Hattiesburg Truck Accident Lawyer
A truck crash is rarely one claim against one party, and when the driver was working at the time, it is often two separate claims running on two separate tracks. A Hattiesburg truck accident lawyer has to sort out who owns the truck, who owns the trailer, who loaded the freight, who employs the driver, and whether workers’ compensation is part of the picture. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Hattiesburg, Forrest County, and the surrounding communities of the Pine Belt and South Mississippi.
Hattiesburg sits at a crossing point for freight. US-49 and US-98 meet near the city, and US-59 and Interstate 59 carry traffic toward Meridian and Laurel in one direction and the Louisiana line in the other. Log trucks, poultry haulers, flatbeds, tankers, and long-haul tractor-trailers share these corridors with commuters and students. Collisions involving that kind of equipment tend to produce injuries that are serious, expensive to treat, and heavily contested by insurers.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Truck Crash Case
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana injury firm built around workers’ compensation, with personal injury, car and truck accident, premises liability, and wrongful death work alongside it. The firm’s attorneys bring over 75 combined years of experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and there is 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.
That workers’ compensation foundation matters in truck cases more than people expect. A large share of truck crash victims are hurt on the clock: delivery drivers, project managers in company vehicles, truckers themselves, and tradespeople on the road between job sites. The firm has recovered $385,000 for a project manager injured after being struck in his work vehicle, $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck while on the job, and $175,000 for a delivery driver with a lumbar injury. Back, neck, shoulder, and knee injuries are the firm’s daily work, and those are the injuries trucks tend to cause.
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 has argued personal injury and insurance cases before Mississippi’s appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients describe the firm as easy to work with and attentive, noting that their attorney stood up to the insurance company at every step.
The Claims a Single Hattiesburg Truck Collision Can Create
The list below covers the categories of claims that most often arise when a commercial truck is involved. Which ones apply depends on who was in the vehicle that was hit and what the driver of the truck was doing.
- Third-Party Liability Against the Truck Driver and Carrier: The motor carrier is usually responsible for its driver’s negligence, and may also face claims for careless hiring, poor training, or ignoring hours-of-service limits. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so partial fault on your part reduces your recovery rather than eliminating it.
- Workers’ Compensation for On-the-Job Victims: If you were driving for work when the truck hit you, medical care and wage benefits flow through the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission regardless of who caused the crash. Coverage starts on the first day of employment.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Rear-end and side-impact collisions with heavy trucks commonly cause lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often respond by pointing to degenerative disc disease, which is why the medical evidence has to separate old wear from new trauma.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Rotator cuff tears, SLAP tears, and meniscus tears are common when a driver braces against the wheel or a knee strikes the dash. The firm has recovered $150,000 for a truck driver with a meniscus tear and $135,000 for a diesel mechanic with a SLAP tear.
- Fractures and Surgical Cases: Hip, ankle, foot, and leg fractures from crush and intrusion injuries often need specialists and staged surgeries, which drives both the value and the duration of the claim.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fuel, tanker, and fire incidents on industrial and highway routes can cause severe burns and life-altering harm, the kind of catastrophic injury the firm handles for clients across both states.
- Wrongful Death: When a truck crash kills someone, the family may bring a wrongful death action. In Mississippi, negligence-based wrongful death claims generally carry a three-year limit, while intentional-tort claims carry one year.
- Claims Involving Government Vehicles: If the vehicle at fault belongs to a county or other governmental body, the Mississippi Tort Claims Act applies, with a one-year limit and a notice requirement that catches many people off guard.
What to Do After a Truck Collision in Forrest County
Medical care comes first, and it is also the first piece of evidence. Get evaluated even if you feel manageable pain at the scene; whiplash, disc injuries, and concussions often announce themselves hours or days later. Tell every provider exactly how the injury happened and mention every symptom, because the first records written after a crash carry real weight when an insurer later argues the injury came from somewhere else.
