Lowndes County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
The goal in a work injury claim is simple to state and harder to reach: authorized medical treatment that keeps moving, weekly checks that arrive on time, and a final resolution that reflects what the injury actually cost you. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we take on denied, delayed, and cut-off claims for people in Columbus, West Point’s neighboring communities, and throughout the county. If you need a Lowndes County workers’ compensation lawyer, this is the work we do every day.
Lowndes County is a working county. Steel and metal fabrication, manufacturing plants, the logistics and trucking traffic moving along US-45 and US-82, hospital and healthcare employment, and the aviation and defense work tied to the area all generate injuries that turn into comp claims. A back that gave out after years of lifting, a shoulder torn on a production line, a driver hurt in a wreck on the job: each of these gets contested by insurers in predictable ways, and each calls for a different kind of proof.
Mississippi comp claims are not decided in the county courthouse. They run through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which has its own procedures, its own deadlines, and its own appeal path. Knowing that system is a large part of what separates a claim that gets paid from one that stalls.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Lowndes County Work Injury Claim
Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see a work injury only when one walks in. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Lowndes County and the rest of north Mississippi.
Our people matter here. Rob Lunsford, 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. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out a team built around injured workers.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries that come out of industrial and transportation work: $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. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, communicates, and stays with them through the fight with the insurer. We work on a no recovery, no fee basis, consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
Injuries and Claim Types We Handle for Lowndes County Workers
- Back, neck, and spine injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common serious comp injuries in plant, warehouse, and trucking work. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence showing how repetitive physical work or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and knee injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears frequently follow lifting, pulling, and awkward-position work on production floors. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the dispute turns on what the imaging and the treating surgeon say.
- Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips from falls, struck-by incidents, and equipment accidents can require specialists and complex repair, with long recovery periods that make wage benefits critical.
- Burns and catastrophic injuries: Industrial settings, including plants and oilfield-type operations, produce burns and crush injuries that demand long-term medical care and raise questions about permanent disability.
- Truck and driver injuries: Lowndes County sits on freight routes, and drivers hurt in on-the-job wrecks often have both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Firefighter and first responder claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job require careful proof of the link to service.
- Denied and terminated benefits: Claims denied outright, benefits stopped without warning, or workers pushed back to duty before a doctor clears them are the core of our appeals work.
- Third-party and wrongful death claims: When a contractor, a negligent driver, or an unsafe site caused the injury, or when a worker dies from a workplace accident, additional claims may sit alongside comp.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Lowndes County
Report the injury to your employer in writing within 30 days of the accident. That is the Mississippi notice requirement, and missing it hands the insurer an easy argument. Do not wait to see whether the pain fades. Tell a supervisor, keep a copy of what you sent, and write down the date, the location, the machine or task involved, and who saw it happen.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened at work. Incomplete histories in early chart notes are what insurers quote later. Coverage in Mississippi begins on your first day of employment, with no waiting period, so a newly hired worker is protected the same as a veteran employee.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. Generally you have two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment, to file a Petition to Controvert (Form B-5) with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury and no claim has been filed, the right to benefits can be barred. Do not treat the two-year window as a comfortable cushion; evidence, witnesses, and medical records are strongest early.
Expect the insurer to take a recorded statement, request medical records, and possibly schedule an independent medical examination. Be truthful, but do not guess, speculate, or minimize. Do not sign broad medical releases or settlement paperwork without having someone review them. Do not return to work against restrictions to avoid a fight, and do not skip treatment because the adjuster calls it unnecessary.
If the claim is contested, it is heard by the Commission, not a county court. Cases are tried before an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing, and a party unhappy with the result can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made before the judge rather than holding a new trial. A final Commission award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, based on the record already made, and the Supreme Court often assigns those cases to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Because appeals are decided on the record, the hearing itself is where a case is won or lost, which is why preparation, medical testimony, and vocational evidence matter so much.
How Insurers Contest Mississippi Comp Claims and How We Answer
The playbook is familiar. The carrier says the accident did not happen at work, that a pre-existing condition is to blame, that you are able to return to work, or that your treatment is not necessary. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If work caused, aggravated, or accelerated the condition, benefits can still be owed. Winning that argument usually takes a treating physician willing to explain causation in plain terms and a record that ties symptoms to specific work events.
Wage-loss benefits for temporary or permanent total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and generally cannot extend past 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability benefits are also subject to a 450-week limit. The maximum weekly amount is set by the state and adjusted over time, so the number that applies depends on your injury date. How your average weekly wage is calculated, and whether you have a loss of wage-earning capacity, are frequent points of dispute.
In practice, our attorneys do the work that builds the record: obtaining and reviewing medical records, pressing for authorized treatment and referrals to specialists, preparing treating doctors to testify, gathering co-worker and supervisor accounts, documenting job duties, challenging an insurer’s examiner, and presenting vocational evidence when a worker cannot return to the old job. When settlement makes sense, we negotiate it with a clear view of future medical needs and not just the current check.
Some Lowndes County workers also have a second claim. If someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or an outside contractor, a personal injury claim may exist alongside comp. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so partial fault reduces recovery rather than eliminating it. We coordinate both claims so that one does not undercut the other.
Lowndes County Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a Mississippi workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if your injury will keep you out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys; you should have someone protecting your side.
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?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing and keep a copy.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the date of the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert (Form B-5) with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Exceptions can apply when benefits have been paid, so speak with an attorney early.
Does my employer have to carry workers’ compensation insurance?
In Mississippi, employers with five or more employees must provide coverage, and an employee is covered from the first day on the job, with no waiting period or minimum earnings requirement.
What benefits can I receive?
Reasonable and necessary medical treatment, wage-loss benefits at up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage subject to the statutory maximum, and additional benefits for permanent disability or death. Vocational rehabilitation may also be part of the picture when you cannot return to the same work.
Can I be fired for filing a 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 employer says my injury is just wear and tear?
That argument is common with back, neck, shoulder, and knee injuries. If your work caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still qualify. Strong medical opinions linking the condition to specific job demands are the answer.
Can I choose my own doctor?
Treatment disputes are among the most frequent fights in comp cases, and your right to change physicians or obtain a referral to a specialist depends on the circumstances and the Commission’s rules. Do not switch or stop treatment without getting advice, because it can affect both your care and your claim.
What happens if my claim is denied after a hearing?
You can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the record from the hearing, and then appeal a final award to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days. Because every stage depends on the record, the quality of the original hearing evidence is critical.
I was hurt in a wreck while driving for work. Is it only a comp claim?
Not necessarily. You may have a comp claim against your employer’s carrier and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver. Handling them together protects your medical coverage and your recovery.
Do you handle cases for Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Injured Workers Across Lowndes County and North Mississippi
Our work for Lowndes County clients begins in Columbus, the county seat and its largest employment center, and extends to the surrounding communities of Caledonia, Crawford, Steens, New Hope, and the rural stretches of the county between them. Workers commute into the area from every direction, and we represent injured employees whether the job site is a plant, a hospital, a warehouse, a school, or a road.
We also serve workers from neighboring counties in the region, including Clay County and West Point, Oktibbeha County and Starkville, Monroe County and Aberdeen, and Noxubee County, along with communities across north Mississippi such as Tupelo and Southaven. Beyond that, we represent injured workers across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, and across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport.
Talk to a Lowndes County Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job and the insurer is stalling, denying, or pressing you to settle for less than your injury is worth, speak with a Lowndes County workers’ compensation attorney at our firm. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, the consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us, tell us what happened, and let us handle the employer and the insurer while you focus on getting better.
