Gulfport Construction Worker Injury Lawyer
On a construction site, the person who signs your paycheck is rarely the only party who could be responsible for what happened to you, and that changes how a claim should be built. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured construction workers in Gulfport, throughout Harrison County, and across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the rest of Mississippi and Louisiana.
If you need a Gulfport construction worker injury lawyer, the first thing to know is that you are probably dealing with two separate tracks at once. The first is a no-fault workers’ compensation claim against your employer’s insurer, which pays medical care and part of your lost wages no matter who caused the accident. The second, which many workers never learn about, is a possible injury claim against a third party such as a negligent subcontractor, an equipment manufacturer, or a driver who hit you on the way between job sites. Handling one without thinking about the other can cost you real money.
Gulf Coast construction is steady and physically punishing: commercial and residential building, port and industrial work, rebuilding and repair projects, and the roofing, framing, concrete, and steel trades that go with them. Falls, struck-by incidents, crush injuries, and cumulative back and shoulder damage are the injuries we see most often from that kind of work, and the insurance carriers that cover these employers have well-worn ways of disputing them.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Gulfport Construction Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Mississippi and Louisiana, including Gulfport, Biloxi, Gulfport’s Harrison County neighbors, and communities along the Gulf Coast. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients.
Several of those results involved the kind of work construction crews do every day. We secured $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle. We also recovered $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns, a reminder that heavy industrial injuries are familiar territory for us.
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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and regularly appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients who have reviewed the firm describe attorneys who listened, communicated clearly, and went up against the insurance company on their behalf.
The practical side matters too. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos espanol), which matters on job sites where many crews work in more than one language.
Construction Injuries We Handle for Gulf Coast Workers
- Falls from Roofs, Scaffolds, and Ladders: Falls produce fractures of the wrists, ankles, hips, and spine, along with head injuries. Coastal roofing and multi-story framing work put crews at height daily, and fall cases often raise a third-party question if a scaffold was built or supplied by another company.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations come from lifting, awkward carrying, and repetitive heavy labor. Insurers frequently blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical evidence tying the injury to your work is central to the claim.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among carpenters, ironworkers, and laborers. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and we answer that with treating-physician opinions and work history.
- Struck-By and Crush Injuries: Falling materials, swinging loads, and shifting equipment cause crushed limbs and broken bones that can require specialists and complex surgical repair, sometimes with permanent loss of function.
- Burns and Electrical Injuries: Welding, hot work, and contact with energized lines cause severe burns. Industrial and plant projects along the coast carry these risks, and such injuries can qualify as catastrophic.
- Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Supervisors, project managers, and truck drivers are hit while traveling between sites or hauling materials. These can support both a comp claim and a separate personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Repetitive Strain and Cumulative Trauma: Not every injury has a single dramatic moment. Years of vibration, kneeling, and overhead work can wear down joints and the spine, and the claim has to connect that wear to the job.
What to Do After You Are Hurt on a Gulfport Job Site
Get medical care first, and tell every provider that the injury happened at work and exactly how. Vague histories become problems later when an adjuster combs through records looking for a different explanation. If you can, take photos of the area, the equipment, and your injury, and write down the names of anyone who saw it happen.
Next, report the injury to your employer, in writing if you can. In Mississippi, you must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident under Miss. Code Section 71-3-35. Do not wait to see whether the pain goes away. The separate filing deadline is 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. That deadline is barred if no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed with the Commission within those two years. Coverage starts on your first day of employment, with no waiting period.
Notice to your employer is due within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with a longer window possible if compensation has been paid.
Be careful with the insurance adjuster. A recorded statement can be used to say the accident did not happen at work, or that you had the condition before. You are not required to give one before talking with a lawyer. Keep following your doctor’s restrictions, and do not go back to heavy work before you are cleared, because insurers use early returns to argue you were never really hurt.
