Biloxi Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Biloxi’s economy runs on casinos, shipyards, seafood, hospitals, and the military, which means a Biloxi workers’ compensation lawyer often handles injuries that look nothing alike: a dealer’s repetitive shoulder strain, a welder’s fall at a yard, a nurse’s back injury while lifting a patient. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Biloxi, Harrison County, and across Mississippi and Louisiana, handling denied, delayed, and cut-off workers’ compensation claims.
Mississippi law covers you from your first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. That sounds simple, yet claims on the Gulf Coast still get disputed constantly. Insurers argue the injury happened off the clock, blame a pre-existing condition, or push a return to work before your doctor says you are ready.
The clock matters more than most workers realize. Written notice to your employer is due within 30 days of the accident, and the rules on that deadline are strict. What follows covers how claims work for Biloxi workers, where they get fought, and what to do in the first days after an injury.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Biloxi Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as Jackson, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and communities throughout Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see one occasionally. Clients pay nothing up front, consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and fees are collected only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients are served in their own language.
The people handling your claim 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, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect that focus. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements, including $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. Smaller outcomes matter too: a $221,000 settlement for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns, and $385,000 for a project manager injured when his work vehicle was struck. Clients consistently describe an attorney who fought the insurance company at every step and a team that was easy to reach.
Injuries and Claim Types Common Among Biloxi Workers
- Casino and Hospitality Injuries: Slips on wet floors, repetitive motion injuries to wrists and shoulders, and back strain from lifting or long hours standing are routine in the resort and gaming workforce along the beach corridor. Insurers often call these “gradual wear” rather than work-related.
- Shipyard and Industrial Injuries: Welders, fitters, painters, and laborers at Gulf Coast yards and plants face falls, crush injuries, burns, and chemical or fume exposure. Some maritime workers fall under federal programs rather than state comp, so identifying the right system early matters.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most heavily litigated claims, especially when an insurer points to degenerative disc disease. Medical evidence tying the work to the injury decides these cases.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often need surgery and long recovery. Employers sometimes dismiss them as old sports injuries.
- Healthcare Worker Injuries: Nurses and aides lifting or turning patients suffer back and shoulder injuries, and needlestick or infectious exposure claims carry their own documentation demands.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Drivers hurt on Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 90, and Highway 49 may have both a comp claim and a separate claim against a negligent driver.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job require careful proof of exposure.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial and offshore-support work can produce severe burns and life-altering injuries that call for long-term medical and wage benefits.
What to Do After a Work Injury on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Report the injury to your supervisor right away, and do it in writing if you can. The legal deadline to notify your employer is 30 days from the accident, but waiting invites arguments that the injury happened somewhere else. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
Get medical care and tell the provider the injury happened at work. Be specific about how it happened and which body parts hurt, because early records become the backbone of the claim. Insurers read the first chart note looking for any sentence that undercuts you. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even when a supervisor pressures you to do more.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: the date, the task, the equipment, who saw it. Save pay stubs, schedules, and any messages about the incident. Do not give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster before you understand your rights, and do not sign medical releases broader than the injury at issue.
If the carrier denies the claim, the next step is a Petition to Controvert, filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. You generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file. The Commission is an administrative agency, not a court. Cases are heard first by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing, and either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made below rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
The most common mistakes are late reporting, skipping treatment, posting about the injury on social media, and returning to full duty before being cleared. Each one gives the insurer something to use.
How Mississippi Comp Benefits Work
Medical treatment related to the injury is covered, including surgery, therapy, and prescriptions. Wage replacement for total disability is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted over time. Temporary and permanent total disability benefits are capped at 450 weeks, and permanent partial disability in most other cases cannot be paid beyond 450 weeks either.
Disability in Mississippi is tied to your ability to earn, not just a medical rating. A worker who can no longer do heavy labor may have a significant loss of wage-earning capacity even with a modest impairment rating. That distinction is where many disputes are won or lost, and it is why work history and vocational evidence belong in the file alongside the medical records.
Sometimes someone other than your employer is at fault, such as a negligent driver or a contractor with an unsafe site. In that case you may have a separate personal injury claim. The firm handles car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases, and coordinates them with the comp claim so the two do not collide.
Biloxi Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim needs one. If benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or stopped, or if the injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer changes the balance. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys; you should have someone on your side too.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and it is paid only if it recovers benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report and file?
Report within 30 days of the accident. To protect your claim, 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. Exceptions exist, so do not wait to find out which applies.
Am I covered if I just started the job?
Yes. Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement.
What if the insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition?
A prior condition does not end a claim. If work caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, benefits may still be owed. Strong medical opinions comparing your condition before and after the incident are the usual answer.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were disciplined or let go after reporting an injury, tell your attorney during the consultation.
Who hears my case if the claim is denied?
An Administrative Judge with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission holds the evidentiary hearing. Review by the Full Commission is based on the existing record. Further appeal goes to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Can I see my own doctor?
Choice of physician is often contested, and the insurer may try to steer you to a doctor it prefers. Ask before changing providers, because switching without approval can create payment problems. An attorney can sort out your options and push back on one-sided medical opinions.
What happens if I was hurt working offshore or on a vessel?
Some maritime and offshore workers are covered by federal law instead of, or in addition to, state comp. Which system applies depends on your duties and where you were injured, so get the question answered before deadlines run in either one.
Will I still get paid while my claim is being decided?
Not automatically. If the insurer accepts the claim, wage checks and medical payments begin. If it denies or disputes the claim, payments can stop until a judge rules, which is exactly the gap that strains families and why early legal help matters.
Can I receive comp and sue someone else for the same injury?
Often yes. If a third party outside your employment caused the accident, you may pursue a personal injury claim alongside comp. The two claims interact, so settlement terms and any repayment to the comp carrier should be planned together.
Does the firm handle claims if I was hurt in Louisiana?
Yes. The firm represents injured workers in Louisiana as well, where the reporting window is also 30 days and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident.
Serving Biloxi Workers’ Compensation Clients Across the Gulf Coast and Beyond
The firm represents injured workers throughout Biloxi and Harrison County, from the beachfront resorts and the Back Bay area to East Biloxi, D’Iberville, and the neighborhoods around Keesler Air Force Base. It also serves Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Ocean Springs along the coast, with Pascagoula, Moss Point, and Bay St. Louis nearby, plus the Hattiesburg area to the north.
Across Mississippi, the team works with clients in Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, and in north Mississippi communities far from the water. In Louisiana, it serves New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as South Louisiana and north Louisiana communities. Whether you were hurt at a casino, a shipyard, a hospital, or on the road, the coverage is statewide in both states.
Talk With a Biloxi Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to argue with the insurance company alone. A Biloxi workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain which deadlines apply, and take over the dealings with your employer and its insurer. Call any time, day or night, for a free consultation. You pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you.
