Jackson Truck Driver Injury Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers in Jackson and across Mississippi and Louisiana, and truck drivers make up a steady share of the people who call us. A driver hurt on a haul out of Jackson is a Jackson truck driver injury lawyer client the moment the injury happens, whether the damage came from a wreck on the interstate, a back that gave out after years of loading and unloading, or a fall climbing out of a cab. We handle the workers’ compensation claim and, when someone other than your employer caused the crash, the injury claim that sits beside it.
Driving for a living means your body is the equipment. Hours in a seat, vibration through the frame, heavy straps and tarps, jumping down from a trailer deck: the wear adds up, and when something finally tears or herniates, the insurance carrier is quick to call it age or an old problem. Jackson sits where Interstates 20, 55, and 220 meet, and Highway 49 and Highway 80 feed freight in and out of the metro area. Drivers working these corridors are exposed to rear-end collisions, merging accidents, and dock injuries every week.
The employer’s insurer will ask for a recorded statement early. Before you give one, you should know how Mississippi’s system works, what it pays, and where your claim could get complicated by a second party at fault.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Trucking Injury Claim
Workers’ compensation is the center of this firm’s practice. Our attorneys bring more than 75 years of combined experience to claims that have been denied, delayed, or cut off, and we have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. 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 tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team, and we serve clients throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana.
Results matter most for drivers. We secured $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck while on the job, $150,000 for a truck driver with a meniscus tear, $175,000 for a delivery driver with a lumbar injury, and $385,000 for a project manager injured when his work vehicle was struck. Clients tell us they felt heard and that the team stayed with them through the fight with the insurer. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, you pay nothing unless we recover, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
Injuries and Claim Types We See From Drivers
- Highway Collisions: Rear-end impacts, jackknifes, and lane-change wrecks on I-20, I-55, and I-220 can cause fractures, spinal injuries, and head trauma. Workers’ comp covers you regardless of fault, and a negligent other driver may open a separate injury claim.
- Lower Back and Disc Injuries: Herniated lumbar discs are among the most common driver injuries. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease; we answer with medical evidence showing how the job caused or worsened the condition.
- Neck and Cervical Injuries: Whiplash from a sudden stop or a hard impact can produce cervical disc damage that surfaces days later, which is one reason prompt reporting matters.
- Shoulder and Knee Tears: Rotator cuff tears from tarping loads and meniscus tears from stepping off a trailer or cab are routine. Employers sometimes call these old sports injuries.
- Loading Dock and Yard Injuries: Falls from trailer beds, crushed hands, and strikes from forklifts happen at distribution centers and terminals around the Jackson area.
- Fractures: Feet, ankles, hips, and wrists broken in falls or crashes often need specialists and surgical repair, with long recoveries that keep a CDL holder off the road.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires after a crash, hazardous cargo exposure, and severe trauma can end a driving career and call for long-term benefits.
- Fatal Crashes: When a driver does not come home, family members may have death benefits through comp and a wrongful death claim against a negligent third party.
What a Hurt Driver Should Do Right Now
Get medical care first, and tell every provider the injury happened at work or on the road for your employer. Then report the injury to your employer. In Mississippi, you must give notice within 30 days of the accident, and doing it in writing the same day or the next is far better than testing that limit. Louisiana has the same 30-day notice rule. If you were hurt out of state, call us anyway; where you were hauling and where you live both affect which system applies.
Preserve what disappears fast. Photograph the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries. Get the other driver’s information and any witness names. Keep your trip records, dispatch messages, and logbook or electronic log data, since carriers and their insurers can later argue about hours, route, and who was in control. Ask for a copy of any crash report. Do not post about the wreck online, and be careful with recorded statements to either insurer.
The filing deadline is separate from the notice deadline. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid within two years of the injury, the right to benefits is barred unless you file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission in that window. The worker’s formal filing is the Petition to Controvert. In Louisiana, a claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, with an extension to three years from the last payment if benefits have been paid. A claim against a negligent third party runs on its own clock, and in Mississippi that is generally three years for a negligence claim. Louisiana’s period for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 is two years.
