North Mississippi Work Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across north Mississippi, from the Memphis-area suburbs of DeSoto County through Southaven, Oxford, Tupelo, and Corinth, and on to the Delta and the rest of the state. If you were hurt at a plant, on a jobsite, behind the wheel of a company truck, or in a warehouse, the firm handles the workers’ compensation claim and, when someone other than your employer caused the injury, the personal injury claim that can run beside it. Workers’ compensation is what these lawyers do, and they treat it that way.
A north Mississippi work injury lawyer spends a lot of time on a few recurring problems: a denial that blames a “degenerative” spine, a doctor chosen by the insurer who releases you early, and benefits that stop without a call or a letter. The sections below cover how these claims actually work in Mississippi, what north Mississippi workers tend to be hurt doing, and what to do in the first days after an injury.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a North Mississippi Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients across Mississippi and Louisiana, serves injured workers in north Mississippi, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and Jackson-area communities, and is ranked by Best Law Firms for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, you pay no fee unless benefits or a settlement are recovered, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
The people matter as much as the numbers. 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. 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.
Results show what that focus produces: $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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients describe the same things in their reviews: attorneys who listen, who stay in the fight with the insurance company, and who keep them informed from start to finish.
Injuries and Claims That Come Out of North Mississippi Workplaces
North Mississippi’s economy runs on distribution centers, manufacturing plants, furniture and automotive suppliers, trucking, healthcare, and construction. The injuries follow the work.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most contested claims. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease; the answer is medical evidence showing that repetitive lifting, a fall, or a single incident caused or aggravated the condition.
- Warehouse and Distribution Injuries: The logistics corridor around DeSoto County and the Memphis metro produces forklift incidents, falls from docks, and lifting injuries, often involving temp-agency workers whose employer is unclear.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Driver Crashes: A wreck in a company vehicle on Interstate 55, Interstate 22, or the highways around Tupelo is both a comp claim and, if another driver was at fault, a possible personal injury claim.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among line workers, mechanics, and laborers, and employers sometimes call them old sports injuries.
- Manufacturing Plant Injuries: Crush injuries, amputations, and repetitive-motion conditions arise on production lines and around heavy machinery, and often involve surgery and long recoveries.
- Construction and Ironwork Falls and Fractures: Broken feet, ankles, and hips can require specialist care and complex surgical repair, with real questions about when a worker can safely return.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial sites and energy work can cause severe burns and life-changing injuries that call for the highest level of benefits.
- Firefighter and First Responder Conditions: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and job-related cancers can all form the basis of a claim.
What to Do in the First Days After a North Mississippi Work Injury
Report the injury to your employer right away, and in writing if you can. Mississippi gives you 30 days from the accident to notify your employer, and missing that window gives the insurer an easy argument. Coverage begins on your first day on the job, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected the same as a 20-year employee.
Get medical treatment and tell every provider the injury happened at work. Be specific about how it happened and which body parts hurt, because early records become the backbone of the claim. Keep copies of discharge papers, work restrictions, and bills. Photograph the scene or equipment if you can, and write down the names of anyone who saw it happen.
The claim itself runs through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which is an administrative agency, not a court. If benefits are denied or stopped, the worker generally has two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission. Do not wait out that period hoping the insurer will come around. A claim for a hearing is heard first by an Administrative Judge. A losing party can ask the Full Commission to review the record made before the judge, which is a review of the existing record and not a new trial. From there, a final award can be appealed within thirty days, and the Mississippi Supreme Court may assign the case to the Court of Appeals.
Common mistakes are avoidable. Do not give a recorded statement to the adjuster without understanding what it will be used for. Do not sign a release or accept a lump sum before you know the full extent of your injury. Do not skip treatment because the insurer’s doctor says you are fine, and do not return to work earlier than your own physician allows. If a coworker or a supervisor suggests you keep quiet about the injury, remember that Mississippi law protects you from being fired in retaliation for filing a claim.
How Mississippi Wage Benefits and Medical Care Actually Work
Mississippi workers’ compensation pays for reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the injury and replaces part of your lost wages. For temporary total and permanent total disability, weekly benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted periodically, and generally not to exceed 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most other cases are also capped at 450 weeks.
Two-thirds of a paycheck is still a cut, and the real fights are over what lies beneath that number: whether the insurer calculated your average weekly wage correctly, whether your doctor’s restrictions are being honored, and whether a disability rating reflects what the injury actually did to your ability to earn a living. Overtime, second jobs, and seasonal swings in hours can all change the calculation, so check the insurer’s math rather than assuming it is right.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Caused the Injury
Comp benefits generally come regardless of fault, but they do not make you whole. If a negligent driver, an equipment manufacturer, or a contractor on a shared jobsite caused your injury, you may also have a third-party injury claim. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so any fault assigned to you reduces a third-party recovery rather than barring it. Most claims with no other specific deadline must be brought within three years, and claims against a county or governmental body have a one-year limit with notice requirements. Because the comp carrier may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, the two claims need to be coordinated from the start.
Questions North Mississippi Injured Workers Ask
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one. But if benefits were denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or if you will be out of work for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
How much does it cost to hire Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and fees are collected 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 my injury?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Earlier is better, and in writing is best. The notice and filing deadlines appear in Section 71-3-35 of the Mississippi Code.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the date of the last compensation payment to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission. If no disability benefits were ever paid and no claim was filed within two years of the injury, the right to benefits can be lost.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were fired or disciplined after reporting an injury, mention it in your consultation so the firm can review your options.
What if my employer has no workers’ compensation insurance?
Mississippi requires employers with five or more employees to carry coverage. If your employer should have had it and did not, you may have options beyond the Commission process, and the firm can evaluate them.
What if the insurer says my injury is just a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Answering this argument with strong medical evidence is a core part of the firm’s work.
Can I choose my own doctor in a Mississippi comp claim?
The rules about who selects the treating physician and when you can change doctors are specific, and getting this wrong can hurt a claim. Before switching providers or agreeing to see the insurer’s doctor, talk with an attorney about how those rules apply to your situation.
The insurer stopped my checks with no warning. What now?
A sudden cutoff is often a reason to file a Petition to Controvert, not to wait. Gather your medical restrictions and any notice you received, and call a lawyer promptly so the dispute gets in front of an Administrative Judge.
What if I was hurt in a truck wreck while driving for work?
You may have two claims: workers’ compensation through your employer, and a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. The firm represents injured people in car and truck accidents and works to make the two claims support each other.
Can I work on my comp claim if I am a Spanish speaker?
Yes. Hablamos español. Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Do I have to go to a courthouse for my comp hearing?
Comp claims are decided by the Commission’s Administrative Judges and Full Commission, not by a jury in a county courthouse. Your attorney will explain where and how your hearing will take place and prepare you for it.
Serving Injured Workers Across North Mississippi and Beyond
The firm represents workers throughout north Mississippi, starting with DeSoto County and Southaven and reaching south and east through Oxford, Tupelo, Corinth, and the smaller communities in between. It also serves workers across the Delta, in Jackson and Madison, in Hattiesburg, and along the Gulf Coast, as well as in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of Louisiana. Wherever the injury happened, the claim goes before the same Commission, and the team handles it with the same focus on medical care and wage benefits.
Talk With a North Mississippi Work Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company alone. A north Mississippi work injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain your deadlines, and start dealing with your employer and its insurer. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits for you. Call today and tell them what happened.
