Biloxi Construction Worker Injury Lawyer
The goal after a jobsite injury is simple to say and hard to achieve: get your surgery approved, keep a paycheck coming while you heal, and not be pushed back onto a scaffold before your doctor says you are ready. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation and related injury claims for people hurt on the job in Mississippi and Louisiana, and we represent injured construction workers in Biloxi, Harrison County, and across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
If you are searching for a Biloxi construction worker injury lawyer, your situation probably has some version of the same shape. You were hurt framing a structure, pouring a slab, running a crane, or pulling wire. The employer’s insurance carrier has either started questioning what happened, called your back injury “degenerative,” or gone quiet on the surgery your orthopedist recommended. Construction claims are fought on medical records, job-site witnesses, and the exact words in an incident report, and the work you do after an injury shapes the outcome long before any hearing is scheduled.
Gulf Coast construction has its own rhythm: casino and hotel work, condo and commercial projects, marine and port work, residential rebuilding, and the steady repair and hardening of buildings that comes with living on the coast. That work involves heights, heavy equipment, and repetitive heavy labor, and it produces injuries that insurers love to dispute.
What Makes Construction Injury Claims Different From Other Comp Cases
Construction sites are layered. A general contractor hires subcontractors, who hire crews, and some workers are paid as employees while others are labeled independent contractors. The first question in many Biloxi cases is not what injured you but who legally employed you and whether that employer carried coverage. In Mississippi, an employer with five or more employees must provide workers’ compensation coverage, and the worker is covered from the first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. A new hire hurt on day one is still covered.
Misclassification is a recurring problem. Some contractors label laborers as independent contractors to avoid carrying coverage, then deny the claim when someone falls. An attorney looks at who controlled the work, who supplied tools, who set the hours, and who paid, and builds the record showing that you were an employee in practice whatever the paperwork says.
Construction injuries also tend to be physical in ways that invite the pre-existing condition argument. A carpenter with fifteen years of kneeling, lifting, and overhead work has a body that shows it, and the carrier will point to every old image. Mississippi law does not shut you out because a prior condition exists. If the job caused, aggravated, or accelerated the problem, benefits can still be owed. Winning that point usually requires a treating physician who will clearly state the connection, and part of our work is making sure that opinion exists in the record.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Biloxi Construction Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm representing injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and the rest of the Gulf Coast. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients.
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 regularly appears for injured workers before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results matter most for construction clients because the injuries are serious. We secured $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager injured when his work vehicle was struck. In an oil rig burn case the settlement was $221,000. Clients describe a team that listens, answers questions, and fights the carrier at every step. We do not charge 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. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish, which matters on Coast job sites where many crews are Spanish-speaking.
Construction Injuries We See and How Carriers Fight Them
- Falls from scaffolds, roofs, and ladders: Fractures of the ankles, heels, hips, wrists, and spine are common after falls on commercial and residential sites. These injuries often need specialists and surgery, and carriers challenge whether safety gear was used or whether the worker “caused” the fall.
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are the backbone of construction claims. Insurers blame degenerative disc disease; we answer with imaging, treating-physician opinions, and a documented history of physical work or a specific lifting incident.
- Shoulder and knee tears: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears follow overhead work, pulling, and awkward landings. Employers sometimes call them old sports injuries, so the medical timeline matters.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Welding, electrical work, industrial and marine sites, and plant projects can cause severe burns and life-altering trauma. These claims can involve permanent disability benefits and long-term medical care.
- Struck-by and crush injuries: Falling materials, moving equipment, and trench or collapse incidents can produce amputations and multiple fractures. A third party, such as an equipment owner or another contractor, may also be responsible.
- Vehicle crashes on the job: Hauling materials and driving between sites puts construction workers on US-90, I-110, and I-10. When another driver causes the wreck, you may have both a comp claim and a separate injury claim.
- Repetitive-use and gradual-onset conditions: Years of vibration, kneeling, and heavy lifting can wear down joints and spines. These claims need careful medical causation evidence.
