Gulfport Back & Spine Injury Lawyer

Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Gulfport and across Harrison County, along with the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and handles workers’ compensation claims throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana. A large share of the people who call us from the coast are dealing with the same kind of injury: a herniated disc, a damaged vertebra, or a spine that gave out after years of lifting, climbing, and hauling. If you need a Gulfport back and spine injury lawyer, the claim in front of you probably turns on one question the insurance company will ask early and often: did the job do this, or was it already there?

Gulfport’s economy produces the kind of work that wrecks backs. The port, shipyard and marine trades, casino and hotel operations, hospital and nursing work, construction crews rebuilding and expanding along the coast, and trucking and warehouse jobs all involve repetitive heavy lifting, awkward positions, and sudden loads. A spine injury from that kind of work often does not come from one dramatic moment. It can build over months and then show up on an MRI as a herniated lumbar disc or a cervical injury that sends pain down an arm. Carriers know this, and they use the gradual nature of these injuries to argue that no single workplace event caused them.

Why Gulfport Workers Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for Spine Injury Claims

Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm serving injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Gulfport, Biloxi, and the rest of the Gulf Coast. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one happens to walk in. This firm was built the other way around.

That focus shows up in spine cases specifically. The firm’s results include a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle. Smaller back and neck results sit alongside those, because not every serious spine claim ends in six figures and every one still deserves careful work.

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 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 complete the attorney team. Clients describe a firm that listens, stays professional, and fights the insurance company at every step. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, you pay nothing unless benefits are recovered, phones are answered around the clock, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.

Back and Spine Injuries We See in Gulf Coast Comp Claims

• Lumbar Disc Herniations: The most common spine claim. Lifting freight at the port, moving patients in a hospital, or wrestling materials on a construction site can rupture a disc in the lower back. Surgeons may recommend discectomy or fusion, and the question of who pays for that surgery becomes the fight.
• Cervical and Neck Injuries: Overhead work, falls, and vehicle impacts can injure the discs in the neck and cause arm numbness, weakness, or radiating pain. These injuries often need specialist care that carriers resist approving.
• Aggravation of Degenerative Disc Disease: Insurers point to age-related changes on an MRI and say the job did nothing. Mississippi law does not require a perfectly healthy spine. If work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits can still be owed.
• Vertebral Fractures from Falls: Falls from scaffolding, ladders, roofs, and loading docks can break vertebrae. These cases often involve hospitalization, long recovery, and questions about permanent limits.
• Injuries From Work Vehicle Wrecks: Delivery drivers, truckers, and employees on the road for work can suffer spine injuries in a collision. Because another driver may be at fault, a separate personal injury claim can sit alongside the comp claim.
• Cumulative Trauma Injuries: Years of repetitive bending, lifting, or vibration from equipment can wear down the spine without a single dramatic incident. These claims need strong medical and work-history evidence to tie the condition to the job.
• Spinal Cord and Catastrophic Injuries: Severe trauma on industrial sites can cause nerve damage, partial paralysis, or lifelong care needs, which raises the stakes on both medical benefits and permanent disability.

What to Do After a Spine Injury at Work on the Coast

Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can, and no later than 30 days after the accident. Mississippi’s notice rule is strict, and a late report gives the carrier an easy argument. Say clearly what happened, where, and which body parts hurt. If your back pain developed over time, report it when you connect it to your work rather than waiting to see if it improves.

Get medical care right away and tell every provider the injury is work-related. Mention the specific tasks that hurt you. Records that say “lifted heavy object at work” are far more useful than a chart that only lists “back pain.” Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not return to full duty because a supervisor or adjuster pushes you before you are cleared. Keep copies of everything: incident reports, work schedules, pay stubs, medical bills, and any texts or emails about the injury.

Disputed claims are heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not by a court. An Administrative Judge holds the evidentiary hearing, and the Full Commission reviews that record if someone appeals. It is a review of the existing record rather than a new trial, which is why the evidence you build at the first hearing matters so much. A final Commission award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days of its filing and notification to the parties, and appeals are decided on the record made before the Commission.

