Clinton Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Clinton and across Hinds County, along with the rest of Mississippi and South Louisiana, handling claims that insurers have denied, delayed, or cut off. If you got hurt on a job site, in a warehouse, behind the wheel of a work truck, or on a hospital floor, you need a Clinton workers’ compensation lawyer who works comp cases every day, not one who takes them occasionally.
Clinton sits in the First Judicial District of Hinds County, right along the I-20 corridor between Jackson and Vicksburg, and a large share of its workforce commutes along that route. That matters for comp claims in a practical way. A delivery driver hit on I-20, a nurse hurt at a Jackson-area hospital, and a laborer injured at a Madison County construction site all live in Clinton, and each claim can involve a different employer, a different insurer, and sometimes a different third party who caused the injury.
Mississippi comp is not decided in a courtroom like a car accident case. It runs through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, with its own deadlines, forms, and hearing process. Missing one of those deadlines can end a claim before anyone has looked at the medical records.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Clinton Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers in Clinton, Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and communities throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Free consultations, no fee unless we recover benefits for you, case costs advanced by the firm, phones answered around the clock, and Spanish-speaking service (hablamos español) mean a hurt worker in Clinton can get started without paying anything.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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 before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries Clinton workers actually suffer: 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. Clients describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays with them through the insurance fight. One client wrote that attorney Brad Baskin “fought with the insurance company” at every step.
Common Injuries and Claims We Handle for Clinton Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most contested claims because insurers blame degenerative disc disease. For warehouse workers, truck drivers, and tradesmen, we show how years of physical labor or a single lifting incident caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often require surgery and long recovery. Employers sometimes call them old sports injuries, and medical evidence is how those arguments get answered.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls, struck-by accidents, and vehicle crashes can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites, plants, and oil field work produce severe burns and life-altering injuries that call for lifetime medical planning, not a quick settlement.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are recognized categories we pursue.
- Driving and Delivery Injuries: Truck drivers, delivery drivers, and workers hit in work vehicles on the interstate and surrounding roads often have both a comp claim and a claim against the at-fault driver.
- Denied and Terminated Benefits: Claims denied outright, benefits stopped without warning, and workers pushed back to work before a doctor clears them all fall within our appeals work.
What to Do After a Job Injury in Clinton
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi gives you 30 days from the accident to give notice, and waiting makes it easier for an insurer to argue the injury happened somewhere else. Keep a copy of what you submit, note who received it, and write down what happened while it is fresh: the date, the task you were doing, who saw it, and when your symptoms started.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened at work. Vague history in a chart gets quoted back later. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even if your supervisor wants you back sooner, because working outside those limits can hurt both your health and your claim.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. In Mississippi you generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed within those two years, the right to benefits is barred. Coverage begins on a worker’s first day, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected too.
Disputed claims are heard by an Administrative Judge, and a party unhappy with that decision can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed within 30 days, and the Mississippi Supreme Court may assign it to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because the appeal rests on the record built at the hearing, the evidence you gather at the start decides how far a case can go.
How Insurers Fight Mississippi Comp Claims
Wage replacement for total disability, whether temporary or permanent, is generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum and for no more than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in many cases is also capped at 450 weeks. Those numbers explain why insurers work so hard to shrink the disability rating or end benefits early: every week saved is real money to them.
The usual tactics are predictable. The carrier says the accident was not work related, points to a pre-existing condition, relies on a doctor it selected, or stops checks and waits to see whether you push back. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if the job caused, worsened, or accelerated it. The answer is medical opinion, work history, and witness accounts assembled before the hearing, not after.
When someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or an unsafe contractor, you may have a separate personal injury claim alongside comp. Handling both together keeps one from undermining the other.
Clinton Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ comp claim in Clinton?
Not every claim needs one. But if your benefits were denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys; you should have someone on your side too.
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. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
Report it right away, and no later than 30 days after the accident. This applies in Mississippi and in Louisiana.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Because the exceptions are narrow, do not wait until the end of that window.
What does workers’ comp pay?
It covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replaces part of your lost wages while you cannot work. Disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a weekly maximum that the state sets.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect 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.
What if my employer says my injury was pre-existing?
That argument does not automatically defeat a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Strong medical evidence is how we answer it.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Treatment choice has rules, and the doctor you see affects your case. Before you commit to a provider or agree to an independent examination, talk to us so you understand how the opinion will be used.
What if I was hurt in a work vehicle by another driver?
You may have a comp claim against your employer’s insurer and a separate personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. The two claims interact, so coordinating them matters, especially when settling one of them.
Can I still get benefits if I was partly at fault for my accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own carelessness usually does not bar benefits. Fault matters more in a third-party injury claim, where Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it.
What if I was hurt in Louisiana but live in Clinton?
Louisiana claims go through the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, with a one-year filing window in most cases and a 30-day notice requirement. If a claim might involve either state, call us quickly so deadlines in both are protected.
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 Throughout Clinton and the Jackson Area
We represent injured workers in Clinton and throughout Hinds County, including Jackson, Byram, Terry, Raymond, Bolton, Utica, Edwards, and Pocahontas. Just across the county line, we also serve Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Pearl, Brandon, Canton, and Vicksburg, along with the many communities that feed the I-20 and I-55 corridors.
Our work reaches across Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg to Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta, and across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Construction workers, firefighters, truck drivers, ironworkers, oil field workers, nurses, and general laborers all come to us with the same problem: a claim that should be paid and is not.
Talk With a Clinton Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company by yourself. A Clinton workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and start working on your claim right away. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us to schedule your consultation.
