Covington County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A paycheck that stops after a injury at a sawmill, a poultry plant, or a logging site does not wait for the paperwork to catch up, and the insurance carrier’s questions usually arrive faster than the first benefit check. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and our attorneys handle claims for people hurt on the job in Covington County and the surrounding Pine Belt.
If you are searching for a Covington County workers’ compensation lawyer, you probably have a specific problem: a claim that was denied, a doctor the adjuster picked who sent you back to work too soon, or benefits that simply stopped. Covington County runs on timber, poultry processing, trucking, oilfield support, and county road and utility work. Those jobs tend to produce the injuries insurers fight hardest, such as herniated discs, torn shoulders and knees, crushed hands and feet, and chronic conditions built up over years of physical labor.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Covington County Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Covington County, Smith, Jones, Simpson, and Lawrence counties, Hattiesburg, Jackson, the Gulf Coast, and communities throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks in the door. We built the firm the other way around, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language through the whole case.
The people handling your file matter. 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 before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher are also part of the attorney team.
Results matter more than adjectives. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. That includes $685,000 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 injured when his work vehicle was struck, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients consistently describe the same experience in their reviews: attorneys who listened, stayed professional, and went toe to toe with the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claims We See From Covington County Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting boards, loading trucks, and working a processing line wear down discs over time. Insurers routinely blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence showing that the work caused or aggravated the injury.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among loggers, mechanics, and anyone doing repetitive overhead or kneeling work. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and that argument has to be met directly.
- Fractures and Crush Injuries: Feet, ankles, hips, and hands injured around heavy equipment, log trucks, and machinery often need specialists and complex surgery, followed by long recovery periods away from work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oilfield support work, plant environments, and electrical or utility work can produce severe burns and life-altering injuries that call for lifetime medical care and permanent disability benefits.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Wrecks on the highways running through the Pine Belt can hurt drivers on the clock. Beyond comp benefits, a negligent driver may also create a separate injury claim.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are claims that insurers contest heavily and that depend on careful medical proof.
- Repetitive Stress and Occupational Illness: Conditions that develop gradually, rather than in a single accident, still qualify when the job caused or worsened them, though proving the connection takes documentation.
- Third-Party Injury Claims: When a negligent contractor, driver, or equipment maker contributed to your injury, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp case, and the two claims need to be coordinated.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Covington County
Start with the two deadlines that decide whether a claim survives. Mississippi requires you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and the safest practice is to report it immediately and in writing. Then comes the filing deadline: if no disability benefits have been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If benefits were paid, the two years can run from the last payment instead. These rules come from Mississippi’s workers’ compensation statute, and missing them can end an otherwise valid claim.
Get medical treatment right away, and tell every provider that the injury happened at work. Describe the mechanism of injury plainly and completely, because the first medical records become the foundation of the claim and insurers read them looking for gaps. If you have a pre-existing condition, say so honestly; a prior problem does not bar a claim when the job caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Keep copies of everything: incident reports, work restrictions, pay stubs, text messages with supervisors, and the names of coworkers who saw what happened.
Be careful with the adjuster. A recorded statement given early, before you understand your own diagnosis, is one of the most common ways claims get damaged. Do not sign releases broader than you need to, do not agree to return to work outside your doctor’s restrictions, and do not assume that a denial letter is the final word. Mississippi workers’ compensation cases are not heard in a county courthouse. They go to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission in Jackson, where an Administrative Judge hears the evidence. Either side can then ask the Full Commission to review the decision, but that review is based on the record already made, not a new trial. This is why what goes into the record at the first hearing matters so much.
After the Full Commission rules, an appeal goes to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which is required to be filed within 30 days of the award being filed and the parties being notified. The Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the Commission’s record only, so the quality of the work done early in the case often determines how the case ends years later.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and How Long They Last
In Mississippi, you are covered from your first day on the job, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Temporary and permanent total disability benefits are paid at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum that is set by law and adjusted over time, and generally cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most other cases are also capped at 450 weeks. Medical treatment related to the injury is covered, including surgery, therapy, and medication.
The numbers that decide your case are the average weekly wage, the disability rating, and the loss of wage-earning capacity. Insurers often understate the first, push the second as low as possible, and argue that you can earn more than you actually can. Overtime, second jobs, and fringe benefits can change the wage calculation, so it is worth having someone check the figures before you accept them.
Louisiana has its own rules: a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with notice to the employer within 30 days, and supplemental earnings benefits are available when an injured worker returns at reduced pay. Louisiana claims go before workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Which state’s law applies can depend on where the contract of hire was made and where the injury happened, which is one more reason to talk with a lawyer early.
Common Questions About Covington County Workers’ Compensation
Do I need a lawyer for a Covington County workers’ comp 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 change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers protecting its interests, and you should have someone doing the same for you.
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 soon do I have to report my injury?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident in Mississippi, and do it in writing if you can. Reporting the same day removes any argument about whether the employer knew.
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 if benefits were paid. Do not wait to find out whether you need that long. Evidence and witnesses are easiest to secure early.
What if the insurance company denies my claim?
A denial is the start of the dispute, not the end. We file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission and take the case to an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge, building the medical and witness record as we go.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review what happened.
The insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition. Is my claim over?
No. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. We see this defense constantly with back, knee, and shoulder claims, and strong medical opinions on causation are usually what defeat it.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Your treatment rights come from the comp statute, and disputes over which doctor you may see are common. Before you agree to see an insurer-selected physician or switch providers, talk with a lawyer, because those choices can shape the medical evidence for the entire case.
What happens if the doctor releases me to light duty but my employer has none?
A work restriction your employer cannot accommodate can mean continued wage benefits. Do not return to work outside your restrictions, and do not quit without advice, because either move can hurt the claim.
Can I bring a personal injury claim in addition to workers’ comp?
Sometimes. Comp generally prevents you from suing your own employer, but a negligent driver, an outside contractor, or an equipment manufacturer can be a separate target. Those cases have their own deadlines and fault rules, and the two claims have to be handled so they do not undercut each other.
How long does a Mississippi workers’ comp case take?
It depends on how serious the injury is, how long treatment lasts, and whether the insurer disputes the claim. Cases usually cannot be fairly valued until you reach maximum medical improvement, which is why quick settlement offers early in treatment are often a bad deal.
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 Covington County Workers From Collins to the Surrounding Pine Belt
Our team represents injured workers in Collins, the county seat, and throughout Covington County, including Mount Olive, Seminary, and the smaller communities around them. We also serve neighboring Smith, Jones, Simpson, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, and Forrest counties, along with workers in Hattiesburg, Laurel, Magee, Mendenhall, and Prentiss.
Beyond the Pine Belt, we handle Mississippi workers’ compensation claims from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta. In Louisiana, we represent workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether you were hurt at a plant in town, on a timber crew, or on a job site hours from home, the same attorneys and the same approach apply.
Talk With a Covington County Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
You do not have to fight the insurance company alone. If you have been hurt on the job, a Covington County workers’ compensation attorney from our firm can review what happened, explain where your claim stands, and tell you what to do before the deadlines pass. 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 claim.
