Mississippi Catastrophic Injury Lawyer
Workers across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta, reach a point after a devastating injury where one question decides everything else: who is going to fight for the lifetime of care and income this injury now demands? Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Mississippi catastrophic injury lawyer from our team handles the claims where the stakes run into decades rather than weeks.
A catastrophic injury is not a legal category with a single definition in the Mississippi statute. It is a practical one: amputations, severe burns, spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, crush injuries, and anything that leaves a worker permanently unable to return to the job they had. These claims differ from routine ones because the insurer’s exposure is enormous, and the way the carrier behaves reflects that.
What Makes a Catastrophic Injury Claim Different in Mississippi
In a minor strain case, the dispute is usually about a few weeks of treatment. In a catastrophic case, the dispute is about whether you will ever work again, what attendant care you need at home, and how long wage benefits last. The numbers matter. Mississippi pays temporary total and permanent total disability at two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage, subject to a weekly maximum set by the Legislature, and the statute caps those payments at 450 weeks. For a worker who is 35 and permanently disabled, that ceiling is a reality that shapes every settlement conversation.
That cap is also why the classification of your disability fight matters so much. Whether you are found permanently and totally disabled, or only partially disabled, changes what you receive and for how long. Insurers know this, and they commission surveillance, vocational reports, and records reviews aimed at moving a severely injured worker into a lower category.
Medical care is a separate track from wage benefits. A catastrophic injury can require a surgical team, rehabilitation, prosthetics, home modifications, and ongoing prescriptions. We press for that care to be authorized and paid, and when an adjuster stalls a treating surgeon’s recommendation, we treat that stall as a problem to be solved on the record.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Catastrophic Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across Mississippi, including Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties, the Gulf Coast, the Pine Belt around Hattiesburg, north Mississippi near Southaven, and the Delta. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, not a side area. 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. 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 with clients from the first call.
Founding Partner Rob Lunsford has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe are partners 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, which matters when a catastrophic claim has a third-party case running alongside it. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Our results reflect the kind of injuries we handle: 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 injured after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients describe the same things in their reviews: a team that listened, stayed professional, and fought the insurance company at every step.
Catastrophic Injuries We Handle for Mississippi Workers
- Severe Burns: Oil field, plant, and industrial job sites expose workers to fire, chemical, and electrical burns. We have recovered $221,000 for a rig worker with severe burns to the lower extremities, and these claims often involve skin grafts, long hospital stays, and permanent scarring.
- Spinal and Back Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs that need fusion or multi-level surgery can end a physical career. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical proof of how work caused or worsened the injury is the heart of the case.
- Crush and Fracture Injuries: Construction sites, ironwork, and heavy equipment produce shattered hips, ankles, and feet that require specialists and repeated surgical repair.
- Struck-by and Vehicle Collisions: Truck drivers, delivery drivers, and project managers hurt on the road may have both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver. We coordinate the two so one does not undercut the other.
- Shoulder and Knee Reconstruction: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears can leave a worker unable to lift or climb, especially when the employer calls the damage an old sports injury.
- Firefighter and First Responder Conditions: Heart and lung disease, hypertension, cancer, hearing loss, and posttraumatic stress tied to the job can be disabling for life.
- Fatal Workplace Accidents: When a worker dies on the job, dependents have claims for death benefits, and a wrongful death case may exist against a negligent third party.
What to Do After a Life-Altering Work Injury in Mississippi
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you are physically able, and never later than 30 days after the accident. Mississippi requires that notice, and a missed deadline hands the insurer an argument it did not earn. If you cannot write it yourself, have a family member or coworker do it, and keep a copy.
Get treatment first and ask questions later. Tell every provider that the injury happened at work and describe it consistently, because the first emergency room chart becomes the foundation of your claim. Keep your discharge papers, work restrictions, prescriptions, and every bill.
Do not give a recorded statement to the adjuster without talking to a lawyer. Adjusters ask questions designed to produce a pre-existing condition defense or a gap in the timeline. You are not required to help build the case against yourself.
The filing clock is separate from the notice clock. If no disability benefits have been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the two years can also run from the date of the last compensation payment. A catastrophic injury makes it easy to assume the insurer will keep paying; benefits can stop without warning, and the clock does not pause because you are in surgery.
Claims in Mississippi are heard by the Commission, not a regular court. An Administrative Judge takes evidence at a hearing, and either side can seek review from the Full Commission, which works from 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, and that court often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because appeals rest on the record, the evidence you build at the first hearing is the evidence you live with.
