Waynesboro Personal Injury Lawyer
Wayne County sits on the Eastern Division map of the Southern District of Mississippi, with federal court held in Hattiesburg, and that geography shapes where a serious injury claim ends up when it cannot be settled. A Waynesboro personal injury lawyer has to think about timber trucks on Highway 45, logging and sawmill work, pipeline and oilfield labor, and the long drives to specialists that follow a serious injury. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including Waynesboro and the rest of Wayne County, and workers’ compensation sits at the center of what the firm does.
That focus matters in a place like Waynesboro, because many injuries here happen on the job. A worker hit by a negligent driver while running a company errand, or hurt at a site run by a contractor who is not the employer, may have two claims at once: workers’ compensation benefits and a separate personal injury case against the outside party. The two claims affect each other, and handling one without considering the other can cost real money.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Waynesboro Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana firm whose attorneys have more than 75 years of combined experience and have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. It serves Wayne County and communities across Mississippi, from the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg to Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, as well as South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Clients pay nothing up front, consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if 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 people behind the firm have long records with injured clients. 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, which matters when an insurer will not make a fair offer. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
The results reflect serious injuries: $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 with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $221,000 for a land-based oil rig worker with severe burns. Clients describe a team that listens, communicates, and stands up to the insurance company, and one client credited Brad Baskin with fighting the insurer at every step.
Injury Situations That Come Out of Wayne County Work and Roads
- Logging and Timber Truck Crashes: Heavy log trucks share Highway 45 and the county’s rural roads with commuters and school traffic. A driver injured by a negligent truck driver may have a third-party claim against the driver and the trucking company, separate from any comp benefits if the injured person was working.
- Work Vehicle Collisions: Delivery drivers, project managers, and field crews often get hurt while driving for their employer. Workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage benefits, while the at-fault driver’s insurer may owe damages that comp does not cover.
- Sawmill, Plant, and Industrial Injuries: Machinery, falls, and burns on industrial sites can produce permanent injuries. If a contractor, equipment maker, or property owner other than your employer contributed, a personal injury claim may sit alongside the comp claim.
- Oilfield and Pipeline Accidents: Oil field workers are among the clients the firm represents statewide, and severe burns and crush injuries are a recurring pattern. Multiple companies often share a site, which opens the door to claims against parties who are not the employer.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations from a crash or years of heavy labor are common, and insurers often blame degenerative changes. Medical evidence tying the injury to the event is what answers that argument.
- Premises Liability: Falls in stores, parking lots, and rental properties can support a claim against the owner or manager who failed to fix or warn about a hazard.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash or workplace incident kills a family member, surviving relatives may bring a claim, and in some cases a comp death benefit claim as well.
What to Do After an Injury in Waynesboro
Get medical care first and make sure the provider records how the injury happened, because early records carry weight later. If you were hurt at work, report it to your employer in writing; a Mississippi worker has 30 days from the accident to give notice, and waiting invites an argument that the report came too late. Comp coverage begins on the first day of employment, with no waiting period, so a new hire is covered. If the injury involved a crash, ask for the law enforcement report from the agency that responded, whether that was the Waynesboro Police Department, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, or the Highway Patrol, and photograph the vehicles, the road, and your injuries before anything is repaired or cleaned up.
Be careful with insurance adjusters. A recorded statement given early, before you know the full extent of your injuries, is often used to narrow what the insurer will pay. You can decline to give one and speak with a lawyer first. Keep every bill, pay stub, and work restriction note, and do not post about the accident or your activities on social media, since insurers look for it.
Deadlines differ by claim type. A workers’ compensation claim must generally be filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury or the last compensation payment, using a Petition to Controvert, and the Commission, not a court, hears these cases through Administrative Judges and, on review, the Full Commission in Jackson. Most Mississippi personal injury lawsuits based on negligence must be filed within three years of when the claim accrued, with a discovery rule for latent injuries. Claims against a county or other government body face a much shorter one-year limit and a notice requirement under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so a crash involving a county vehicle or a hazard on public property needs immediate attention. If a lawsuit is needed, filing happens in the court with jurisdiction over where the injury occurred or where the defendant can be sued, and cases involving parties from different states can end up in the Southern District of Mississippi.
