Airbus Helicopters Columbus Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A helicopter assembly floor is not a typical workplace, and the injuries that come out of one rarely look like the textbook claims an insurance adjuster is used to processing. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and if you were hurt while working at the Airbus Helicopters facility in Columbus, a Airbus Helicopters Columbus workers’ compensation lawyer from our firm can take over the fight for your medical care and wage benefits while you concentrate on recovering.
Aircraft manufacturing and finishing work puts the body through repetitive strain, awkward positions, overhead reaching, heavy lifting, and prolonged standing on hard floors. Workers in this kind of environment tend to develop injuries that build gradually, such as lumbar and cervical disc problems, rotator cuff tears, and knee damage, alongside sudden injuries from falls, struck-by incidents, and chemical or solvent exposure. Gradual injuries are exactly the ones carriers like to attack, arguing that the condition came from age or an old injury rather than from years on the line.
Mississippi law covers you from your first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Your claim does not go to a court at the start. It goes to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an agency that administers the law and decides disputes through Administrative Judges. How well your claim is documented from the first week often decides how the rest of it goes.
What Injuries Look Like on an Aircraft Production Floor
Most work injuries at a helicopter manufacturing site fall into a few recognizable categories, and each one carries its own medical and legal questions. A back injury from lifting components or working bent over a fuselage section raises different proof issues than a burn or a chemical exposure. Knowing which category your injury fits helps us decide what medical evidence to gather first and what arguments the insurer is most likely to raise.
Many aerospace workers also have jobs that are physically demanding in ways that do not show up on a standard job title. Someone listed as a technician may spend most of a shift overhead, kneeling inside a confined airframe space, or handling tools that vibrate. When a carrier says your shoulder or knee problem is just wear and tear, the detailed description of what you actually did every day is often the strongest answer to that argument, and part of our work is pulling that description together alongside your treating physician’s opinion.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Aircraft Plant Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi, including Columbus and the surrounding communities, and across Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of the firm’s practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, works on a no recovery, no fee basis, offers free consultations, advances the costs of the case, and answers its phones 24 hours a day. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language.
The people behind the firm matter in a case like yours. 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, 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.
Results matter more than adjectives, and ours 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. Those outcomes involved the same injury types we see in industrial and manufacturing work. Clients describe the experience in consistent terms: a team that listened, was easy to work with, and stood up to the insurance company at every step.
Common Claim Types for Helicopter Manufacturing Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among workers who lift, bend, and hold awkward positions during assembly. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, and we respond by showing how the physical demands of the job caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder Injuries: Overhead work on airframes and components can produce torn rotator cuffs and SLAP tears. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the medical timeline and your treating surgeon’s opinion carry real weight.
- Knee and Lower Extremity Injuries: Kneeling, crouching, climbing, and standing on hard surfaces for entire shifts lead to meniscus tears and ACL injuries, as well as foot and ankle fractures that may require specialist surgical repair.
- Burns and Chemical Exposure: Sealants, solvents, paints, and hot work can cause burns and respiratory or skin conditions. These claims often depend on proving what substance you were exposed to and when symptoms began.
- Fractures: Falls from work platforms, dropped parts, and struck-by incidents can break bones in the hips, ankles, and feet, sometimes leaving lasting limits on your ability to return to the same work.
- Repetitive Strain and Cumulative Injuries: Conditions that develop over months or years of repeated motion are harder to tie to a single date, which makes early medical documentation and a clear work history important.
- Catastrophic Injuries: Severe crush, burn, or fall injuries can lead to permanent disability and lifelong care needs, which changes both the benefits at stake and how a settlement should be evaluated.
What to Do After a Work Injury at the Columbus Facility
Tell your supervisor about the injury right away, and make sure it is in writing or documented in a way you can later prove. Mississippi requires you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and that deadline is separate from the filing deadline. Missing it can hand the insurer an argument it would otherwise not have. Be specific about what happened, which body parts hurt, and where on the floor or in which process it occurred, and keep your own copy of whatever you submit.
