Wayne County Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A paycheck stops, a doctor’s visit gets denied, and an adjuster starts asking whether your injury really happened at work. That is the situation many hurt workers in Wayne County find themselves in within weeks of an accident. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm representing injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, and we take on claims from Wayne County and the surrounding Pine Belt that have been denied, delayed, or cut off.
If you are searching for a Wayne County workers’ compensation lawyer, the first thing to know is that your claim will not be decided in a local courtroom. Mississippi comp claims go through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, an administrative body, and the deadlines that govern them are short. Missing one can end a valid claim before it starts.
Wayne County’s economy runs on timber and logging, trucking, oil and gas work, manufacturing, and the steady flow of labor that supports them. Those are the jobs where a single bad day produces a crushed foot, a torn shoulder, or a back injury that never fully heals. They are also the jobs where employers and carriers like to argue the injury was old, or that it happened somewhere else.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Wayne County Comp Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC handles workers’ compensation as the center of its practice, not as a side matter. Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to claims for injured workers in Wayne County, Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, the Delta, and communities throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, and we work on a no recovery, no fee basis. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of your case, our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and hablamos español.
The people behind the work matter. 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, 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 represents injured workers before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Results show how that experience plays out. We secured $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. We recovered $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 tell us what they value most is being listened to and having an attorney who fights the insurance company at every step.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Pine Belt Workplaces
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are common among loggers, truck drivers, and warehouse and plant workers. Insurers often blame degenerative disc disease; we answer with medical evidence showing how the work caused or aggravated the condition.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears follow heavy lifting, falls from equipment, and repetitive overhead work. Carriers sometimes call them old sports injuries.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, and hips break in equipment accidents, falls, and struck-by incidents, and often require specialist care and surgery.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Oil field and industrial work carries burn and crush risks that can produce permanent disability and lifelong medical needs.
- Trucking and Driving Injuries: Delivery and hauling work puts Wayne County workers on highways every day. A wreck on the job can mean both a comp claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver.
- Denied and Terminated Benefits: Claims denied outright, wage checks cut off without warning, and workers pushed back to duty before a doctor clears them all call for a challenge before the Commission.
- Firefighter and First Responder Claims: Hypertension, heart and lung disease, hearing loss, posttraumatic stress, and job-related cancers can qualify for benefits.
- Wrongful Death: When a workplace accident kills a worker, surviving family members may have rights to death benefits and, if a third party was at fault, a separate claim.
What to Do After a Work Injury in Wayne County
Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Mississippi gives you 30 days from the accident at the latest, and the sooner the record exists, the harder it is for anyone to dispute what happened. Name the date, the place, how it occurred, and the body parts hurt. Keep a copy.
Get medical care and tell every provider the injury happened at work. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what carriers use later to argue the injury is unrelated. Follow your doctor’s restrictions even when a supervisor pushes you to do more.
Watch the filing clock separately from the notice clock. If no disability benefits have been paid, a Mississippi worker generally has two years from the date of injury to file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission, and the same two years can run from the last payment if benefits were paid and then stopped. Voluntary payments do not necessarily stop the clock in the way people expect, which is why a conversation with an attorney early is wiser than waiting.
Coverage begins on your first day of employment in Mississippi, with no waiting period. Wage loss benefits are two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory weekly maximum, and generally cannot run past 450 weeks. The weekly maximum is adjusted over time, so ask us what applies to your injury date.
Know what the process looks like. Disputed claims are heard first by an Administrative Judge at an evidentiary hearing. Either side can seek review by the Full Commission, which reviews the record built before the judge rather than holding a new trial. That means the evidence you develop at the first hearing is the evidence you live with, so medical opinions, witness statements, and work history need to be right from the start. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days, and the appeal is decided on that record. The Supreme Court may and often does assign these appeals to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
A few mistakes cost workers dearly: giving a recorded statement to the carrier without preparation, signing medical releases broader than needed, skipping appointments, posting about activities on social media, and treating a settlement offer as final before knowing what future surgery would cost. If you were hurt outside Mississippi while working for a Louisiana employer, different deadlines apply, including a one-year filing period in Louisiana, so tell us where the accident happened.