Mississippi workers’ compensation claims are decided by the Commission, not a civil court. Disputed cases are heard by an Administrative Judge, and either side can ask the Full Commission to review the record from that hearing; it is not a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and the Supreme Court often assigns those appeals to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. These steps run on short clocks, which is a good reason to involve a lawyer early.
Wage Benefits, Medical Care, and the Third-Party Claim
Workers’ compensation covers reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replaces part of your wages while you cannot work. In Mississippi, temporary total and permanent total disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum and for no more than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability benefits in most cases are also capped at 450 weeks. The weekly maximum is adjusted periodically, so the figure that applies to you depends on your date of injury.
Comp does not pay for pain and suffering. That is where a third-party claim can matter. If a subcontractor’s unsafe work, a defective tool, or a negligent driver contributed to your injury, you may be able to pursue that party in addition to your comp benefits. In Mississippi, fault shared by the injured person reduces recovery rather than barring it. The time limit for most Mississippi injury lawsuits is three years, though claims against a county or government agency have a one-year limit and a notice requirement. We coordinate the comp claim and the injury claim so that a settlement in one does not damage the other.
Pre-existing conditions are one of the most common fights in construction cases, since many tradespeople have some wear on their backs and joints. A prior condition does not end your claim if your work caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Answering that argument with strong medical opinions is a large part of what we do.
Questions Gulfport Construction Workers Ask
Do I need a lawyer for a construction injury claim?
Not every claim needs one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can make a major difference. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
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 for you. 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. Mississippi requires notice to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and Louisiana has the same 30-day notice rule. Missing it can jeopardize the entire claim.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment to file with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no benefits were paid and no claim was filed in that window, the right to benefits can be lost.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana 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 I am an independent contractor?
Construction companies sometimes label workers as contractors to avoid carrying coverage. The label on your paperwork is not the end of the question; how much control the company had over your work matters. If you were treated like an employee, you may still have a comp claim, and you should talk to us before assuming you have none.
My injury happened gradually. Can I still file?
Yes. Repetitive strain and cumulative trauma claims are real, but they require careful medical evidence connecting the condition to your job duties. Report the problem as soon as you connect it to your work, since the notice clock still applies.
What if I was partly at fault for my own accident?
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, so your own mistake generally does not defeat a comp claim. In a separate third-party injury claim in Mississippi, your share of fault reduces your recovery rather than eliminating it.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Work injuries are meant to be paid by the comp carrier, and health plans often resist covering them. If the carrier denies treatment, tell your medical providers and call us, so you are not left with unpaid bills or gaps in care while the dispute is resolved.
Can I sue my employer for a construction injury?
Workers’ compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your own employer when it carries coverage. That is why identifying other responsible parties, such as other contractors, equipment makers, or negligent drivers, can be so important.
Do I have to see the employer’s doctor?
Disputes over who treats you are common. The doctor chosen by the insurer may be quick to release you to work. We help workers get care from physicians who will document the injury honestly, and we challenge unfair work releases.
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.
Representing Injured Workers Across Gulfport and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Our work for injured construction workers starts in Gulfport and Harrison County and reaches along the coast. We represent workers in Gulfport and neighboring Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian, D’Iberville, and Diamondhead, as well as Bay St. Louis and Waveland in nearby Hancock County and Ocean Springs and Pascagoula in neighboring Jackson County. Further inland, we help workers from Hattiesburg, Picayune, Wiggins, and the Pine Belt communities.
The firm also serves injured workers across the rest of Mississippi, including Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, and throughout Louisiana, from New Orleans and South Louisiana to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as north Mississippi and north Louisiana. Whether you were hurt on a commercial build in Gulfport, a port or plant project, or a job in another state’s jurisdiction, we can help you understand which rules apply to your claim.
Talk With a Gulfport Construction Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on a construction site, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. A Gulfport construction injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain your comp benefits and any claim against a third party, and handle the employer and insurer while you focus on getting better.
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 injury and your next steps. We help injured workers. That is what we do.
