New Albany Personal Injury Lawyer
A wreck on Highway 78, a fall at a job site outside town, or a crash involving a work truck on the roads around Union County can leave you with medical bills and a missing paycheck before you have had time to sort out who is responsible. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana law firm that represents injured people, with workers’ compensation at the center of its practice and personal injury representation for car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death. The firm serves New Albany, Union County, and communities across north Mississippi.
Searching for a New Albany personal injury lawyer often starts with a crash or a fall, but the right claim is not always obvious. A person hurt while driving for work may have a workers’ compensation claim against the employer’s insurer and a separate injury claim against the driver who caused the collision. A person hurt on someone else’s property may have a premises claim. A family that has lost someone has its own set of deadlines and damages. Sorting out which claims exist, and making sure they do not undercut one another, is where early legal advice earns its value.
Mississippi is a pure comparative negligence state, which means that if you share some of the blame for an accident, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than wiped out. That rule shapes how insurers handle claims in Union County, because adjusters routinely look for any way to assign a slice of fault to the injured person. The evidence you preserve in the first days after an accident often decides how that percentage gets argued.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a New Albany Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including New Albany and the rest of Union County. The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for its clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and there is no fee unless it recovers benefits or a settlement for you. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
That focus matters for injury claims that touch employment. Many work-related crashes and falls involve both a comp claim and a claim against an outside party, and a firm that handles injured workers every day understands how the two interact. The firm’s results include a $385,000 settlement for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job, and larger recoveries such as $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. Past results do not guarantee any particular outcome, but they show the kind of serious spine and orthopedic injuries the firm handles.
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 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Andrew Rueff has successfully tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Clients describe the firm as easy to work with, attentive to their situation, and willing to stand up to the insurance company, with Brad Baskin named repeatedly in reviews.
Injury Claims We Handle for New Albany and Union County Clients
- Car and Truck Accidents: Highway 78 and the state routes feeding into town carry commuters, logging and delivery trucks, and furniture and manufacturing freight, and collisions with commercial vehicles tend to cause serious spine, shoulder, and knee injuries. Liability may reach a driver, an employer, or a trucking company, and Mississippi’s comparative negligence rule means the insurer will look for any fault to assign to you.
- Work Vehicle Crashes: Delivery drivers, project managers, and sales and service employees who are hurt while driving for their employer may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver. The firm has handled these dual-track cases, including a settlement for a project manager struck in his work vehicle.
- Premises Liability: Falls from unsafe stairs, poorly lit parking lots, wet floors, and neglected walkways at stores, rental properties, and business sites can support a claim against the property owner or operator. Photographs of the hazard and the names of any witnesses matter more than most people expect.
- Construction and Industrial Site Injuries: When a contractor or equipment owner other than your employer creates the danger, a worker injured on a shared site may have a claim beyond comp. Falls, struck-by incidents, and equipment failures are the usual starting points.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs are among the most common serious injuries the firm sees, and insurers often argue degenerative disc disease rather than the accident caused the problem. Medical evidence tying the injury to the event is the center of these cases.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, SLAP tears, ACL tears, and meniscus tears frequently require surgery and long rehabilitation, and insurers sometimes label them old sports injuries to shrink or deny a claim.
- Wrongful Death: When a fatal crash, a workplace death, or another preventable event takes a family member, surviving relatives may bring a claim for the losses that follow. Mississippi sets different time limits depending on whether the death resulted from negligence or an intentional act.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Industrial settings, plants, and job sites produce burns and life-altering injuries that call for early medical documentation and careful valuation of long-term care and lost earning capacity.
What to Do After an Injury in New Albany, and the Deadlines That Apply
Get medical care first, and keep going to appointments. Whether you are seen at a local emergency department or a specialist, the records created in the first days become the foundation for everything that follows, and gaps in treatment give an insurer room to argue your injury was minor or came from something else. Follow your doctor’s instructions, keep your discharge papers, and save every bill and pharmacy receipt. If the accident was a crash, make sure a police or sheriff’s report is made, since law enforcement in and around New Albany will document the scene, the drivers, and any citations.
At the scene, if you are able, photograph vehicles, road conditions, skid marks, the hazard that caused a fall, and your injuries, and get the names and contact details of witnesses. Do not give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurance company before you understand your position, and do not sign a medical release that gives an insurer open access to your entire history. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that sound routine but narrow a claim, especially about prior back, neck, or joint problems.
