South Mississippi Work Injury Lawyer
Workers hurt on the job along the Gulf Coast and through the Piney Woods face a choice that shapes everything after it: whether to handle the insurance carrier alone or put a legal team between themselves and the adjuster. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and a South Mississippi work injury lawyer from our team can take on the employer and its insurer from the first day of your claim.
South Mississippi’s economy produces a particular kind of injury. Shipyard and marine fabrication work, port and warehouse operations, casino and hospitality jobs, offshore and oil field support, timber and poultry processing, and the steady stream of construction tied to storm rebuilding all carry physical risk. Back and shoulder injuries from repetitive heavy labor, fractures from falls, and burns on industrial sites are routine. So is the insurer’s response: the accident did not happen at work, the condition was already there, or the worker should be back on the job before the doctor has cleared them.
A claim filed in this region is not heard in a local courtroom. Mississippi workers’ compensation cases are decided by an agency, the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and understanding how that system works is the difference between a claim that moves and one that stalls.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a South Mississippi Work Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC serves injured workers throughout Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg to Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, as well as South Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who handle a work injury only when one walks in the door. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for our clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish with clients from the first call to the end of the case.
The results are specific to the kinds of injuries South Mississippi 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 after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Smaller outcomes matter to us as well, including a $135,000 settlement for a diesel mechanic with a SLAP tear and a $195,000 settlement for a derrickhand with complex shoulder injuries from pulling large pipes.
Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and routinely appears before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. The firm was also ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Clients consistently describe a team that listened, communicated clearly, and stood up to the insurance company, with Brad Baskin named repeatedly in their reviews.
Work Injuries Common to South Mississippi Job Sites
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most frequent claims from warehouse, port, construction, and shipyard work. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease, so the case depends on medical evidence showing how years of lifting or a single incident caused or worsened the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears come from overhead work, pipe handling, climbing, and kneeling on hard surfaces. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries, and the response is a documented work history and treating-physician opinions.
- Fractures: Falls from scaffolding, ladders, vessels, and loading docks produce foot, ankle, hip, and other bone fractures that may require specialists and complex surgical repair, with long recoveries and real questions about permanent limitations.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil rigs, plants, and industrial sites expose workers to fires, chemicals, and explosions. These claims involve extended treatment, permanent impairment, and benefits that can run for years.
- Offshore, Maritime, and Oil Field Injuries: Gulf-related work sometimes falls under different legal frameworks depending on where and how the injury happened, so identifying the correct source of benefits early protects the claim.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and cancer tied to the job require proof linking the condition to occupational exposure.
- Vehicle Crashes on the Job: Delivery drivers, truck drivers, and field workers hurt on Interstate 10, Interstate 59, and U.S. 49 may have both a comp claim and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver.
What to Do After a Work Injury on the Gulf Coast or in the Pine Belt
Start with the clock that cannot be recovered. Mississippi requires you to report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and the safest course is to report it immediately and in writing. Do not wait to see whether the pain fades. Coverage applies from your first day on the job, with no waiting period, so a new hire is protected the same as a long-term employee, provided the employer is large enough to be covered by the Mississippi act.
Get medical care and tell every provider that the injury happened at work. Describe the mechanism of injury accurately and completely, because the first medical records become the foundation of the claim, and an insurer will search them for gaps, vague histories, or mention of prior problems. Keep copies of everything: incident reports, work restrictions, pay stubs, text messages with supervisors, and the names of coworkers who saw what happened.
The second deadline is the one that quietly destroys claims. If no disability benefits have been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If benefits were paid, the two years can run from the last payment. Filing the petition is what preserves the claim, and an adjuster who says everything is being handled is not filing it for you.
Disputed claims are heard by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. A party who disagrees with that decision can seek review by the Full Commission, which hears its sessions in Jackson and reviews the record created before the judge rather than starting over. That is why the evidence assembled at the first hearing matters so much; there is no second chance to build it. From the Commission, a party can appeal a final award to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and the Supreme Court may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Avoid the common mistakes: giving a recorded statement to the adjuster before you understand your rights, returning to work before your doctor releases you, signing forms you have not read, and posting about your activities online. Each can be used to argue that your injury is less serious than it is.
