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and New Orleans, so workers whose jobs cross state lines have one team to call.
Talk to a Mississippi Aerospace Plant Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt at an aerospace plant, a Mississippi aerospace plant injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your claim, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and deal with the employer and its insurer directly. The call is free, you pay nothing unless we recover benefits, and our phones are answered around the clock. Call us now or send your case details, and let us start building the medical and wage case you need.