The most common mistake we see is giving a recorded statement to the adjuster before understanding what the insurer is looking for. Another is skipping treatment because of cost, which creates gaps the carrier later calls proof the injury was minor. Talk to a Gulfport work injury attorney before you sign anything or agree to an independent medical exam you do not understand.

Pre-Existing Conditions and Spine Claims

Nearly every serious spine claim runs into the pre-existing condition argument. Disc degeneration shows up on MRIs of many working adults, and carriers treat it as a way out. The legal question is not whether your spine had any wear before the injury. It is whether your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition enough to need treatment or keep you from working. A worker who handled the job without symptoms for years and then could not stand up straight after a lift has a real argument that the job made a quiet condition disabling.

Winning that argument usually takes treating-physician opinions that speak to causation, a clear history of what your job physically demanded, and consistent medical records from the first complaint forward. Our attorneys build the case with that evidence so the insurer’s reliance on an old MRI finding does not decide the outcome.

Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and Settlement Decisions

Mississippi comp pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replaces part of your lost wages. Temporary total and permanent total disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and they cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability benefits in most cases also stop at 450 weeks. Coverage begins on your first day of employment with no waiting period.

Spine cases often reach a point where the carrier offers a settlement. That is a major decision. A settlement can close out future medical care, and a back that needs a fusion today may need adjacent-level surgery in ten years. Before accepting any number, you should know what your future treatment may cost, what your physical limits are, and whether you can realistically return to the work you did before. Do not let an offer made while you are behind on bills substitute for that analysis.

Gulfport Back and Spine Injury Questions, Answered

Do I need a lawyer for a back injury workers’ compensation claim?

Not every claim requires one, but spine injuries are among the most disputed. If benefits are denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, an attorney 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 the firm?

Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and you pay only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.

How long do I have to report a back injury at work?

You must report to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Reporting immediately and in writing is far safer.

How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?

Generally two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. If no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed with the Commission in that window, the right to benefits can be lost.

Can I still get benefits if I had a bad back before the injury?

Yes. A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated it, benefits may still be owed.

The doctor says I need back surgery but the insurer won’t approve it. What now?

Do not assume the denial is final. Treatment disputes can be taken to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keep your surgeon’s recommendation and records, and talk to an attorney before the dispute drags on and your condition worsens.

What if my employer says I was injured outside of work?

Employers and carriers often claim the injury happened at home or in a hobby. Witness statements, timing of your first report, and consistent medical records are what answer that. Tell your doctors the truth about how the injury happened from the first visit.

Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?

Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting a spine injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.

Can I pursue a separate claim if someone other than my employer caused my injury?

Often, yes. If a negligent driver hit your work vehicle or a contractor’s unsafe site caused your fall, you may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so your own share of fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it. The firm handles both so the two claims work together.

What if my spine injury happened in Louisiana?

The firm also represents injured workers in Louisiana. There, you should report within 30 days and generally file a formal claim within one year of the accident, with a possible extension to three years from the last payment if benefits have been paid. Disputes go before a workers’ compensation judge in the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration.

Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?

Health insurers often refuse to pay for work-related injuries and may seek reimbursement later. Tell your providers the injury is work-related, and discuss billing with your attorney so you do not end up responsible for treatment the comp carrier should cover.

Do you represent Spanish-speaking workers?

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 Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

We represent injured workers in Gulfport and throughout Harrison County, including Long Beach, Pass Christian, Biloxi, D’Iberville, and Saucier. Our reach continues along the Gulf Coast into Gautier, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland, and inland to Hattiesburg. Across the rest of Mississippi, we handle spine and back injury claims from Jackson and Madison to Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi. We also serve injured workers in South Louisiana and across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Whether your back gave out at the port, on a casino renovation, in a hospital, or on a job site out of town, we can help.

Talk With a Gulfport Spine Injury Attorney Today

If a work injury has left you with back or neck pain, a surgery recommendation, or a denied claim, a Gulfport spine injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC can review what happened and tell you where you stand. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today and let our team deal with the insurance company while you focus on getting better.

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