Ellisville Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A paycheck that stops after a fall at a plant, a shoulder that gave out hauling timber, or a back that never recovered from a shift on the road leaves an Ellisville worker with the same pressing question: who pays for the doctor and the lost weeks? Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation claims for injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, and an Ellisville workers’ compensation lawyer from our team can take over the insurer, the paperwork, and the deadlines while you focus on treatment.
Ellisville sits in Jones County, the county seat of the Southern District of the county alongside Laurel. Work here runs through poultry and wood-products operations, trucking and logistics, construction crews, healthcare, and the shops and plants that line the Highway 11 and Interstate 59 corridor. Those jobs share a pattern: the injuries are physical, the claims often involve long recoveries, and the insurance carrier tends to push back on anything that looks like it might have started before the shift.
In Mississippi, your employer’s coverage applies from your very first day, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings. If you are hurt on the job, a claim may be available whether you have worked somewhere for ten years or ten days.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Ellisville Work Injury Claim
We are a workers’ compensation law firm serving injured workers in Ellisville and Jones County, throughout Mississippi, and across South Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury when one happens to walk in. We have 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, partners at the firm, 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.
Results matter more than adjectives, so here are a few: $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 tell us what they value most is being listened to and having an attorney who stays in the fight with the insurance company at every step. We take cases with no fee unless we recover for you, consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, our phones are answered around the clock, and Hablamos espanol.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Jones County Workplaces
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common claims from warehouse, plant, and driving jobs. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the case turns on medical evidence showing that repetitive labor or a specific incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears follow lifting, climbing, and awkward falls. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we respond with treating-physician opinions and work history.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls off equipment, trailers, or ladders can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial settings, plants, and oil field work carry a risk of severe burns and life-altering trauma that call for lifetime medical planning, not a quick check.
- Truck Driver and On-the-Road Injuries: Crashes while making deliveries or hauling loads can support both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Firefighter and First Responder Conditions: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job can all be the basis of a claim.
- Denied and Cut-Off Claims: Carriers argue the accident did not happen at work, blame a pre-existing condition, push workers back before a doctor clears them, or stop paying without warning.
What to Do Right Now After a Job Injury in Mississippi
Start by getting medical care and telling your employer about the injury, in writing if you can. Mississippi requires you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and the sooner the better, because a delayed report gives the insurer something to argue about. Tell the doctor exactly how the injury happened and that it was at work, since those first records will be read closely later.
The bigger deadline is the filing clock. Generally you have two years from the date of the injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Those notice and filing rules come from Mississippi Code section 71-3-35. If benefits were never paid and no claim was filed in that two-year window, the right to benefits can be lost entirely. Do not assume the insurance company is tracking that date in your favor.
Keep your own file: photos of the scene, names of coworkers who saw it, copies of every medical record and work restriction, pay stubs showing your average weekly wage, and a log of any calls with the adjuster. Be careful with recorded statements and with signing medical releases that reach back years; adjusters use those to look for a pre-existing condition. And do not go back to full duty before your doctor clears you just because someone is pressuring you to.
Mississippi comp claims are heard by the Commission, which is an administrative body, not a courtroom. Cases are decided either at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge or on review before the Full Commission, which sits in Jackson. When a decision is appealed to the Full Commission, it reviews the record already made; it is not a new trial. A final award can then be appealed within 30 days of its filing, on that same record, which is why the evidence built at the first hearing is so important.
How Wage Benefits and Medical Care Work in Mississippi
Medical treatment that is reasonable and necessary for the work injury should be paid for by the employer’s carrier. Alongside that, temporary total disability and permanent total disability pay two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically, and generally for no more than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in other cases is also capped at 450 weeks. How much you receive depends on your wage history, your medical restrictions, and whether you can return to work at all.
This is where many claims go sideways. A doctor assigns an impairment rating, the carrier offers a settlement that reflects the lowest reading of it, and the worker is told that is all the case is worth. A claim for a lasting injury should account for your ability to earn in the future, not just the first rating. Our attorneys build that picture with treating-physician testimony and vocational evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Workers’ Compensation in Ellisville
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Ellisville?
Not every minor claim requires one. But if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it, and you should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire your 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. Attorney 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. Waiting that long is risky, though. Report it right away and put it in writing so there is a record.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert. If no benefits were paid and no claim was filed within two years, the claim is barred.
What if my employer says I was hurt on my own time or that my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering that argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from being fired in 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 from repetitive work. Can I still claim?
Yes. Cumulative injuries from repetitive lifting, standing, or vibration are common in plant and driving jobs. The proof depends on medical opinion linking the condition to your job duties, and the sooner you report symptoms, the stronger the paper trail.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Work injuries are the comp carrier’s responsibility, and health insurers often refuse or seek repayment when an injury is job-related. If a denial leaves you without treatment, tell us; there are ways to push for care while the dispute is sorted out, and we will help you avoid billing problems.
What happens if the Administrative Judge rules against me?
You can ask the Full Commission to review the decision, and a final Commission award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days. The appeal is decided on the existing record, and the Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. That makes the quality of the first hearing decisive.
Can I also sue someone other than my employer?
Sometimes. If a negligent driver hit your work truck or a contractor’s unsafe site caused your fall, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than barred. We make sure the two claims work together.
What if my injury happened on a job in Louisiana?
We handle Louisiana claims too. The rules differ: report within 30 days and generally file within one year of the accident, with claims heard by the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. If you worked across the state line, talk to us early about which state’s law applies.
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 Ellisville and Jones County Injured Workers Across Mississippi
Our work begins in Ellisville and the rest of Jones County, including Laurel, Soso, Sandersville, Moselle, and Calhoun, and reaches neighboring communities such as Hattiesburg, Petal, Collins, Waynesboro, and Heidelberg. We represent injured workers throughout the Pine Belt and across Mississippi, from Jackson, Madison, and the Gulf Coast to Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi.
In South Louisiana and beyond, we also serve workers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and north Louisiana. Whether you are a plant worker, a driver, a nurse, a firefighter, an ironworker, or a general laborer, the same standard applies: your claim gets built on medical evidence, witness accounts, and your actual work history.
Talk With an Ellisville Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company by yourself. An Ellisville workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain where your claim stands against the Mississippi deadlines, and start pushing for the medical care and wage benefits the law provides. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call us today and tell us what happened.
