Jackson Longshoreman Injury Lawyer
If you were hurt unloading a vessel, working a dock, or handling cargo near Jackson, one of the first questions is which compensation system covers you, and the answer changes who you file with and how long you have. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers and accident victims across Mississippi and Louisiana, with a practice built around denied, delayed, and cut-off claims. For a Jackson longshoreman injury lawyer, that starting question matters more than people expect.
Jackson sits inland, on the Pearl River, so it is not a deep-water port the way New Orleans or the Gulf Coast are. Longshore-type work still reaches Mississippi workers through river terminals, barge loading, rail-to-water transfers, and jobs that send them to ports on the Gulf Coast or in South Louisiana. Whether your injury falls under the federal longshore system or under state compensation depends on where you were hurt and what you were doing, and insurers are quick to point to whichever system is worse for you. Sorting that out early is the most useful thing a lawyer can do for you.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Dock and Cargo Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC serves injured workers in Jackson, Hinds County, Madison, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Delta, and across South Louisiana. Clients do not pay up front: consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and fees are collected only if benefits or a settlement are recovered. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients are served in their own language.
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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, and the team also includes Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements, including $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 injured after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Those outcomes involved the same kinds of injuries that cargo and dock work produce: backs, shoulders, knees, and burns.
Clients describe attorneys who listen, explain the process, and stay in the fight with the insurance company at every step. That matters on a longshore-type claim, where the carrier often disputes both the coverage and the medical.
Injuries and Claim Situations Common in Cargo, Dock, and River Work
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting, rigging, and working on uneven decks or loading surfaces produce lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Carriers commonly blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical evidence has to show how years of heavy work or one incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears are routine in work that involves hauling lines, pulling pipe, and climbing on and off equipment. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the response is a clear medical timeline.
- Fractures: Falls from gangways, crushed feet and ankles from shifting loads, and hip injuries often require specialists and surgical repair, with long recovery periods that affect wage benefits.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites, fuel transfer, and equipment failures cause burns and life-altering trauma. These claims usually involve permanent disability questions and larger settlement stakes.
- Vehicle and Equipment Strikes: Workers are hit by forklifts, trucks, and work vehicles on terminals and roads. When someone other than your employer caused the crash, a separate personal injury claim may exist alongside your compensation benefits.
- Denied and Cut-Off Benefits: Carriers argue the accident did not happen at work, push workers back before a doctor clears them, or stop paying without warning. Each of these can be challenged through the proper forum.
- Death Claims: When a dock or cargo accident is fatal, surviving family members may have rights to death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a wrongful death claim.
What to Do After a Dock or Cargo Injury: Deadlines, Forums, and Mistakes
Get medical care first, and tell the provider the injury happened at work and exactly how. Then report it to your employer in writing. In both Mississippi and Louisiana, you need to give notice of the injury within 30 days, and sooner is better because late notice gives the insurer something to argue about. Keep a copy of what you sent, write down who witnessed the accident, and photograph the equipment or area if you can do so safely.
Filing deadlines depend on the system that applies. Under Mississippi’s compensation law, you generally have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a petition with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. In Louisiana, a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, though the period can stretch to three years from the last payment when benefits have been paid. Federal longshore claims follow their own rules and deadlines, which is one more reason to get the right forum identified before any clock runs out. A claim filed in the wrong system can waste time you may not have.
In Mississippi, claims are heard by the Commission rather than a court, either at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge or on review before the Full Commission, which sits in Jackson. The Full Commission reviews the record made before the Administrative Judge; it is not a new trial, so the evidence has to be built correctly the first time. A party who loses can appeal a final award to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and the Supreme Court often assigns the appeal to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. If your claim runs through Louisiana, workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation hear the case, you can choose among the parish where you were hurt, the parish where you lived, or the parish of the employer’s principal place of business, and a judgment is appealed to the appropriate circuit court of appeal within 30 days when the appeal suspends the judgment.
The common mistakes are predictable. Workers give recorded statements to the adjuster without preparation, return to work before a doctor releases them, skip appointments, or sign medical releases broader than the injury. Others assume that because the employer pays into one system, no other claim exists. Do not talk yourself out of benefits, and do not let a denial letter end the conversation. If your employer fires or punishes you after you report an injury, tell your lawyer right away, because both states protect workers from retaliation for filing a claim.
Longshore Coverage, State Comp, and Third-Party Claims
Maritime and dock workers sit at the intersection of several legal systems, and the right path depends on the facts. Some workers fall under federal longshore protections, some under Mississippi or Louisiana compensation, and some have claims against vessels, equipment owners, or contractors on top of whatever benefits the employer’s carrier owes. Because the federal and state schemes have different procedures, forums, and deadlines, the first job is classifying the claim correctly rather than assuming the answer. We evaluate where you were working, what you were doing, and who employed you, then pursue the system that fits.