How Mississippi Wage-Loss and Medical Benefits Work
Mississippi workers’ compensation pays reasonable and necessary medical treatment and replaces a portion of lost wages. For temporary total and permanent total disability, the weekly benefit is two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum that is adjusted over time, and payments cannot run longer than 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability benefits in the general category are subject to the same 450-week ceiling. The weekly maximum matters most for higher earners, such as offshore and industrial workers, whose actual wage loss can exceed what the system pays.
Disputes over these benefits usually turn on a few predictable questions: the correct average weekly wage, whether a treating physician has set a maximum medical improvement date, what permanent restrictions apply, and whether the worker can return to the same job or must find lower-paying work. Each of those points can be argued, and each depends on medical proof. Insurers also use independent medical examinations to challenge your own doctor’s conclusions, so we prepare clients for those evaluations and build the record that answers them.
Retaliation is a separate issue. Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from being fired for filing a comp claim. If you were disciplined or terminated after reporting an injury, tell us at the consultation so we can evaluate it.
When someone other than your employer contributed to the injury, such as a negligent driver or an unsafe contractor, you may also have a personal injury claim. Comp and injury claims interact, and handling them together keeps one from undermining the other. Our attorneys represent clients in both, including car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death.
Questions South Mississippi Workers Ask About Injury Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a South Mississippi workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or your injury will keep you 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 doing the same for you.
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 workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report my injury?
You must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident in Mississippi, and the same 30-day notice requirement applies in Louisiana. Report it immediately and in writing whenever possible.
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. Exceptions and complications exist, so do not wait until the deadline approaches.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
No. Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished afterward, we can review your options.
My employer says my injury is just a pre-existing condition. Is my claim over?
No. If your job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits. Insurers raise this argument often, and answering it with strong medical evidence is a core part of our work.
My employer has fewer than five employees. Am I covered?
Mississippi’s act generally requires coverage for employers with five or more employees, so very small employers may fall outside it. Your situation may still involve other remedies, and the facts matter, so call us to review it.
Who actually hears my case, and is it a jury trial?
A jury does not decide a Mississippi comp case. An Administrative Judge hears the evidence at the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the Full Commission reviews the record if the decision is appealed. Further appeals go to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
Can I still get benefits if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own carelessness does not usually defeat the claim. Fault matters more in a separate injury claim against a third party, where Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces recovery by your share of fault rather than barring it.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my comp claim is denied?
Often a health plan will pay under reservation while the dispute is resolved, but plans may seek reimbursement if the comp carrier is later found responsible. Tell your providers about the claim and let us coordinate so treatment is not interrupted.
I live in South Mississippi but was hurt on a job in Louisiana. Which state’s rules apply?
It depends on factors such as where the work was based, where you were hired, and where the injury occurred. Our attorneys practice in both states, so we can identify the right forum. In Louisiana, you must give notice within 30 days and generally file within one year of the accident.
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 South Mississippi and Beyond
Our team represents injured workers throughout South Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast communities of Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Pascagoula, Moss Point, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Pass Christian, Long Beach, and Diamondhead, to Hattiesburg, Laurel, Picayune, Poplarville, Wiggins, Lucedale, Purvis, and the communities of the Pine Belt. We also serve workers in Petal, Columbia, Collins, and surrounding towns, and we reach north through Mississippi to Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta.
The work in this region ranges from shipbuilding and port operations along the coast to timber, poultry, and manufacturing inland, and we represent construction workers, ironworkers, truck drivers, oil field workers, nurses, firefighters, and general laborers across all of it. Across the state line, we serve injured workers in South Louisiana as well, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, and in north Louisiana, including Shreveport.
Speak With a South Mississippi Work Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to manage the insurance company yourself. A South Mississippi work injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which deadlines apply to you, and start building the medical and wage evidence your claim needs. Call us any hour of the day. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
