Mississippi Gulf Coast Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A worker hurt on a Gulf Coast job site does not file with a local court. The claim goes to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which sits in Jackson, even if the accident happened in Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, or Bay St. Louis. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Stone, George, Greene, and Pearl River counties and throughout Mississippi, and a Mississippi Gulf Coast workers’ compensation lawyer from our firm handles that distance so you do not have to.
The Coast’s economy produces its own kind of injuries. Shipyard welders and fitters, casino and hospitality staff, port and dock laborers, offshore support crews, refinery and plant workers, and the construction crews that keep rebuilding after storms all work in settings where a single fall, burn, or crushing incident can end a career. Insurers know these industries well, and they know which arguments tend to cut benefits short.
The stakes are concrete. Miss one reporting deadline and a valid claim can be defeated before anyone looks at your medical records. Accept a return-to-work release you cannot physically meet and your wage checks can stop.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Gulf Coast Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm for injured workers in Mississippi and Louisiana. Workers’ compensation is the center of our practice, not a side matter that arrives when someone happens to call. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, you pay nothing unless we recover benefits, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with us in their own language from the first call.
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 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.
Results matter more than adjectives. 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 injured when he was struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Those are the kinds of cases Coast workers bring us: spine injuries from physical labor, vehicle crashes on the job, and burns in industrial settings. Our clients consistently describe a team that listens, stays professional, and fights the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claims Common Among Gulf Coast Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most frequent claims we see from shipyard, dock, construction, and warehouse workers. When an insurer blames degenerative disc disease, the answer is medical evidence showing how years of heavy lifting or a single incident caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears often come from overhead work, pulling heavy lines or pipe, and climbing on vessels and platforms. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and that argument has to be met with imaging and treating-physician testimony.
- Fractures: Falls from scaffolds, ladders, decks, and loading equipment break feet, ankles, hips, and other bones. These injuries can require specialists, surgery, and long recovery, which makes the wage-loss side of the claim just as important as the medical side.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Plants, refineries, and oil field operations carry fire, chemical, and explosion risks. Severe burns and crush injuries can leave permanent impairment and change what work a person can ever do again.
- Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Delivery drivers, truckers, and field staff are hit on Interstate 10, Highway 90, and Highway 49 while working. These cases often carry both a comp claim and a separate injury 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 are all conditions we handle for those who serve Coast communities.
- Repetitive Strain and Occupational Illness: Not every claim starts with a single accident. Conditions that build over months or years from the work itself can qualify, and insurers fight them harder because there is no one moment to point to.
What to Do After a Work Injury on the Coast
Tell your employer about the injury right away, and in writing if you can. Mississippi law gives you 30 days from the accident to report it. Waiting past that window hands the insurer an easy defense. Name who you told, what you said, and when, and keep a copy.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened at work. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what adjusters use later to suggest the injury came from somewhere else. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even when a supervisor pushes you to do more. Taking a shift you cannot safely handle can both worsen the injury and damage the claim.
The filing deadline is separate from the reporting deadline. Generally you 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. If no disability benefits were ever paid and you let two years pass without filing, the right to benefits is barred. Do not assume the insurer’s voluntary payments or promises will protect you.
Coverage starts on your first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Wage-loss benefits for total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum and not beyond 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability in the general category is also capped at 450 weeks.
Mississippi comp claims are decided by the Commission, not a jury. Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing, and either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record made before the judge rather than holding a new trial. From there, a final Commission award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the existing record, which is why building that record carefully at the first hearing is so important.
Common mistakes are predictable. Workers give recorded statements to adjusters without preparation. They sign broad medical releases. They accept a settlement offer before reaching maximum medical improvement. They return to work early and then have nothing to fall back on when the injury flares. A call to an attorney before any of those steps costs nothing.