What to Do After a Jobsite Injury on the Mississippi Coast
Get medical care first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work and exactly how. Inconsistent histories in early medical records are one of the most common ways claims get damaged. Do not minimize symptoms because you hope to shake it off; the adjuster will read every note.
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as possible. In Mississippi, the deadline to report is 30 days from the accident. Missing it gives the carrier a defense, so do not wait to see whether the pain improves. Ask for a copy of what you submit, keep photos of the area where it happened, and write down names of coworkers who saw it or heard you report it.
The filing deadline is separate. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, you generally must file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within that two-year window or lose the right to benefits. Payment of benefits can change the clock, which is why it is better not to guess. The Commission is a state agency rather than a court; claims are heard by an Administrative Judge, and a party can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made before the judge rather than starting over. A final Commission award can then be appealed within 30 days, and the case may be handled by the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Avoid recorded statements to the adjuster before you have spoken with a lawyer, avoid signing broad medical releases, and do not return to heavy duty before your doctor clears you. If the carrier stops paying, if your authorized doctor releases you too early, or if you are told the claim is denied, that is the moment to call.
Benefits Available to an Injured Construction Worker in Mississippi
Mississippi comp pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury, including surgery, therapy, and medications. It also pays wage-loss benefits. For temporary or permanent total disability, the weekly rate is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, for up to 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most cases are also capped at 450 weeks. Because the maximum rate is adjusted over time, a skilled wage calculation, including overtime and per diem where it applies, can make a real difference for higher-earning tradespeople.
When another party shares the blame, such as a negligent equipment operator, a property owner, or a driver, a separate personal injury claim may be possible. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, which reduces recovery by your percentage of fault rather than barring it. We coordinate those claims so the comp claim and the injury claim do not undercut each other.
Questions Biloxi Construction Workers Ask
Do I need a lawyer for a construction injury claim in Biloxi?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer makes a major difference. The carrier has adjusters and attorneys; you should have someone protecting your interests too.
How much does it cost to hire the 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. Fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident in Mississippi. Doing so immediately and in writing is far safer.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally two years from the date of injury, by filing with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, unless disability benefits have been paid, which can change the calculation. Talk to an attorney early rather than relying on the outer limit.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What if the insurer says my injury is pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, benefits may still be owed. Strong medical evidence is the answer to this defense.
My employer called me an independent contractor. Am I out of luck?
No. The label on your paperwork does not control. Who directed your work, supplied equipment, and set your schedule all matter, and misclassified workers are sometimes found to be covered employees.
Can I pick my own doctor?
Choice of physician in a comp case has rules about authorization and changing doctors. Treatment from an unapproved provider may not be paid, so talk with us before switching or scheduling surgery.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Possibly. If a negligent driver, an equipment owner, or another contractor contributed to your injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it.
I was hurt on a project across the state line in Louisiana. Which rules apply?
It depends on where you were hired, where the injury happened, and where the employer is based. Louisiana requires you to report within 30 days and generally file within one year of the accident. We handle claims in both states and can sort out which system governs.
Will the carrier pay while my claim is being decided?
Sometimes benefits are paid voluntarily, then stopped. If payments cease or never start, we can press the claim before the Commission to get medical care and wage benefits moving.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Construction Workers From Biloxi Across the Gulf Coast
We represent construction workers who live or work in Biloxi, including the Back Bay area, D’Iberville, Keesler-adjacent neighborhoods, and the Highway 90 beachfront corridor. In Harrison County and the neighboring communities, our team helps clients in Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Gautier, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, and Moss Point, along with Bay St. Louis and Waveland nearby. Further north we serve workers in Hattiesburg, Picayune, Poplarville, and Wiggins, and across the state in Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta.
Our work also reaches into south Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, as well as north Mississippi and north Louisiana. Wherever the injury happened and whichever contractor signed your check, we handle the claim before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission or, for Louisiana cases, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration.
Talk With a Biloxi Construction Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a Coast job site, you do not have to argue with the carrier alone. A Biloxi construction injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain your deadlines, and take over the fight for your medical care and wage benefits. 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 tell us what happened.