If someone other than your employer contributed to the accident, such as a negligent driver or an unsafe contractor, you may also have a personal injury claim in the Hinds County Circuit Court or the court for the county where the case belongs. Mississippi’s comparative negligence rule reduces a recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it, and claims against a county or government agency carry a one-year limit and notice requirements. Preserve photographs, witness names, and any equipment involved before they disappear.
How Insurers Fight Catastrophic Claims and How We Answer
The larger the claim, the more the carrier invests in contesting it. Expect a records review that points to an old injury, a doctor chosen by the insurer who clears you for light duty, a vocational consultant who lists jobs you supposedly can do, or a sudden termination of wage benefits. Each of these has an answer, but only if it is built early.
Our work on these files is hands-on. We gather the treating physicians’ opinions in a form the Commission can use, obtain work history that shows how the job caused the condition, depose the insurer’s doctors when their conclusions do not match the imaging, and challenge vocational opinions that ignore your education, age, restrictions, and local job market. We track whether you are being paid the correct weekly rate and whether authorized treatment is actually being approved.
Settlement is the other half. A catastrophic claim usually resolves with a negotiated settlement, and the number must account for future surgeries, medication, and the years of lost earning capacity. Settling too early, before your condition stabilizes, can close the door on care you will need. We advise on timing, and we try the case when a fair offer is not on the table.
Questions About Mississippi Catastrophic Injury Claims
What counts as a catastrophic injury in Mississippi workers’ compensation?
The statute does not use a single label. In practice, the term covers injuries that cause permanent, life-changing impairment: amputations, severe burns, spinal cord and brain injuries, major crush injuries, and conditions that end your ability to do your former work. What matters legally is the disability classification and the medical care required.
How long do I have to report a serious work injury?
You must give your employer notice within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing and keep a copy. Waiting can give the insurer a defense even when the injury is obvious.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If benefits have been paid, the timing can differ, so speak to an attorney promptly.
How much will I receive in weekly wage benefits?
Temporary total and permanent total disability pay two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a weekly maximum the Legislature sets and adjusts. Those payments cannot exceed 450 weeks.
Does Mississippi workers’ compensation cover my medical bills?
Yes. Reasonable and necessary treatment related to the injury is covered, including surgery, therapy, medication, and devices. Disputes usually arise over which doctor treats you and whether a recommended procedure is approved.
Can I sue my employer for a catastrophic injury?
Workers’ compensation is generally the exclusive remedy against your employer. You may, however, have a separate injury claim against an outside party, such as a negligent driver, a product manufacturer, or a contractor who is not your employer.
The insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition. Is my claim over?
No. If work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise degenerative disc disease and old sports injuries constantly, and strong medical testimony is how those defenses are answered.
What happens if my benefits are suddenly cut off?
Call us right away. Stopping payment without a legitimate basis can be challenged before the Commission, and the paper trail you keep, including pay stubs, denial letters, and doctor notes, will matter.
Can I receive workers’ comp and also pursue a personal injury case?
Yes, when a third party contributed to your injury. The two claims affect each other, because the comp carrier may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, so they should be handled together rather than separately.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Fault generally does not defeat a Mississippi workers’ compensation claim. In a separate third-party lawsuit, Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault rather than eliminating it.
How long does a catastrophic injury claim take?
There is no fixed timeline. Many cases do not resolve until the worker reaches maximum medical improvement, because settling earlier risks undervaluing future care. Hearings before the Administrative Judge, medical depositions, and any appeal all add time.
Will I owe an attorney fee up front?
No. Consultations are free, we advance the case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
Serving Catastrophic Injury Clients Across Mississippi
Our work for injured Mississippians starts in the Jackson area, covering Hinds County and the neighboring communities of Madison, Ridgeland, Clinton, Byram, Terry, Pearl, and Brandon. From there we represent workers across the central part of the state in places like Vicksburg, Canton, and Yazoo City, and east toward Meridian. Along the Gulf Coast, we serve workers in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Bay St. Louis, where shipyards, ports, and industrial plants generate serious injuries.
In the Pine Belt we help clients in Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Petal. In north Mississippi our reach includes Southaven, Olive Branch, Oxford, Tupelo, and Corinth, and across the Delta we represent workers in Greenville, Greenwood, Clarksdale, and Cleveland. Whether the injury happened on a construction site, a rig, a plant floor, a delivery route, or a fire scene, our Mississippi workers’ compensation attorneys take claims to the Commission and, when needed, to the appellate courts.
Speak With a Mississippi Catastrophic Injury Attorney Today
A catastrophic injury changes your finances as quickly as it changes your health, and the insurance company is already planning its position. Talk with a Mississippi catastrophic injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe before you give a statement, sign a settlement, or accept a decision to cut off your care. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us and tell us what happened.
