Pass Christian Personal Injury Lawyer
A wreck on Scenic Drive, a fall at a harbor-side business, or an injury on a job site along the Mississippi Gulf Coast can leave you with medical bills and no clear answer about who pays. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a law firm that represents injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, handling workers’ compensation claims along with car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases. If you need a Pass Christian personal injury lawyer, the first thing to know is that the right claim depends on how you were hurt and who was responsible.
Pass Christian sits in Harrison County, and the Gulf Coast economy shapes the kind of injuries that happen here: tourism and hospitality work, marine and port-related jobs, construction and rebuilding projects, and constant traffic along Highway 90 and Interstate 10. A delivery driver rear-ended on the beachfront, a laborer hurt on a build site, and a visitor who slips in a restaurant all have different paths forward. Some people discover that one injury opens two claims at once, and that is where careful handling matters most.
The distinction people most often miss is between a personal injury claim and a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ comp is a no-fault system: you generally do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong, but your benefits are limited to medical care and partial wage replacement. A personal injury claim is fault-based and can reach more types of damages, but you must show that someone else’s negligence caused your injury. When a negligent third party injures you while you are working, you may be entitled to pursue both.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Gulf Coast Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims throughout Mississippi, including Harrison County, the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Jackson, and the Delta, as well as South Louisiana and communities across that state. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless there is a recovery. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
The team includes Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, who has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers; Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, Partners, both recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers; and attorneys Andrew Rueff, Keaton Belk, Erin Heimlicher, and Jared Martin. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued personal injury and insurance matters before state appellate courts. The firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson.
The results reflect the kind of injuries that tend to matter most: a $685,000 settlement 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. That last category of case, where a work injury and an outside party’s negligence overlap, is exactly where a firm that knows both systems earns its keep. Clients regularly describe a team that listens, stays professional, and fights the insurance company at every step.
Injury Claims We See Along the Mississippi Coast
- Car and Truck Accidents: Highway 90, Interstate 10, and the connecting roads through Harrison County carry beach traffic, commuters, and commercial trucks. Rear-end collisions, intersection crashes, and wrecks involving tractor-trailers often involve multiple insurers and disputes over who was at fault.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: When a delivery driver, project manager, or crew member is hit while on the clock, you may have a workers’ compensation claim against your employer’s carrier and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
- Premises Liability: Restaurants, hotels, marinas, rental properties, and retail businesses owe visitors a reasonably safe space. Slip-and-falls, poor lighting, broken stairs, and unsecured hazards are common sources of these claims.
- Construction and Industrial Injuries: Rebuilding and ongoing development along the coast put laborers, ironworkers, and tradespeople around heavy equipment. A subcontractor or equipment owner, not just your employer, may share responsibility for an unsafe site.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated discs and cervical injuries are among the most frequent serious injuries after crashes and falls, and insurers often blame degenerative disc disease rather than the incident itself.
- Shoulder, Knee, and Fracture Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, meniscus tears, and broken bones can require specialists and surgery, and an insurer may call them old sports injuries to avoid paying.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial settings, plants, and rigs can produce life-altering burns and trauma that call for long-term medical planning in any claim.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, surviving family members may bring a claim in addition to any benefits available through work.
What to Do After an Injury in Pass Christian
Get medical care first, and tell the provider exactly how you were hurt so the record ties your symptoms to the incident. Gaps in treatment and vague descriptions are what insurers seize on later. If the injury happened in a crash, call law enforcement so a report is created, and photograph the vehicles, the road, any hazards, and your injuries. If it happened at a business, report it to the manager and ask that an incident report be made, then keep a copy or note who you spoke with.
If you were hurt at work, report it to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi requires notice to the employer within 30 days of the accident, and a formal claim generally must be filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury or the last compensation payment. Mississippi coverage begins on the worker’s first day, with no waiting period. Do not let a supervisor talk you out of reporting, and do not return to full duty before your doctor clears you.
For injury claims against a negligent third party, Mississippi law generally gives you three years from when the cause of action accrued to file suit, and a latent injury may be treated differently under a discovery rule. A claim against a county or other governmental body is far tighter: it carries a one-year limit and requires notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so if you share some blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Federal court cases arising on the Coast are heard in the Southern Division of the Southern District of Mississippi, which sits in Gulfport and covers Hancock, Harrison, and the neighboring Gulf Coast counties.
Be careful with the other side’s insurance adjuster. A recorded statement given early, before you know the full extent of your injuries, can be used against you. Do not sign releases or accept a quick payment until you understand what your treatment will cost over time. Keep a simple record of missed work, out-of-pocket costs, and how the injury affects daily life. Then call an injury law firm that can tell you which claims you actually have.
