Jackson County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Getting your medical care approved, your wage checks flowing, and your claim resolved without being pushed back to work too soon is the whole point of a comp case, and it is where most Jackson County injury claims run into trouble. Jackson County workers’ compensation lawyer help is what Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC provides to injured workers in Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Moss Point, and the rest of Jackson County, along with workers across Mississippi and South Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, and we take on claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off.
Jackson County’s economy is built on work that hurts people: shipbuilding and ship repair, refinery and petrochemical operations, power generation, offshore support, port and marine terminals, and the heavy construction that follows hurricane seasons. Welders, pipefitters, crane operators, ironworkers, and millwrights here carry real physical risk every shift, and when one of them is hurt, the insurance carrier’s first questions are usually about how to avoid paying. Was it really work related? Was it already wrong with your back? Why did you wait to report it?
Those questions have answers, but the answers depend on the medical record, the timing of your notice, and the way the first weeks of the claim are handled. What follows explains how a Mississippi comp claim works for a Jackson County worker, where claims commonly go sideways, and what to do about it.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Jackson County Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Jackson County and the Gulf Coast. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury only when one walks in. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish (hablamos espanol), which matters in a Gulf Coast workforce where many shipyard and industrial workers are more comfortable in Spanish.
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 successfully 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.
The results reflect the kind of injuries Jackson County workers suffer. We recovered $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. We obtained $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. Across the firm’s history we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements. Clients tell us what they value most: that we listened, that we were easy to work with, and that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claims We Handle for Jackson County Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common claims from shipyard and industrial work, where lifting, climbing, and working in confined spaces wear on the spine. When a carrier points to degenerative disc disease, the question becomes whether years of physical labor or a specific incident caused or worsened the condition, and that is a medical-evidence fight we handle regularly.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often come from overhead welding, pulling heavy lines, or twisting on uneven decks and scaffolding. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the claim turns on what the surgeon says about cause.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, hips, and other bones from falls, dropped materials, and crushing incidents can require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long stretches away from work and real questions about permanent impairment.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Refineries, power plants, and industrial job sites carry fire, chemical, and electrical hazards. Severe burns and other catastrophic injuries involve long treatment, permanent limits, and some of the largest benefit claims.
- Occupational Illness and Repetitive Exposure: Hearing loss, lung conditions, and cumulative injuries develop over years of exposure in industrial settings, and they raise hard questions about when the injury occurred and when the notice and filing clocks started.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job are claims we pursue for those who serve the community.
- Third-Party Injuries: When a negligent driver strikes your work truck or an outside contractor creates a hazard, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits, and the two must be coordinated so one does not undercut the other.
What to Do After a Jackson County Work Injury, and Where Your Claim Gets Decided
Start with notice. Mississippi requires you to report your injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and the safest course is to report it the same day and put it in writing, naming the date, the place, and the body parts involved. Then get medical treatment and tell every provider the injury happened at work, because the first records written about your injury become the carrier’s favorite exhibit later. If you were hurt by a repetitive task or an exposure rather than a single event, say so plainly rather than guessing at a date. Keep your own file: names of witnesses, photographs of the area or equipment, your pay stubs, and a list of every doctor you see.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline and catches people who assumed the employer’s insurer would take care of everything. 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, and where payments have been made, the clock is measured from the last payment. Mississippi comp coverage begins on a worker’s first day of employment, with no waiting period, so a new hire hurt in the first week is covered like anyone else.
Comp disputes in Mississippi are not heard in a county courtroom. The Commission, whose members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate, administers the system. A contested claim is heard first by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. If either side appeals, the Full Commission reviews the record made before the judge rather than starting over with a new trial, which is why the evidence you build early decides how far you can go later. A party unhappy with a final Commission award may appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and appeals are decided on the Commission record. The Supreme Court often assigns those cases to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
The mistakes that hurt Jackson County workers most are predictable. They give recorded statements to the adjuster before understanding what the questions are for. They accept a return-to-work release the company doctor signed before their own doctor was satisfied. They let a denial sit, assuming it is final. And they sign settlement paperwork without knowing what future medical care they are giving up. Talking with an attorney before you do any of those things costs nothing.
