Smith County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A work injury claim in Smith County does not get decided in the county courthouse. It goes to the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body that hears cases through Administrative Judges and a Full Commission, which means the way you build your claim looks different from a typical lawsuit. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and as a Smith County workers’ compensation lawyer team, we handle claims for people hurt on the job in Raleigh, Taylorsville, Mize, and the rest of the county.
Smith County’s economy runs on timber, poultry and agricultural work, oil and gas service, trucking, and the construction crews that move between Jasper, Covington, Simpson, and Jones counties and the Jackson area. Those are physical jobs, and they produce the injuries that insurers like to dispute: herniated discs, torn shoulders, crushed or fractured limbs, and burns. The common thread is that the first report, the first doctor visit, and the first statement to an adjuster often shape the outcome of the whole claim.
Many of the questions people type into a search bar here come down to three things: whether the medical care will be paid, how rent and groceries get covered while they cannot work, and what to do when the carrier suddenly says the injury is not work related. The sections below answer those directly.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Smith County Comp Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm, not a general practice that takes a comp case when one happens to walk in. We serve injured workers throughout Mississippi, including Smith County and the surrounding region, along with Louisiana. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with us in their own language.
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.
The results reflect the kinds of injuries Smith County workers suffer. 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 his work vehicle was struck, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Across all of our clients, we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements. Clients who review the firm describe attorneys who listen, stay in contact, and push back on the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Smith County Workers
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting, loading, and heavy equipment work in timber, poultry processing, and construction produce lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Carriers often point to degenerative disc disease, and the answer is medical evidence showing how years of 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 are common among drillers, derrickhands, mechanics, and laborers. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, so the work history and the mechanics of the incident matter.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and other bones broken in falls from equipment, trailers, and elevated work platforms often need specialists and surgical repair, with long recovery periods.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil field and industrial work in this part of Mississippi carries burn and crush risks. These claims involve long treatment, permanent impairment, and larger wage-loss questions.
- Truck and Vehicle Wrecks on the Job: Drivers hauling timber, poultry, fuel, and freight cross Smith County highways daily. A wreck during work can support 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 can all be compensable, though proving the connection takes careful medical work.
- Pre-existing Condition Disputes: A prior injury or a degenerative finding on an MRI does not end a claim if work caused, aggravated, or accelerated the condition.
- Retaliation After Reporting: Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim, and we review any termination or discipline that follows an injury report.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Smith County
Report the injury to your employer right away, and do not let more than 30 days pass from the accident. Mississippi requires notice within that window, and a late report hands the insurer an easy argument. Put the report in writing if you can, name the date, the place, what you were doing, and each body part affected, and keep a copy. If you cannot tell whether something is serious yet, report it anyway. Back pain that seems minor on day one often turns into surgery.
Get medical care and be specific with the provider that the injury happened at work. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what carriers later use to argue the problem came from somewhere else. Follow your doctor’s restrictions, and do not return to full duty before you are cleared. Pushing back to work early is one of the most common ways claims get undermined.
Mississippi coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement, as long as the employer is covered by the law. Wage-loss benefits for total disability run at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, and they cannot extend past 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in most cases are likewise capped at 450 weeks.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. If the carrier has not paid disability benefits, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission, and if benefits were paid, the two years can run from the last payment. Missing that window can bar the claim entirely, so waiting to see whether the insurer comes around is a real risk.
Be careful with recorded statements. Adjusters are friendly, and they are building a record. Before you give one, talk with a lawyer. Also keep a simple log of pain, missed work, mileage to medical appointments, and every call or letter from the carrier. Because Smith County sits in the Southern District of Mississippi’s Northern Division for federal purposes, any related federal matter would be tied to the Jackson court, but your comp claim itself stays with the Commission.
How a Disputed Claim Moves Through the Mississippi Commission
The Commission is made up of three members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. When a claim is contested, it is heard at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge, who takes testimony and medical evidence and issues a decision. If either side disagrees, the case can go to a review hearing before the Full Commission, which meets in Jackson. That review is not a second trial. The Full Commission works from the record made before the Administrative Judge, which is why the first hearing has to be built carefully, with the medical opinions, witnesses, and work history already in place.
After a final Commission award, a party may appeal within 30 days of its filing and notice to the parties. Under the statute, the appeal goes to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign it to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Review is limited to the record the Commission built. We handle claims at each of these levels, including appeals when a ruling needs to be challenged.
Third-Party Claims and Settlement Considerations
Workers’ compensation benefits come from your employer’s insurer regardless of fault, but if someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or an unsafe contractor, you may also have a personal injury claim. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, meaning your share of fault reduces a recovery rather than barring it. A third-party case has its own limits and timelines, and it has to be coordinated with the comp claim so the two do not work against each other. The firm handles car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death claims alongside comp.
Settlements in comp cases depend on the medical picture: your impairment, your ability to return to your old job, and your future medical needs. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law. We would rather explain what a settlement leaves you responsible for before you sign than after.
Smith County Workers’ Compensation Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one. But if your 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 carrier has adjusters and lawyers protecting its side.
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. Fees 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 immediately if you can, and in writing.
What is the deadline to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury, or from the last compensation payment if benefits were paid. The claim is filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Exceptions are narrow, so do not count on them.
Does my employer have to carry workers’ compensation?
In Mississippi, employers with five or more employees must provide coverage, and it applies from an employee’s first day on the job. If your employer is smaller or claims to be exempt, talk to us, because coverage questions are sometimes less clear than employers suggest.
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 so we can review it.
The insurer says my injury is pre-existing. Is my claim over?
No. If the job caused, worsened, or sped up the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. The answer usually comes down to the treating doctor’s opinion and the imaging, which is why we build that medical evidence early.
Who pays for my medical treatment while the claim is pending?
If the claim is accepted, the carrier pays reasonable and necessary treatment. If it is disputed, bills can pile up, and health insurance may or may not step in depending on its terms. Tell us about any unpaid bills so we can address them in the claim.
What happens if the Administrative Judge rules against me?
You can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record from the first hearing rather than retrying the case. A further appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court is available within 30 days of the final award being filed and notice given.
What if I was hurt in Louisiana but live in Smith County?
Where the injury happened and where the employment is based can affect which state’s law applies. If you were injured in Louisiana, notice is due to the employer within 30 days, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with exceptions when benefits have been paid. Call us and we will sort out which system governs.
Can I also sue someone besides my employer?
Possibly. If a negligent driver or outside contractor caused your injury, a separate personal injury claim may exist alongside your comp benefits. We handle both so they are coordinated.
Do you speak Spanish?
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 Smith County and Nearby Mississippi
We represent injured workers throughout Smith County, starting with Raleigh, the county seat, and Taylorsville, along with Mize, Polkville, Sebastopol, and the smaller communities and rural stretches between them. Workers there commute to job sites in every direction, so we also serve those hurt in neighboring Simpson, Jasper, Covington, Jones, Scott, and Rankin counties, including nearby towns such as Mendenhall, Magee, Collins, Laurel, and Bay Springs.
Our reach extends across Mississippi, from the Jackson metro area and Madison to Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta, and into Louisiana from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of south and north Louisiana. Whether you work a timber crew near Taylorsville or drive a truck that takes you across state lines, the claim starts the same way: report it, get treated, and call us.
Talk With a Smith County Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. A Smith County workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your situation, explain your deadlines, and take over the fight with your employer’s carrier. 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 today, or send us your case details, and we will tell you where your claim stands.