If your claim is denied, the Commission, not a court, hears the dispute. An Administrative Judge takes evidence at a hearing, and a party unhappy with the result can ask the Full Commission to review the record, which sits in Jackson. It is not a new trial, so the evidence built at the first hearing is what counts. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days, and the Mississippi Supreme Court may send the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals. The common mistakes we see are waiting too long to report, accepting the company clinic’s release before the doctor is finished, and giving a statement that lets the insurer frame a back injury as a pre-existing condition.
Workers’ Comp and the Truck Wreck Claim Together
When another driver causes the crash, you have two tracks. Workers’ comp pays medical care and wage benefits without proving fault. The injury claim against the at-fault driver or their insurer can reach losses comp does not, such as pain and suffering. The tracks interact: the comp carrier may seek repayment from a third-party recovery, and a settlement signed carelessly in one can damage the other. Because our firm handles both comp and personal injury claims, we plan them together.
Fault rules differ by state. Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault but not eliminated. Louisiana now bars recovery for a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, with lesser fault reducing the award proportionally. That makes early evidence gathering far more important for Louisiana runs.
Wage Benefits and Medical Care for Injured Drivers
Mississippi wage-loss benefits for total disability are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a weekly maximum set by law and capped at 450 weeks. Coverage starts from your first day on the job, with no waiting period. Medical care is the larger issue: surgeries, injections, therapy, and the right to see a doctor who will actually treat you instead of rushing you back. A truck driver cleared to “light duty” that a carrier cannot actually provide has a real wage-loss question. Those fights are where we spend much of our time.
Questions Truck Drivers Ask Us
Do I need a lawyer for a truck driver injury claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or you will be off work for a long time, a lawyer helps. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance case costs, 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 soon must I report a work injury in Mississippi?
Within 30 days of the accident. Report in writing as soon as you can.
How long do I have to file in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the injury or the last compensation payment, by filing a Petition to Controvert with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Because exceptions depend on what has been paid, talk to us early.
Can I be fired for filing a claim?
Mississippi and Louisiana both protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us during your consultation.
What if the insurer says my back problem was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the job caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to benefits, and medical evidence is how we show that.
What if I was an independent contractor or owner-operator?
Classification is frequently disputed in trucking. Carriers sometimes label drivers contractors to avoid comp coverage. What counts is how the work is actually controlled and performed, so bring your contract, pay records, and dispatch history to your consultation.
What if I was partly at fault for the wreck?
Workers’ comp does not turn on fault. For an injury claim against a third party, Mississippi reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault. Louisiana bars recovery at 51 percent or more for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026.
Can I still be paid if the crash happened in Louisiana?
Often yes. Louisiana workers’ comp has its own notice, filing, and benefit rules, and a Louisiana claim goes before a workers’ compensation judge. We practice in both states, so we can sort out which applies.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Work injuries are meant to be paid by comp, and health insurers may deny or seek reimbursement. If the comp carrier is refusing treatment, tell us before you run up bills so we can address it.
What if I hurt myself gradually rather than in one crash?
Repetitive strain from years of driving, loading, and securing freight can be compensable. Report the condition as soon as a doctor ties it to work, because the 30-day notice and filing clocks run against you.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos español, and Spanish-speaking drivers can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Jackson Truck Drivers and the Surrounding Region
We represent drivers in Jackson in Hinds County, from downtown and Fondren to Belhaven, Eastover, and the neighborhoods along I-55 and I-20. We also serve drivers in Clinton, Byram, Terry, Raymond, and Pocahontas, along with Pearl, Flowood, Brandon, and Richland in neighboring Rankin County, and Madison and Ridgeland in neighboring Madison County. Many of our clients start their routes at distribution centers and terminals around these communities.
Our work reaches across Mississippi, from Vicksburg and Yazoo City to Hattiesburg, the Gulf Coast, Southaven in north Mississippi, and the Delta. In Louisiana we help drivers hurt in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and throughout north and South Louisiana.
Talk With a Jackson Truck Driver Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt behind the wheel or on the dock, a Jackson truck driver injury attorney from Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review your case at no charge, deal with your employer and its insurer, and fight for the medical care and wage benefits the law entitles you to. You pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call today, any hour, and tell us what happened.
