Hernando Personal Injury Lawyer
In Mississippi, the deadline that controls a car wreck claim and the deadline that controls a work injury claim are completely different, and a person hurt in a work vehicle may be racing two clocks at once. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles injury cases for people across Mississippi and Louisiana, and for anyone looking for a Hernando personal injury lawyer, our team represents clients in Hernando and DeSoto County, with workers’ compensation at the center of the practice and car, truck, premises, and wrongful death claims alongside it.
Hernando sits in the middle of one of the busiest freight and commuter corridors in the state. Interstate 55 and Interstate 269 carry tractor-trailers, delivery vans, and commuters through DeSoto County every day, and the warehouse and distribution employers clustered in this part of north Mississippi put a lot of workers behind the wheel and on loading docks. When one of those workers is hurt, the question is rarely just “who pays my medical bills.” It is often “which claim do I have, which ones can I bring together, and what happens to one if I mishandle the other.”
That is the real subject of a personal injury case in this market. Some injuries belong in a civil lawsuit against a negligent driver or property owner. Some belong in the workers’ compensation system. Many belong in both, and the order in which you act can change what you recover.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Hernando Injury Case
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC serves injured people in Hernando, throughout DeSoto County, across north Mississippi, and in communities from the Gulf Coast to the Delta and into Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury lawyers who handle a work injury only when one walks in. This firm is built the other way around. That matters in a personal injury case because so many injuries on the road and at job sites touch workers’ compensation law, and insurers know when the lawyer across the table understands both sides of the file.
Rob Lunsford, our founding partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe are partners 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 has argued personal injury and insurance cases before Mississippi’s appellate courts.
Our results reflect injuries like the ones that come out of this region. We secured $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 with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for an oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients tell us they felt heard and that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at every step. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, you pay no fee unless we recover for you, our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos español).
Injury Claims We Handle for Hernando Clients
- Car and Truck Accidents: Interstate 55, Interstate 269, and the state highways feeding Hernando put commuters beside heavy freight all day. Wrecks involving tractor-trailers and delivery vehicles often bring in the driver, the carrier, and sometimes a broker or shipper as separate defendants.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: When you are hit while driving for your employer, you may have a workers’ compensation claim and a lawsuit against the at-fault driver. Our $385,000 result for a project manager struck in his work vehicle is the type of case where both claims had to be coordinated.
- Warehouse and Distribution Injuries: Forklift incidents, falls from docks, crushed hands, and repetitive lifting injuries are common where logistics employers operate. These usually run through workers’ compensation, but a defective machine or a negligent outside contractor can open a second claim.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations are among the most common serious injuries we see, and insurers routinely blame degenerative disc disease. Medical evidence tying the injury to the incident or to years of physical work is what answers that argument.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often need surgery, and employers sometimes call them old sports injuries. We build the record to show what actually caused them.
- Premises Liability: Falls in stores, parking lots, and apartment complexes, and injuries on unsafe construction sites, can support a claim against the owner or contractor responsible for the hazard.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites and plants can produce severe burns, amputations, and permanent disability that require lifetime medical planning and not just a quick settlement.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash or workplace accident takes a life, the family may have both a death benefits claim and a lawsuit against a negligent third party, each with its own deadline.
What to Do After an Injury in DeSoto County
Get medical care first and make sure the provider records how the injury happened. A gap between the accident and the first treatment note is something insurers use against you, and vague histories such as “back pain” with no mention of the incident are easy to twist later. Follow the treatment plan and keep every record, bill, and work restriction slip.
If the injury happened at work, tell your employer about it right away and put it in writing. In Mississippi you must report a work injury to your employer within 30 days, and a worker who waits risks the claim. 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, which is the agency that decides these claims, not a court. Coverage starts on your first day on the job. For work injuries, the dispute is usually heard by an Administrative Judge, and either side can ask the Full Commission to review the record. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
If someone else caused the harm, the civil claim runs on a separate track. Most Mississippi injury lawsuits that have no special deadline must be filed within three years under the general limitations statute, and a latent injury may not start the clock until it is discovered or should have been. The deadline shrinks dramatically against a county or government agency: those claims carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. A county road crew, a public school vehicle, or a government-owned building can all fall into that category, so say so at the very start of a consultation.