How Wage Benefits and Medical Care Actually Work
Mississippi wage-loss benefits for temporary and permanent total disability are set at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and they are generally limited to 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in cases not covered by the schedule are subject to the same 450-week limit. A statutory weekly floor also exists, with exceptions for partial disability and partial dependency cases. How your average weekly wage is calculated matters enormously for shipyard and industrial workers, whose pay often swings with overtime, per diem, and seasonal work, and a carrier that uses a low figure underpays every check for the life of the claim.
Medical benefits are the other half. The law entitles you to reasonable and necessary treatment for a work injury, which includes surgery, therapy, medication, and referrals to specialists. Disputes arise when an insurer refuses an MRI, delays an authorized surgery, or insists on a doctor who consistently minimizes injuries. Pushing for the right treatment, and documenting the denials, often shapes the settlement value more than any other factor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jackson County Workers’ Compensation
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, an attorney can make a major difference. The carrier has adjusters and lawyers 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. Attorney fees in comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury and file a claim in Mississippi?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the accident. To protect your right to benefits, you generally must file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission within two years of the injury, or from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. Do not wait to see whether the problem resolves on its own.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Mississippi protects 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 injury was caused by a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument often, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
What happens if my claim is denied?
A denial is the start of a dispute, not the end of your claim. We file the petition with the Commission, build the medical and witness evidence, and take the case to an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge. If the result is wrong, we can seek review by the Full Commission and then appeal.
Is the Commission hearing like a trial in a county courthouse?
It is a formal proceeding with testimony and exhibits, but it takes place before the Commission’s Administrative Judges rather than a jury. Because Full Commission review and later appeals rest on the record created at that hearing, preparation matters more than people expect.
My employer says I was injured somewhere else or off the clock. Can I still recover?
Possibly. Where and when the injury happened is one of the carrier’s favorite defenses, and it is answered with witness accounts, time records, supervisor communications, and consistent early reports. Tell us exactly what happened, including details you worry may hurt you, so we can prepare for the argument.
I was hurt by a driver while working. Can I get comp and sue the driver too?
Often yes. Comp covers your medical care and wage loss regardless of fault, and a separate claim against the negligent third party may allow recovery of damages comp does not provide. The two claims have to be coordinated, because a settlement in one can affect the other.
Will I be forced back to work before I am ready?
Carriers often lean on a release from a doctor they favor. If your own treating physician disagrees, that conflict needs to be documented and addressed, not ignored. Returning to heavier duty than your body can handle can worsen the injury and weaken the claim.
Do I have to settle my claim?
No. Settlement is a choice, and a good one only when the number accounts for your future medical needs and lost earning capacity. We evaluate every offer against what your claim is realistically worth before you decide.
Do you represent workers who were injured in Louisiana but live on the Gulf Coast?
Yes. We handle claims in both Mississippi and Louisiana, which matters for workers who commute across state lines or travel to job sites in South Louisiana. Which state’s law applies depends on where the job was based and where the injury happened, and we sort that out early.
Serving Injured Workers Across Jackson County and the Gulf Coast
We represent injured workers throughout Jackson County, starting with Pascagoula and the shipyard and refinery workforce around it, and extending to Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs, Escatawpa, Vancleave, St. Martin, Hurley, Gulf Hills, and Latimer. Our clients include welders, pipefitters, ironworkers, crane operators, port and marine workers, plant operators, and laborers, and we also handle firefighter and first responder claims.
Beyond the county, we serve injured workers across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and neighboring communities such as Biloxi, Gulfport, and Long Beach, as well as Hattiesburg, Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta. We also represent workers in South Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and in north Mississippi and north Louisiana. Whatever your trade, if you were hurt on the job, we can look at your claim.
Talk With a Jackson County Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you have been hurt on the job, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. Speaking with a Jackson County workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe costs nothing, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us any hour, tell us what happened, and we will explain where your claim stands, what deadlines are running, and what comes next. We help injured workers. That is all we do.
