Tupelo Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A paycheck stops, the medical bills keep coming, and the adjuster on the phone is suddenly asking why you didn’t mention that old shoulder problem. For injured workers in Tupelo and Lee County, that is how a comp claim often starts to go sideways. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana, handling denied, delayed, and cut-off workers’ compensation claims as the core of its practice.
If you are looking for a Tupelo workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing to know is that Mississippi comp is not decided in a courtroom. Claims run through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body whose rules, forms, and deadlines work differently from an ordinary lawsuit. Tupelo’s economy leans on manufacturing, furniture and upholstery plants, healthcare, trucking, and distribution, and these are the settings where repetitive strain, back injuries, and sudden accidents tend to turn into disputed claims.
Missing a deadline or giving a careless recorded statement can cost you benefits you were entitled to. Getting the early steps right matters more than most workers realize.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Tupelo Comp Claim
Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see a work injury only when one walks in. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe was built the other way around: workers’ compensation is the center of the practice. The firm’s attorneys bring more than 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients across Mississippi and Louisiana. We serve injured workers in Tupelo, Lee County, and communities throughout north Mississippi, along with the rest of the state.
Rob Lunsford, 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 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 matter more than adjectives. The firm 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. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, answers questions, and stands up to the insurance company. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and 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.
Injuries and Claims That Come Out of Tupelo Workplaces
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lifting on a plant floor, loading freight, or years on an assembly line can herniate a lumbar or cervical disc. Insurers routinely blame degenerative disc disease, so the medical proof tying the injury to your work has to be built early.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears are common among workers who pull, climb, and kneel. Employers often call them old sports injuries, and the response is clear medical causation evidence.
- Fractures: Falls from loading docks, forklift incidents, and crushed feet or ankles can require specialists and complex surgical repair, often with long recoveries and permanent limits.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial settings, plants, and rig work produce burns and life-altering injuries that call for lifetime medical planning, not a quick check.
- Truck Driver and Delivery Injuries: Tupelo sits on a busy freight corridor, and drivers hurt in wrecks or loading accidents may have both a comp claim and a claim against another driver.
- Healthcare Worker Injuries: Nurses and aides hurt lifting or moving patients face back and shoulder injuries that employers sometimes dispute as ordinary wear.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Heart and lung disease, hypertension, hepatitis, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and job-related cancer are all claims the firm handles.
- Wrongful Death: When a workplace accident takes a life, surviving family members may be entitled to death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a separate civil claim.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Lee County
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi gives you 30 days from the accident to notify your employer, and waiting invites an argument that the injury didn’t happen at work. Keep a copy of whatever you submit, and note the date, who you told, and who saw it happen.
Get medical care and be specific with every provider about how the injury happened. Vague histories get used against you later. If the insurer sends you to a doctor of its choosing, you are still entitled to be heard on your treatment, and a lawyer can help you pursue the care your own physicians recommend. Do not return to work before you are cleared, and do not sign anything the adjuster hands you without review.
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 (Form B-5) with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were ever paid and no claim was filed in that window, the right to benefits can be barred. Do not assume the insurer’s early payments protect you; the safest course is to talk to a lawyer well before the clock gets close.
Be careful with recorded statements and social media. Adjusters listen for any phrase that sounds like the injury was minor or began somewhere else, and a photo of you doing yard work can be recast as proof you are fine. Keep a simple log of symptoms, missed shifts, and medical visits.
If your claim is denied, the case goes to an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge. A losing party can seek review by the Full Commission, which examines the record already made rather than holding a new trial, which is why the hearing itself is the main event. From there, a final Commission award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court may send the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. Appeals are decided on the existing record, so building that record carefully at the hearing level is everything.
How Insurers Fight Comp Claims and What Benefits Are at Stake
Mississippi coverage begins on an employee’s first day, with no waiting period and no minimum earnings requirement. Benefits include reasonable and necessary medical treatment and wage replacement. Wage loss for total disability is generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and for total disability the benefit generally cannot run beyond 450 weeks. Permanent partial disability payments in other cases are also capped at 450 weeks. The weekly maximum is adjusted over time, so it is worth confirming the current figure with a lawyer.
The insurer’s playbook is familiar. It argues the accident did not happen at work, blames a pre-existing condition, pushes you back to work before your doctor clears you, or stops paying without warning. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim if your job caused, worsened, or accelerated it. Answering that argument takes strong medical opinions, work history, and witness accounts, which is where much of a comp lawyer’s value lies.
Some Tupelo-area injuries involve more than one claim. If a negligent driver hit your work vehicle or a contractor’s unsafe site caused your fall, you may have a personal injury claim alongside your comp benefits. The two must be coordinated, because a settlement in one can affect the other. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence for these third-party claims, meaning your own share of fault reduces a recovery rather than eliminating it.
Common Questions About Tupelo Workers’ Compensation Claims
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been 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 the firm?
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 comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to report an injury in Mississippi?
You must notify your employer within 30 days of the accident. Report in writing as early as possible and keep a copy.
How long do I have to file a claim?
Generally two years from the date of injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If no disability benefits were paid and no claim was filed within two years, the right to benefits can be lost.
Who hears a denied claim?
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a court. Claims are tried before an Administrative Judge, with review available before the Full Commission.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell your lawyer right away so your options can be reviewed.
What if my injury developed gradually, like carpal tunnel or a worn-out back?
Gradual and repetitive injuries can be compensable if your work caused or aggravated them. The challenge is pinning down when it became a disabling condition and proving the work connection, so document your symptoms and tell every doctor about your job duties.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my comp claim is pending?
Health insurers often resist paying for work-related treatment and may seek reimbursement if comp is later accepted. If your claim is denied, you may need to use health coverage in the meantime, so ask a lawyer how to handle billing so you are not caught between the two.
What if the insurer sends me back to work before my doctor agrees?
Do not return based on the adjuster’s say-so. Follow your treating physician’s restrictions, put any disagreement in writing, and contact a lawyer. Returning too early can worsen the injury and weaken your claim.
Can I pursue a claim against someone other than my employer?
Yes, when a third party such as a negligent driver, equipment manufacturer, or outside contractor contributed to your injury. That claim runs separately from comp and generally follows a three-year limit in Mississippi for negligence, though claims against government entities carry a one-year limit and require notice.
I live in Mississippi but was hurt on a job in Louisiana. What law applies?
It depends on where the injury happened and where the job was based. Louisiana has its own deadlines, including a one-year filing window, so talk to a lawyer quickly. The firm handles claims in both states.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espau00f1ol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Injured Workers Across Tupelo, Lee County, and North Mississippi
The firm represents injured workers in Tupelo and throughout Lee County, including Verona, Saltillo, Plantersville, Shannon, Belden, Nettleton, and Guntown. Neighboring communities such as Pontotoc, New Albany, Fulton, Okolona, Baldwyn, Booneville, Corinth, and Oxford are also within reach, along with Southaven and the broader north Mississippi region.
Across the rest of the state, the team handles claims from Jackson and Madison to Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. The firm also serves workers in South Louisiana and north Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Whether you work in a plant, on the road, in a hospital, or on a job site, the same focus applies: getting your medical care covered and your wage benefits paid.
Speak With a Tupelo Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you were hurt on the job, you do not have to take on the insurance company by yourself. A Tupelo workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain the deadlines that apply to you, and start dealing with the employer and insurer on your behalf.
Call us any time, day or night. Consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. We help injured workers. That’s all we do.