How Insurers Fight Mississippi Comp Claims
Carriers rely on a handful of arguments. They say the accident did not happen at work, that a pre-existing condition is the real cause, that you reported too late, or that you are healthy enough to return. Each has an answer. A pre-existing condition does not end a claim when work caused, worsened, or sped up the problem. Late notice can be excused in some circumstances, but you do not want to test that. Return-to-work disputes turn on what your treating doctor says, not what the adjuster prefers.
Retaliation is a separate concern. Mississippi protects workers from being fired for filing a comp claim. If your hours were cut or you were let go after reporting an injury, tell us during the consultation.
Some work injuries also involve someone other than your employer, such as a negligent driver who hits your work truck or a contractor whose unsafe site causes a fall. In those cases, a personal injury claim can sit alongside your comp benefits, and the two need to be handled so one does not undercut the other. We represent injured people in car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death cases for that reason.
Wayne County Workers’ Compensation Questions
Do I need a lawyer for a workers’ compensation claim in Wayne County?
Not every claim requires one. But if 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 working for it, and you should have someone working 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?
In Mississippi, report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Do it in writing and do it right away. Waiting gives the carrier an argument you do not need to hand them.
How long do I have to file a claim with the Commission?
Generally two years from the date of injury or from the last compensation payment. The deadline comes from Miss. Code § 71-3-35. Because exceptions depend on what was paid and when, get advice early instead of counting days on your own.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Mississippi law protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were punished or terminated after reporting an injury, we can review what happened and what remedies exist.
What if the insurance company says my injury was pre-existing?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically defeat a claim. If your work caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed. The fight usually comes down to medical opinion evidence, and building that evidence is a core part of our work.
Where will my case actually be heard?
Before the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, which is an administrative agency, not a court. Cases are heard by an Administrative Judge or, on review, by the Full Commission. Appeals from a final award go up under Miss. Code § 71-3-51.
Can I still get comp benefits if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Workers’ compensation is generally a no-fault system, so your own carelessness does not by itself bar benefits. Fault matters more in a separate third-party injury claim, where Mississippi’s comparative negligence rule reduces recovery by your share of fault instead of barring it.
Will my health insurance pay while my comp claim is disputed?
Sometimes, but it comes with complications, since health plans often seek repayment when comp should have covered the treatment. Tell us before you rely on health insurance for a work injury so we can protect you from surprise reimbursement demands.
What if I was hurt on a job site outside Wayne County, or in Louisiana?
We handle claims in both states. Louisiana has its own rules, including a one-year filing period and a 30-day notice requirement, and claims there go before workers’ compensation judges at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration. Where the injury happened and where you were hired both affect which state’s law applies.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer if my injury seems minor?
Often it is worth a free consultation. Injuries that look minor at first, like a back strain or a shoulder pop, can turn into surgery cases. A short call costs nothing and tells you whether the carrier is handling your claim fairly.
Do you represent Spanish-speaking workers?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Wayne County and the Pine Belt Region
We represent injured workers in Waynesboro, the county seat, and in Clara, Buckatunna, Beat Four, Winchester, Matherville, and the rural communities around them. Our reach extends to neighboring Pine Belt counties, including Clarke, Jones, Perry, Greene, and Lauderdale, and to Hattiesburg and Laurel, where many Wayne County residents commute for work.
Beyond the Pine Belt, we handle comp and injury claims across Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Southaven, north Mississippi, and the Delta. We also represent workers across Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and South Louisiana. Wherever the injury happened, the same team and the same fee arrangement apply.
Talk to a Wayne County Workers’ Compensation Attorney
If you have been hurt on the job, you do not have to fight the carrier by yourself. A Wayne County workers’ compensation attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can explain your deadlines, review your denial, and tell you honestly where your claim stands. Call us any hour of the day, schedule a free consultation, and pay nothing unless we recover benefits for you.