How Comp and Injury Claims Fit Together
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. You do not have to prove your employer was careless, and in exchange the benefits are limited: reasonable medical treatment and wage replacement of up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a weekly maximum, generally not lasting longer than 450 weeks for total disability. There is no payment for pain and suffering. A personal injury claim against a negligent outside party is the opposite: you must prove fault, but damages can include pain, lost earning capacity, and other losses beyond bills and wages.
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so if you share some blame for a crash or fall, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Insurers know this and often try to inflate that percentage, so how fault is documented early matters. Settlement of one claim can also affect the other, particularly where the comp carrier has paid benefits and may seek reimbursement from a third-party recovery. Coordinating the two so one does not undercut the other is exactly the situation the firm’s attorneys handle for clients who were hurt by someone other than their employer.
Waynesboro Personal Injury FAQs
How much does it cost to hire a Waynesboro injury attorney?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the case costs, and fees are collected only if there is a recovery. In workers’ compensation matters, attorney fees are also limited and approved under state law.
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most negligence claims must be filed within three years after the claim accrues. Claims against a county or governmental agency carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so those cases cannot wait.
Can I get workers’ comp and also sue someone?
Yes, when someone other than your employer helped cause the injury, such as a negligent driver or a contractor running an unsafe site. The comp claim pays benefits regardless of fault, while the outside claim can seek broader damages.
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 unless you were entirely to blame.
Do I have to report a work injury right away?
You should report it immediately and in writing. Mississippi requires notice to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and a late report gives the insurer an argument to deny the claim.
Who hears a workers’ compensation dispute in Mississippi?
The Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, not a court. An Administrative Judge holds an evidentiary hearing, and a party can ask the Full Commission to review the record. A final award can then be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Court of Appeals.
What if the insurance company says my injury was pre-existing?
That does not automatically end a claim. If the job or the accident caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed, and strong medical evidence is what answers the argument.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it in your consultation so the firm can review your options.
Will my health insurance pay for treatment while my claim is pending?
For a work injury, the comp carrier is responsible for reasonable and necessary treatment, but if it denies or delays, some people use health insurance as a stopgap and then need repayment issues sorted out. Talk with a lawyer before assuming either way, since reimbursement rights can attach to a later settlement.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a back injury that is not yet surgical?
Often yes. Back and neck claims are among the most contested because insurers point to degeneration, and early medical documentation shapes the outcome long before surgery is on the table. Several of the firm’s larger results involved back injuries.
What happens if a family member died in a crash or workplace accident?
Mississippi wrongful death claims based on negligence generally have a three-year limit, while claims based on intentional torts have one year. Noneconomic damages are capped in most wrongful death cases, though the cap does not apply to economic losses. A workplace death may also support comp death benefits.
Can the firm help if I do not speak English well?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language from the first call through the end of the case.
Serving Injury Clients Across Wayne County and Beyond
The firm represents injured people in Waynesboro and throughout Wayne County, including the communities along Highway 45 and the surrounding rural areas. Clients also come from neighboring parts of east and south Mississippi, such as Laurel and Hattiesburg, as well as the Gulf Coast. Beyond that, the firm serves Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, and reaches north Mississippi as well. In Louisiana, the firm’s reach covers New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether the injury happened on a county road, at a mill or plant, or at a job site hours away, the team handles both the injury claim and any comp claim connected to it.
Talk to a Waynesboro Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, on a job site, or because someone else ignored a hazard, a Waynesboro personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain how your comp benefits and any injury claim fit together, and tell you what the deadlines look like in your case. Call the firm any hour of the day; consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless there is a recovery.
