Jackson Burn Injury Lawyer
A burn that happens at work in Hinds County rarely stays a simple comp claim, because the people who run plants, kitchens, utility crews, and construction sites around Jackson often hire contractors, rent equipment, and buy chemicals from outside suppliers, and any one of those outsiders can share the blame. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a Jackson burn injury lawyer at the firm handles the benefits claim and any claim against a negligent third party at the same time, so the two do not undercut each other.
Burns are some of the most expensive injuries a comp carrier will ever face. Treatment can mean debridement, skin grafts, repeated surgeries, months of wound care, pain management, and rehabilitation to restore movement in scarred joints. An insurer looking at that projected cost has every reason to dispute how the injury happened, argue the worker was careless, or push for a return to work before the skin and tissue can tolerate it. Answering those moves takes medical records, employer safety documentation, and a clear picture of what the worker will still need years from now.
The firm has seen what serious burns look like in the claims it has resolved, including a $221,000 settlement for a land-based oil rig worker who suffered severe burns to the lower extremities. The sections below cover how burn claims work for Jackson-area workers, what to do in the first days, and what the deadlines are.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Burn Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Jackson, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and communities across Mississippi, along with clients throughout South Louisiana. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, no fee is owed unless benefits or a settlement are recovered, phones are answered around the clock, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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, a skill that matters when a burn case also involves a lawsuit against a contractor or manufacturer. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
For burn victims, the relevant record is the firm’s work on serious, long-recovery injuries: a $685,000 settlement 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 struck in his work vehicle, and the $221,000 oil rig burn settlement. Clients describe the team as easy to work with, attentive in listening to their situation, and willing to stand up to the insurance company at every step.
Workplace Burn Situations We Handle for Jackson-Area Workers
- Thermal burns from fire, steam, and hot surfaces: Commercial kitchens, hospital and school cafeterias, laundries, and manufacturing lines around Jackson expose workers to fryers, steam tables, boilers, and hot machinery, and these burns often leave scarring that affects how a worker can grip, bend, or stand for a full shift.
- Chemical burns: Cleaning agents, industrial solvents, acids, and caustic materials can burn skin and eyes on contact, and a claim often turns on proving what the worker was exposed to and whether the employer supplied proper protective gear and training.
- Electrical burns and arc flash: Linemen, electricians, and maintenance crews working near energized equipment can suffer deep tissue damage that is not visible on the surface, along with nerve and cardiac effects that surface later.
- Burns on oil field and industrial sites: Rig work, plant turnarounds, and pipeline jobs involve flammable materials, pressurized lines, and ignition risks, and these accidents tend to produce the most severe injuries, as in the firm’s oil rig burn settlement.
- Construction and welding burns: Ironworkers, welders, roofers working with hot tar, and crews around open flame or hot-work equipment face burns that often involve a general contractor or subcontractor other than the direct employer.
- Firefighter and first responder injuries: Burns suffered in the line of duty, along with the heart, lung, and other conditions tied to smoke and heat exposure, are claims the firm handles for first responders.
- Burns with a third-party defendant: A defective heater, a faulty fire suppression system, a negligent contractor, or a driver who causes a vehicle fire can support a personal injury claim in addition to comp benefits.
What to Do After a Burn at Work in Jackson
Get medical treatment first, and make sure the provider records that the injury happened at work and exactly how. Burns are often more serious than they look in the first hours, since deeper tissue damage can reveal itself over the following days. Ask for a burn specialist or referral to a burn center if the injury covers a large area, involves the hands, face, or joints, or came from chemicals or electricity. Gaps in treatment and vague first records are what insurers point to later when they argue the injury was something else.
Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can, and keep a copy. In Mississippi, the notice must reach your employer within 30 days of the accident, and in Louisiana the same 30-day notice rule applies. Missing that window can put the whole claim at risk. Coverage in Mississippi begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period, though it applies to employers with five or more employees.
If you are denied or the carrier stops paying, the filing deadline matters. In Mississippi, you generally have 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. The Commission is not a court. Claims are heard by an Administrative Judge, and a decision can be reviewed by the Full Commission, which sits in Jackson and reviews the record made at the first hearing rather than holding a new trial. A final award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and the Supreme Court often assigns those cases to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided only on the record built before the Commission, which is why the evidence gathered early decides how the case ends.
Preserve what you can. Photograph the burns at every stage of healing, keep the clothing and protective equipment you were wearing, write down the names of coworkers who saw the accident, and save any incident report. If a machine, chemical, or piece of equipment was involved, note the manufacturer and anything unusual about its condition, because that may point to a defendant outside your employer. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the adjuster before you have talked to a lawyer, and do not sign medical releases broader than what is needed to process the claim. A call to a Jackson workers’ compensation attorney early in the process costs nothing and keeps these early mistakes from becoming permanent problems.