When One Injury Creates Two Claims
The overlap between workers’ compensation and a personal injury case is where many injured people leave money on the table. Suppose you are driving a company vehicle and a distracted driver hits you. Your employer’s carrier owes you medical care and wage benefits regardless of who caused the crash. But the other driver’s insurer owes you for the full harm they caused, which can include pain and suffering and losses that workers’ comp does not cover.
These claims must be coordinated. The comp carrier may have a right to be reimbursed from part of a third-party recovery, and a settlement reached carelessly in one case can damage the other. A firm handling both can sequence the claims so that one does not undercut the other. That is the reason the firm’s attorneys handle comp and personal injury together rather than treating them as unrelated files.
How Insurers Fight These Claims
Insurance companies tend to use a familiar set of arguments. They say the accident did not happen the way you described, that the injury was already there, that you were more at fault than you were, or that your treatment is excessive. In a back or neck case, they point to age-related wear on the spine. In a shoulder or knee case, they point to an old athletic injury.
The response is evidence built early: consistent medical records, witness accounts, photographs, work history showing how physical your job was, and medical opinions that connect the injury to the event. For workers’ compensation specifically, Mississippi disability benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and for total disability they cannot run beyond 450 weeks. Knowing those limits helps you judge whether a settlement offer is fair.
Pass Christian Personal Injury Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a personal injury claim?
Not every minor claim requires one, but if you have a serious injury, a disputed accident, or an insurer that is delaying or denying payment, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurance company has adjusters and attorneys working for it, and you should have someone doing the same for you.
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 you recover benefits or a settlement.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most negligence-based injury claims must be filed within three years of when the claim accrued. Claims against a county or government agency are limited to one year and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so those cases cannot wait.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence. Your recovery is reduced by your share of fault, but you are not barred from recovering simply because you bear some responsibility. Louisiana has a different rule, so where the accident occurred matters.
What is the difference between workers’ comp and a personal injury claim?
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system limited to medical care and wage benefits for injuries connected to your job. A personal injury claim requires proof that someone else was negligent, but it can compensate a broader range of losses.
Can I file both if I was hurt in a work-related crash?
Often yes. If a third party caused the injury, you can generally pursue workers’ compensation against your employer’s carrier and an injury claim against the responsible party. The two must be coordinated so a settlement in one does not harm the other.
How soon must I report a work injury in Mississippi?
You must give your employer notice within 30 days of the accident, and a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission generally must be filed within two years. Reporting right away protects both deadlines.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it will cover care in the meantime, and the claim can later address reimbursement. If the injury is work-related, the workers’ compensation carrier is supposed to pay for authorized treatment. Tell every provider how you were hurt so bills are routed correctly.
Can an insurer say my injury was pre-existing to deny my claim?
They try, but a pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If the incident caused, aggravated, or accelerated the condition, you may still recover. Strong medical evidence is what answers this argument.
What if my injury was caused by someone else on a job site but I work for a different company?
Then the other company or contractor may be a liable third party in addition to your employer’s comp coverage. Construction sites often involve several employers, and an unsafe site can create claims against parties other than the one that signs your paycheck.
Is a quick settlement offer from the insurance company worth taking?
Early offers are often made before the full extent of your injuries is known. Once you sign a release, you generally cannot reopen the claim, so it is wise to understand your future medical needs and lost earning capacity first.
Does the firm handle cases outside Pass Christian?
Yes. The firm represents clients statewide in Mississippi and Louisiana, including the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Jackson, the Delta, and communities in South Louisiana and north Louisiana.
Serving Injury Clients From Pass Christian Across the Gulf Coast
Our work starts in Pass Christian and Harrison County, and it extends along the Mississippi Coast through Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, D’Iberville, and Diamondhead. We also serve people in neighboring Hancock County, including Bay St. Louis and Waveland, as well as Ocean Springs and Gautier toward the east, and Wiggins, Picayune, and Poplarville in the surrounding area. Farther inland, we represent clients in Hattiesburg, Jackson, and Madison, and across the Delta and north Mississippi, including Southaven.
The same coverage reaches across the state line into South Louisiana and beyond, with injured workers and accident victims in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Whether the injury came from a crash on the Coast, a fall at a business, or an accident on a work site, the firm can evaluate both the personal injury and workers’ compensation sides of your case.
Talk With a Pass Christian Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, a fall, or an accident at work, a conversation with a Pass Christian injury attorney can tell you what claims you have and what deadlines are running. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC answers its phones 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless the firm recovers benefits or a settlement for you. Call today and let the team take on the insurance company while you focus on getting better.