When a Gulf Coast Comp Claim Is Denied or Cut Off
Insurers use a short list of arguments. They say the accident did not happen at work, point to a pre-existing condition, claim you were late reporting, or declare you fit for duty on the strength of a doctor they selected. Each one has an answer, but the answer depends on evidence gathered early: coworker statements, incident reports, treating physician opinions, and a clear work history.
A pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, benefits can still be owed. Many of the Coast’s physical trades leave workers with prior wear on the spine and joints, so this defense comes up constantly.
Retaliation is also prohibited. Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim. If you were disciplined, demoted, or let go after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation.
Third-Party Claims on Top of Workers’ Compensation
Comp pays regardless of fault, but it does not pay for pain and suffering. When someone other than your employer contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver, a subcontractor with an unsafe site, or a defective equipment maker, you may have a separate personal injury claim. In Mississippi, a negligence action generally must be filed within three years, and recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than barred outright. Our personal injury work includes car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death, and we coordinate the two claims so a settlement in one does not damage the other.
Gulf Coast Workers’ Compensation Questions
Do I need a lawyer for a Mississippi workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim needs 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, an attorney can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and lawyers working for it, and you should have someone working for you.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report and file?
Report to your employer within 30 days of the accident. You generally have two years from the injury date or the last compensation payment to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Because exceptions depend on payment history, speak with an attorney as early as possible.
What does Mississippi comp pay while I cannot work?
Wage replacement for total disability is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, for up to 450 weeks. The maximum is adjusted over time, so ask us what applies to your date of injury.
Am I covered if I was injured on my first day?
Yes. Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. The employer must carry coverage if it has five or more employees.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
No. Mississippi prohibits retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were fired or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review your options.
Do I have to see the company’s doctor?
Medical treatment is covered when reasonable and necessary, but disputes over who treats you are common. An insurer-selected doctor who releases you to work early can end your wage benefits, so talk to us before relying on that release.
My employer says my back problem is just degenerative. Is my claim dead?
No. If work caused, aggravated, or sped up the condition, benefits may still be owed. Winning that argument usually turns on a treating physician who ties the work activity to the symptoms and on a clear record of when the problem became disabling.
Do I have to go to a Gulf Coast courthouse for my hearing?
Mississippi comp is handled by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body, not a county court or jury. Hearings are before an Administrative Judge, and Full Commission review takes place in Jackson. Our attorneys manage the logistics so a Coast worker is not left sorting it out alone.
What if a third party caused my injury?
You may have a personal injury claim in addition to comp. Mississippi applies pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. We coordinate both claims so they work together.
I live on the Coast but was hurt in Louisiana. Can you help?
Yes. We represent injured workers in both Mississippi and Louisiana. Louisiana has its own rules, including a general one-year window to file a formal claim, so where the injury happened matters and we can advise on which state’s system applies.
Does a settlement end my medical care?
It can, depending on how the settlement is structured. Before signing anything, we review whether future treatment, surgery, or medication needs are accounted for, because an early lump sum can leave you paying for care out of pocket.
Serving Injured Workers Across Mississippi’s Gulf Coast
Our representation reaches Harrison County, including Gulfport, Biloxi, D’Iberville, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Diamondhead’s neighboring communities, as well as Hancock County, with Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Kiln. In Jackson County we serve workers in Pascagoula, Moss Point, Ocean Springs, Gautier, and Gulf Hills. We also represent clients in Stone, George, Greene, and Pearl River counties, including Wiggins, Lucedale, Leakesville, Poplarville, and Picayune.
Beyond the Coast, we serve injured workers in Hattiesburg, Jackson, Madison, Southaven, the Delta, and north Mississippi, as well as South Louisiana and Louisiana communities including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Whether you work a shipyard, a dock, a casino floor, a plant, or a job site, the same claims process applies and we can help.
Talk to a Gulf Coast Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job anywhere on the Coast, speak with a Gulf Coast workers’ compensation attorney before the insurer decides how your claim will go. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us or send your case details, and let us deal with the employer and the insurer while you focus on getting well. We help injured workers. That is all we do.
