Howard Industries Laurel Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Getting the medical care you need, a paycheck while you heal, and a claim that does not stall after the first adjuster call is what most injured Howard Industries employees want. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation claims for injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and that includes a Howard Industries Laurel workers’ compensation lawyer for people hurt in the plant in Jones County and the communities around it.
Howard Industries is a large manufacturer of transformers, electronics, and related equipment, and a plant of that size runs on lifting, assembly lines, heavy equipment, overhead cranes, forklifts, and repetitive hand and shoulder work. Those are the conditions that produce the injuries we see in manufacturing claims: herniated discs from lifting and twisting, torn rotator cuffs from overhead work, knee injuries from long shifts on concrete, crushed or broken hands and feet, burns, and cumulative strain that builds over months instead of arriving in a single moment. If you are hurt at work in Laurel, the first weeks matter more than most people realize.
Why Injured Howard Industries Workers Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers throughout Mississippi, including Laurel and the rest of Jones County, the Hattiesburg area, and the Gulf Coast, as well as South Louisiana and the rest of that state. The firm’s attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. We work on a no recovery, no fee basis, consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español, which matters in a plant workforce where many employees are more comfortable in Spanish.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin, Partner, and Jennifer Priebe, Partner, 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 routinely appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results that matter most for a manufacturing claim are the back and shoulder cases. The firm obtained $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle. For heavy industrial injuries, the firm recovered $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Past results do not guarantee any outcome, but they show the firm knows how to build a case around the medical evidence that spine, shoulder, and burn injuries demand. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, stays professional, and stays with them through the fight with the insurance company.
Injuries We See in Plant and Manufacturing Claims
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lifting heavy components, twisting at an assembly station, or standing on concrete for full shifts can cause or aggravate lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer that with medical evidence showing how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder injuries: Overhead assembly, repetitive reaching, and handling heavy parts lead to torn rotator cuffs and SLAP tears. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the claim turns on what the surgeon says about cause.
- Knee injuries: Meniscus and ACL tears happen on slick floors, around loading areas, and when workers twist while carrying loads.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, hands, and wrists can be broken by falling objects, forklift incidents, or fall-from-height accidents, and often need specialists and surgical repair.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Electrical equipment, hot materials, and industrial machinery create the risk of serious burns, amputations, and crush injuries that change a worker’s ability to ever return to the same job.
- Repetitive-use and cumulative injuries: Hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder conditions built up over months of the same motion are compensable when the job caused them, but the timing of notice and the medical link need careful handling.
- Third-party injury claims: When a contractor, equipment maker, or negligent driver contributed to your injury, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits, and the two claims need to be coordinated.
What to Do After You Are Hurt at Howard Industries
Report the injury to your supervisor right away, and make sure it is in writing or that someone documents it. Mississippi requires you to give your employer notice of the injury within 30 days of the accident, and missing that window can put the entire claim at risk. Do not wait to see whether the pain goes away, and do not let anyone talk you into calling it a personal issue. If you have a cumulative injury, notice generally should go out as soon as you connect your symptoms to your work.
Get medical care and be specific with the doctor about how the injury happened at work. What you say in the first visit becomes the foundation of the medical record, and insurers read those notes closely looking for any mention of an old injury, a weekend activity, or an unclear cause. Describe the job task, the motion, the lifting, and the moment it started. Keep copies of discharge papers, work restrictions, and prescriptions, and write down the names of coworkers who saw what happened.
Mississippi workers’ compensation claims are handled by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a regular court. If benefits are not being paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission. Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing, and either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than starting a new trial. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Mississippi workers are covered from the first day on the job, with no waiting period. Wage-loss benefits for total disability are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, for up to 450 weeks. A common mistake is signing statements, accepting a quick settlement, or returning to work early because a company nurse or adjuster pushes you to. Before you give a recorded statement or sign anything, talk to a lawyer.
How Insurers Fight Plant Injury Claims
Insurance carriers have a familiar playbook, and you can see it coming. They argue the accident did not happen at work, say the injury was already there, question why you waited to report, or claim you are able to work when your doctor has not released you. In a manufacturing plant, the pre-existing condition argument is especially common because years of physical labor leave signs on a worker’s spine and joints. A pre-existing condition does not end your claim. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, benefits may still be owed.
Another point of friction is the independent medical examination, where the insurer chooses a doctor to review your case. That doctor’s opinion can be used to cut off treatment or wage benefits, so it needs to be answered with your own treating physician’s records and, when appropriate, testimony. We build the file with medical evidence, witness accounts, and your work history so that each argument has an answer ready.
Permanent partial disability is where many claims are won or lost. Even after you recover enough to work, a lasting loss of function, restrictions that keep you from your old job, or reduced earning capacity can mean additional benefits. Settlement value depends on the medical findings, the impairment, your age and education, and whether you can return to similar work at similar pay.
Questions Laurel Workers Ask About Howard Industries Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer if I was hurt at Howard Industries?
Not every claim needs one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
How long do I have to report a work injury in Mississippi?
You must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it right away and in writing if you can, because waiting gives the insurer an argument that the injury did not happen at work.
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. If no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury and no claim has been filed, the right to benefits can be lost. Do not assume the clock is paused because the employer is handling things informally.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your 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.
What wage benefits can I get while I cannot work?
For temporary or permanent total disability, Mississippi pays roughly two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and a cap of 450 weeks. Partial disability is calculated differently and also has a 450-week limit in most cases.
Can Howard Industries fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go, disciplined, or pushed out after reporting an injury, tell us at your consultation so we can review your options.
What if the company doctor says I can go back to work but my own doctor disagrees?
That conflict is common and it matters. Your benefits can be cut off based on a release, so do not go back to work against your own doctor’s restrictions without talking to a lawyer. Medical evidence from your treating physician is often what resolves the dispute before an Administrative Judge.
Will my claim be affected if the injury developed gradually instead of from one accident?
Gradual injuries are compensable when the job caused or contributed to them. The challenge is proof. We work with your treating doctors to document the connection between the specific tasks you performed and the condition, and we pay close attention to when you first reported it.
Can I also sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or negligent driver helped cause your injury, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence for those claims, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than barred. The firm handles both and makes sure they work together.
What if my claim was denied outright?
A denial is not the end. The next step is filing with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission and presenting your medical evidence, work history, and witness accounts. Many denials rest on a pre-existing condition argument or a late-notice argument, and both can be challenged with the right proof.
I live in Louisiana but work or was hurt in Mississippi. Which rules apply?
That depends on where the employment is based and where the injury happened, and it can affect deadlines and benefits. Louisiana generally requires a report within 30 days and a formal claim within one year, which is shorter than Mississippi’s two years. Because the rules differ, talk to us early rather than guessing which state’s clock is running.
Representing Injured Workers Across Laurel, Jones County, and Beyond
We represent injured workers from Laurel and across Jones County, including Ellisville, Soso, Sandersville, Moselle, and the communities nearby. Workers commute into the Laurel plants from neighboring counties as well, so we also serve people in the Hattiesburg area, Petal, Collins, Waynesboro, Quitman, and Bay Springs, along with those traveling from Meridian and the surrounding region. Across Mississippi, we handle claims from Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Southaven, and the Delta. In Louisiana, we serve injured workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether your injury happened on a plant floor, a loading dock, a job site, or on the road for work, the same firm can take your case.
Talk to a Howard Industries Laurel Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt at Howard Industries, you do not have to sort out the insurance company, the doctors, and the deadlines on your own. A Howard Industries Laurel workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain what benefits apply, and handle the employer and insurer while you focus on getting better. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today to talk through your case.