Third-party claims deserve their own attention. If a negligent driver, a contractor with an unsafe site, or an equipment owner contributed to your injury, you may be able to recover damages that compensation alone does not provide, such as pain and suffering. In Mississippi, fault is compared, so your recovery is reduced by your share of responsibility rather than barred. In Louisiana, the rules depend on when the claim arose: for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a person found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and lesser fault reduces the award proportionally. Louisiana’s period for most injury suits is two years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, and one year for earlier ones. We make sure your compensation claim and any injury claim work together instead of undermining each other.
On the benefits side, the state systems pay for reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replace a portion of lost wages. Mississippi wage-loss benefits for total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum and capped at 450 weeks. Louisiana adds supplemental earnings benefits for workers who return at reduced pay, calculated as two-thirds of the difference between pre-injury wages and what you can earn, with a 520-week ceiling that counts temporary total disability weeks. Weekly maximums are adjusted periodically, so ask us for the current figure rather than relying on an old number.
Questions Injured Dock and Cargo Workers Ask
Do I need a Jackson longshoreman injury lawyer, or can I handle the claim myself?
Some simple claims resolve without a lawyer, but a claim involving a long absence from work, a surgery, a denial, or a dispute about which system covers you is a different matter. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it. Having someone who handles these claims for a living levels that out, and you pay nothing unless benefits or a settlement are recovered.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and fees are collected only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are also limited and approved under state law.
How soon do I have to report my injury?
Report it to your employer right away, and within 30 days at the latest in both Mississippi and Louisiana. Do it in writing and keep a copy. Waiting hands the insurer an argument that you were not hurt at work.
How long do I have to file a claim?
In Mississippi, you generally have two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment to file with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. In Louisiana, a claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment in some cases. Federal longshore claims have their own deadlines, so confirm which system applies as soon as possible.
Is a longshoreman covered by Mississippi workers’ compensation?
It depends on the work. Some dock and cargo workers are covered by the federal longshore system, others by state compensation, and the facts of where and how you were injured drive the answer. Mississippi coverage begins on your first day of employment for covered employers, so an injury shortly after hire is not a reason to give up on a claim.
What if the insurer says my injury is a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still qualify for benefits. Answering that argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of what we do.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a compensation claim. If you were let go or disciplined after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation so we can review your options.
What if a truck driver or another contractor caused my injury?
You may have a separate personal injury claim against the person at fault in addition to compensation benefits. The two claims interact, so how you handle one affects the other, which is why they should be coordinated from the start.
Will I get paid while my claim is pending?
Wage benefits and medical care are meant to begin when a claim is accepted, but denials and delays are common. If your benefits are denied or cut off, we can take the dispute before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission or a Louisiana workers’ compensation judge to get payments started.
What if my medical treatment is denied in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a specific process for disputing a denial of treatment. The aggrieved party has 15 calendar days from the written denial to file Form 1009 with the Office of Workers’ Compensation, and the medical director then has 30 calendar days to decide. A further challenge to that decision has its own 45-day deadline, so these short windows should not be missed.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?
For compensation benefits, fault generally is not the issue. For a separate injury claim, Mississippi reduces recovery by your share of fault, and Louisiana bars recovery at 51 percent fault or more for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, with lesser fault reducing the award.
How long will my case take?
It varies with the severity of the injury, how long you take to reach maximum medical improvement, and whether the insurer contests the claim. Serious injuries with surgery usually take longer. We will give you a realistic picture after reviewing your records.
Serving Injured Dock and Cargo Workers From Jackson Across Mississippi and Louisiana
From Jackson in Hinds County, our team represents injured workers throughout the metro area, including Clinton, Byram, Terry, Raymond, Pocahontas, and Bolton. We also serve Madison and Ridgeland to the north, Pearl and Brandon in Rankin County, and communities such as Flowood and Richland that sit nearby. Across the state, we work with clients in Hattiesburg, Southaven and the north Mississippi corridor, the Delta, and along the Gulf Coast where port and cargo work is concentrated.
The firm’s reach continues into Louisiana, covering South Louisiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as communities in north Louisiana. Dock, terminal, and cargo workers move between these places, and a worker injured in one state may live in another, so we handle claims wherever the work and the injury took place.
Speak With a Jackson Longshoreman Injury Attorney
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to work through the compensation maze or the insurance company alone. A Jackson longshoreman injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review where you were working, determine which system covers you, and begin protecting your medical care and wage benefits. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us to talk through your case.