Be careful with insurance adjusters. A recorded statement given before you understand your injuries can be used to shrink your claim, and signing a release closes the file for good. Do not post about the accident or your recovery on social media, and do not return to heavy work against your doctor’s instructions because someone at the company or carrier says you are fine. Photograph the scene, your injuries, and any damaged equipment while you can, and get names and contact details for witnesses before memories fade.
Federal court is also part of the picture in some cases. DeSoto County falls in the Oxford Division of the Northern District of Mississippi, which can matter when a case involves an out-of-state trucking company or a defendant who removes the case from state court.
When a Work Injury and an Injury Lawsuit Overlap
The overlap is where the most money is won or lost. Workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage replacement without regard to fault, but it does not pay for pain and suffering. A lawsuit against a negligent outside party can. If a distracted driver rear-ends your work truck, workers’ compensation covers your treatment and a portion of your lost wages, while the driver’s insurer can be pursued for the full measure of your losses. The two claims have to be managed together, because settling one without thinking about the other can affect your rights, including how a compensation carrier’s reimbursement interest is handled.
Fault rules matter on the lawsuit side. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so if you are partly to blame for a wreck, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault but not eliminated. Workers’ compensation does not turn on fault at all, which is why an injured worker who shares some blame for an accident can still collect comp benefits. Damages in wrongful death cases are subject to a cap on non-economic damages in most circumstances, though the cap does not limit economic losses such as medical bills and lost income.
Wage benefits in the comp system are two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a statutory maximum, and total and partial disability payments are limited to 450 weeks in most cases. Those limits are one reason a third-party claim can be so important: it may be the only route to compensation that reflects the full human cost of the injury.
Hernando Injury Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a car accident in Hernando?
For a minor fender bender with no injuries, probably not. If you were hurt, missed work, face ongoing treatment, or the insurer is disputing fault, a lawyer can handle the adjusters and make sure the claim is valued on the full extent of your losses.
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. In workers’ compensation matters, attorney fees are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most injury claims that carry no special limit must be filed within three years of when the claim accrued. Claims against a county or other government agency have a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so those cases cannot wait.
How long do I have to report a work injury?
You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Doing it immediately and in writing is far safer, because a late report gives the insurer an easy reason to deny.
What is the deadline to file a workers’ compensation claim in Mississippi?
If no disability benefits have been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If benefits were paid, the clock can run from the last payment, so confirm your dates with an attorney.
Can I file both a workers’ compensation claim and a lawsuit?
Yes, when someone other than your employer contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver or a contractor who left a site unsafe. The two claims have different rules and different deadlines, and they need to be coordinated.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover. Your award is reduced by your share of fault. In a workers’ compensation claim, fault generally does not matter.
What if the insurance company says my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the incident or your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits, and strong medical evidence is how that argument is won.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it can, though your health plan may later seek reimbursement from a settlement. For work injuries, the compensation carrier should be paying for authorized treatment, and sending those bills to your health plan can create complications. Ask us before you decide how to route the bills.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were disciplined or let go after reporting an injury, tell us right away so we can review your options.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if my injury seems minor?
Back and neck injuries that seem minor in the first week can turn into surgery cases. A free consultation costs nothing and tells you whether the claim is worth pursuing before you sign anything with an insurer.
What if the injury happened on the job in Louisiana?
We represent injured workers in Louisiana too, where the rules differ. A formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, and injured workers should report to the employer within 30 days. Tell us where the injury occurred and we will apply the correct state’s law.
Serving Injured Clients Across Hernando and DeSoto County
Our work for Hernando clients extends across DeSoto County, including Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Walls, Nesbit, Lake Cormorant, and the rural communities between them. We also help injured people in neighboring areas of north Mississippi, and across the state in Madison, Jackson, Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. For clients whose injuries occurred across the state line, we represent injured workers and accident victims throughout Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and South Louisiana. Whether the injury happened on a warehouse floor, a highway, or a job site, the claim is built from the medical evidence, the work history, and the witnesses that tell the full story.
Talk With a Hernando Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a wreck, on a job site, or because of someone else’s carelessness, a Hernando personal injury attorney from our team can sort out which claims you have and which deadlines are already running. Call us any time, day or night. The consultation is free, you pay no fee unless we recover for you, and the insurance company will already have people working to protect its side of the file. We would like you to have the same.