How Burn Claims Are Valued and Where Insurers Push Back
Mississippi wage-loss benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and temporary and permanent total disability benefits are capped at 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in cases not covered by a specific schedule are likewise limited to 450 weeks. Medical care for the injury is paid separately and is not limited the same way, which is significant for burn patients who may need scar revision, grafting, or ongoing wound care for years. The weekly maximum is adjusted over time, so the number worth knowing is the one in effect on your date of injury.
Burn claims usually become disputes over three things. The first is causation, where the carrier suggests the worker was not following procedure or that the injury happened off the clock. The second is the extent of disability, where an insurer’s doctor releases a worker to return while the scarring, pain, or limited range of motion says otherwise. The third is future medical care, where the carrier tries to close the claim without paying for the surgeries and treatment still ahead. An attorney handling these claims builds the file with treating physician opinions, vocational evidence about what the worker can realistically do, and the employer’s own safety and maintenance records.
When someone other than the employer caused the burn, a separate claim may exist for pain, scarring, disfigurement, and losses that workers’ compensation does not cover. In Mississippi, a negligence action generally must be filed within three years, and a claim against a county or governmental agency carries a one-year limit with notice required under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so a worker’s own share of fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it. Coordinating that lawsuit with the comp claim, including how any comp benefits already paid are repaid from a third-party recovery, is a large part of what the attorney handling a severe burn case does.
Questions Jackson Burn Injury Clients Ask
Do I need a lawyer for a workplace burn claim?
Not every claim requires one, but a serious burn almost always justifies it. Treatment is long and expensive, the insurer has strong reasons to dispute it, and a lawyer can also identify claims against parties other than your employer. If benefits have been denied, delayed, or cut off, or you will be out of work for a long stretch, the case is worth discussing.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are owed 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 burn injury at work?
Report it to your employer right away, and no later than 30 days after the accident in Mississippi or Louisiana. Late notice is one of the easiest ways for an insurer to challenge a claim, so do not wait to see how the burn heals.
How long do I have to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Because exceptions depend on whether benefits were paid, it is safest to speak with an attorney well before the deadline approaches.
Does workers’ compensation cover skin grafts, scar treatment, and ongoing wound care?
Medical treatment that is reasonable and necessary for a work-related burn is covered, which can include surgery, grafting, therapy, medication, and follow-up care. Disputes tend to arise over how long that care continues and who chooses the treating physician, which is why documenting your medical needs early matters.
What if my burn left permanent scarring or limited movement?
Permanent effects can support disability benefits beyond the temporary period, and they strengthen the case for continued medical care. A treating physician’s assessment of lasting limitations, combined with evidence of what work you can still do, is what supports that part of the claim.
Can I sue someone besides my employer for a workplace burn?
Often yes. If a negligent contractor, equipment maker, chemical supplier, or other outside party caused the burn, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits. That claim can include damages workers’ compensation does not pay, such as pain and scarring.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own mistake does not automatically defeat a comp claim. In a separate Mississippi lawsuit against a third party, comparative negligence reduces your recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it.
Can my employer fire me for filing a burn injury claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting a burn, tell your attorney during the consultation so the circumstances can be reviewed.
Will the insurance company try to send me back to work too soon?
It is a common tactic, particularly when a carrier’s doctor clears a worker while wounds and scar tissue are still healing. Do not accept a release you disagree with without talking to your own physician and your attorney, since returning early can hurt both your recovery and your claim.
Does the firm help Spanish-speaking workers with burn injuries?
Yes. The firm speaks Spanish, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Representing Burn Injury Clients Across Jackson and Hinds County
The firm represents burn victims throughout the Jackson area, starting with the city itself and the surrounding Hinds County communities of Clinton, Byram, Terry, Raymond, Bolton, Utica, and Edwards. That reach extends across the river into Madison and Ridgeland, down into Rankin County, and to the workplaces around Pearl, Flowood, and Brandon. Hinds County’s circuit court sits in both Jackson and Raymond, and claims that grow into lawsuits against third parties are filed in the county courts or in the federal court for the Southern District of Mississippi, which sits in Jackson for the counties of its Northern Division.
Beyond the metro area, the firm represents injured workers from the Gulf Coast to Hattiesburg, Southaven and north Mississippi, and the Delta. It also serves workers throughout Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether the burn happened at an industrial site, a restaurant, a hospital, a job site, or an oil field, the firm handles the comp claim and any related injury case together.
Talk With a Jackson Burn Injury Attorney Today
A burn injury can change how you work and live for years, and the insurer handling your claim is already weighing what that will cost it. If you have been burned on the job, a Jackson burn injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines apply to you, and tell you whether someone besides your employer may be responsible. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered. Call today to talk through your case.