Get medical care and be honest with every provider about how the injury happened and about any earlier problems with the same body part. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what insurers use later to argue that the injury was not work-related. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not return to full duty before you are cleared. If you are pushed to go back sooner than your physician allows, that is worth raising with us before you agree.
On the filing side, you generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the date of the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and a claim that is never filed can be barred if no benefits were paid in that window. Do not assume that because your employer accepted the injury the clock has stopped working against you. If benefits are denied or stop, your case is heard by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. A party unhappy with the result can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record already made rather than holding a new trial. That is why the evidence built at the first hearing, including medical testimony and your work history, matters so much. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court often assigns such cases to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
A few mistakes come up again and again. Workers give recorded statements to an adjuster without preparing, sign medical releases that are broader than necessary, or assume a company-directed doctor’s opinion is the last word. Because the record from the first hearing is the record every later reviewer sees, we step in early, handle contact with the insurer, and make sure the medical evidence is in place before the case reaches an Administrative Judge.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Is Responsible
Workers’ compensation is generally your remedy against your employer, but aircraft plants bring many outside companies onto the same site. If a contractor’s unsafe work, a defective tool or piece of equipment, or a negligent driver caused your injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim against that party in addition to your comp benefits. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so being partly at fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it, and most negligence claims not governed by a shorter period must be brought within three years. Because these claims run on different tracks, we coordinate them so that one does not undercut the other.
Questions About Airbus Helicopters Workers’ Compensation Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for 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 the 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.
How long do I have to report my injury?
You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident under Mississippi law. Report it immediately if you can, and keep proof that you did.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment. If no disability benefits were paid within two years of the injury and no claim was filed with the Commission in that time, the right to benefits can be barred.
What wage benefits can I receive while I cannot work?
Temporary and permanent total disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and they cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in many cases are likewise limited to 450 weeks.
Is a pre-existing condition the end of my claim?
No. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument constantly, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a core part of our work.
Can Airbus or its insurer fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
My injury developed slowly over months on the line. Can it still be a work injury?
Yes. Cumulative and repetitive injuries can be compensable, but they are harder to prove because there is no single accident date. Consistent medical records and a clear description of your job duties are what carry these claims.
What happens if the Administrative Judge rules against me?
You can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the record from the first hearing rather than starting over. A final award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days. Because appeals rest on the existing record, the evidence presented at the initial hearing is critical.
Can I also sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a third party such as a contractor, equipment maker, or negligent driver contributed to your injury, a separate personal injury claim may exist alongside your comp benefits. Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule means partial fault reduces, but does not bar, that recovery.
Will I still get care if the insurer disputes my claim?
Disputes over treatment are common, and a denial is not the final word. We gather the medical support needed to challenge it before the Commission, and we can help you understand your options for care while the dispute is pending.
Do you speak Spanish?
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 Injured Workers From Columbus Across Mississippi and Louisiana
We represent injured workers who commute to the Columbus facility from Lowndes County and the communities around it, including Columbus itself, Caledonia, New Hope, and Steens, as well as workers from neighboring Oktibbeha, Clay, Monroe, and Noxubee counties and the areas around Starkville, West Point, and Aberdeen. Our work reaches well beyond that corner of the state, covering north Mississippi, the Delta, Jackson and Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Gulf Coast.
The same team also handles claims in Louisiana, from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and throughout south and north Louisiana. Whether your injury came from a plant, a rig, a road, or a job site, the claims process and the insurer tactics are familiar to us, and we handle workers’ compensation and related personal injury claims, including car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death, for people across both states.
Talk With an Airbus Helicopters Columbus Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you were hurt on the job at the Columbus helicopter facility, you do not have to deal with the insurer by yourself. An Airbus Helicopters Columbus workers’ compensation attorney at our firm can review what happened, explain your deadlines, and start building the medical and work-history record your claim depends on. 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 talk through your injury and your next step.