Deadlines depend on what kind of claim you have. In Mississippi, most injury claims that have no other specific time limit must be filed within three years of when the claim arose, and for injuries that are not immediately apparent the clock can start when the injury is discovered or reasonably should have been. Wrongful death based on negligence generally carries three years, while one based on an intentional act carries one year. Claims against a county or other government agency, which can come up when a road defect or a government vehicle is involved, face a one-year limit and require formal notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. Those shorter periods catch people off guard, which is a strong reason to call early.
If your injury happened while you were working, the rules are different and just as unforgiving. You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident, and if no disability benefits have been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Mississippi covers employees from their first day on the job. These claims are decided by the Commission and its Administrative Judges rather than in a courthouse, and a final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, which may assign the case to the Court of Appeals. If a third party also contributed to your injury, the personal injury claim runs on its own schedule in court.
How Insurers Contest Injury Claims, and How Fault Is Divided
Insurance companies handling a New Albany claim tend to rely on a short list of arguments. They question whether the accident caused the injury at all, they point to a pre-existing condition, they say treatment was excessive or unrelated, or they say the injured person was partly to blame. Each of these can be answered with evidence, but only if the evidence exists. Treating physician opinions that connect the accident to the injury, imaging that shows what changed, employment records showing what you could do before and cannot do now, and consistent treatment records are what move these disputes.
Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rule reduces your recovery by your share of fault instead of barring it. If a jury finds you were twenty percent responsible, your award is reduced by that amount. That makes fault arguments financially significant even in cases where the other party was mostly to blame. A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim either; if the accident aggravated or accelerated a prior problem, the aggravation can still be compensated.
For wrongful death claims, Mississippi caps noneconomic damages at $1,000,000 in most cases, while the caps do not apply to economic losses such as lost income and funeral costs. Understanding which losses are capped and which are not affects how a claim is built and valued from the start.
Questions About New Albany Personal Injury Claims
How much does it cost to hire a personal injury lawyer from your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and you owe a fee only if the firm recovers benefits or a settlement for you.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most injury claims without a more specific statute must be filed within three years of when the claim arose. Some claims are shorter, including claims against a county or government agency, which carry a one-year limit and a notice requirement.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Even if you bear some responsibility, you may still be able to recover the remainder.
Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
You can exchange basic information, but avoid giving a recorded statement or signing broad medical releases before you understand your rights. Adjusters ask about prior injuries and accident details in ways that can later be used to reduce a claim.
Do I have a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury claim?
Possibly both. If you were hurt while working and someone other than your employer caused the injury, such as a negligent driver or an outside contractor, you may be able to pursue comp benefits and a separate injury claim. The firm coordinates the two so one does not harm the other.
How soon must I report a work injury in Mississippi?
Report it to your employer within 30 days of the accident. If benefits have not been paid, you generally have two years from the date of injury to file with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it can be used so you get care without waiting, though your insurer may seek reimbursement from a settlement. Workers’ compensation, if it applies, is meant to pay for reasonable and necessary treatment of a work injury directly. Tell your lawyer about every payer so reimbursement claims are handled correctly.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a minor-looking injury?
Often, yes. Back, neck, shoulder, and knee injuries can seem manageable at first and turn out to need surgery or lengthy therapy. Settling early with an insurer usually closes the claim permanently, so it helps to understand the full extent of your injury before accepting any offer.
What if a loved one died in a crash or a workplace accident?
Surviving family members may have a wrongful death claim, and a workplace death can also support death benefits under workers’ compensation. Mississippi allows three years for a negligence-based wrongful death claim and one year for an intentional act, so it is wise to speak with a lawyer soon after the loss.
Can I be fired for filing a claim after a work injury?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from being fired in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, raise it during your consultation so the firm can review your options.
Do you speak Spanish?
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 in New Albany and Across Union County and North Mississippi
Our work for injured people starts in New Albany and Union County and extends through the surrounding communities of north Mississippi. We represent clients from New Albany itself and the neighborhoods and rural roads around it, as well as from nearby towns such as Myrtle, Ecru, Blue Springs, and Sherman, and from neighboring Pontotoc, Tippah, Benton, and Lee Counties, including Tupelo. The same attorneys also serve clients in Southaven, Hattiesburg, Madison, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, and across Mississippi as a whole.
The firm also represents injured workers and accident victims in Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities throughout south and north Louisiana. Whether your injury came from a crash on a north Mississippi highway, a fall at a business, or an accident at work, the team handles the claim and the insurance fight together.
Talk With a New Albany Personal Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, a fall, or a workplace accident in Union County, you do not have to take on the insurance company by yourself. A New Albany personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain which claims and deadlines apply to your situation, and start protecting your claim right away. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call today to talk through your case.