At the scene, if you can, photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, and any visible signage on the truck, including the carrier’s name and the DOT number. Get the driver’s information and insurance details, and ask for witness names. Make sure a police report is filed through the responding agency, whether that is the Hattiesburg Police Department, the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, or the Mississippi Highway Patrol, depending on where the crash happened. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer. Adjusters are trained to ask questions whose answers can later be framed as admissions.
Evidence in truck cases disappears faster than in ordinary car cases. Carriers may overwrite electronic logging and engine data on a routine schedule, and dash camera footage can be deleted. A prompt preservation demand to the carrier is one of the first things a lawyer sends. If the crash happened while you were working, report the injury to your employer in writing within 30 days. Under Mississippi’s statute, that notice deadline is separate from the filing deadline, and missing it can jeopardize a comp claim that is otherwise strong.
On timing, a workers’ compensation claim in Mississippi generally must be filed with the Commission within two years of the injury, or two years from the last compensation payment. A negligence claim against a negligent third party generally falls under Mississippi’s three-year limit for actions with no specific period. If the crash happened in Louisiana, different rules apply: a comp claim generally must be filed within one year, and the delictual action period for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 is two years. Louisiana also now bars a claimant who is 51 percent or more at fault for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a sharp contrast with Mississippi’s pure comparative approach. The firm handles claims on both sides of the state line, which matters for the long-haul routes that run between them.
How These Cases Unfold: Comp Track and Liability Track
When a truck crash happens during work, two cases usually run in parallel. The comp claim is administrative. It is heard by the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission, either at an evidentiary hearing before an Administrative Judge or on review before the Full Commission, which reviews the existing record rather than hearing the case fresh. A final award can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days, and that court often assigns the case to the Court of Appeals. Disability benefits are typically two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage, subject to a statutory weekly maximum, for up to 450 weeks in total and permanent total disability cases.
The liability claim against the truck driver, the carrier, or another negligent party is a civil case. Truck cases usually involve federal motor carrier regulations, driver qualification files, maintenance records, and data from the truck itself. Cases of this kind that are filed in federal court in this region go to the Southern District of Mississippi, which holds court for the Eastern Division in Hattiesburg and covers Forrest County, Lamar County, and neighboring counties. Many cases settle before trial, but how a claim is built from the first week often determines the settlement range.
The two tracks must be coordinated. The comp insurer may have a reimbursement interest in any third-party recovery, and a careless settlement of one claim can undercut the other. Making the comp claim and the injury claim work together rather than against each other is a core part of how the firm approaches work-related truck wrecks.
Common Questions About Hattiesburg Truck Accident Claims
Do I need a lawyer after a truck accident in Hattiesburg?
If you were hurt in any serious way, yes. Trucking companies and their insurers often send rapid-response teams to the scene, and the opposing side is organized from the first day. An attorney can send evidence preservation demands, identify every responsible party, and keep you from making statements that damage the claim.
How much does it cost to hire the firm?
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 truck accident claim in Mississippi?
For most negligence claims, three years from the date the cause of action accrues. Claims against a county or other government entity are subject to a one-year limit and require formal notice. A workers’ compensation claim has its own two-year filing window and a separate 30-day requirement to report the injury to your employer.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. Insurers know this and will try to inflate your share, so how fault is documented matters.
Who can be held responsible besides the truck driver?
Depending on the facts, the carrier, the owner of the truck or trailer, a company that loaded the cargo improperly, a maintenance contractor, or a manufacturer of a defective part. Identifying these parties early is much easier before records are lost.
I was driving for work when a truck hit me. Do I file comp or sue?
Often both. Workers’ compensation pays medical and wage benefits regardless of fault, and a separate claim against the at-fault truck driver or carrier can recover damages that comp does not cover. The two must be managed together.
Will my health insurance or workers’ comp pay for treatment while the claim is pending?
If the injury is work-related, workers’ compensation should cover reasonable and necessary medical treatment. If not, you can use health insurance, though the insurer may later seek reimbursement from a settlement. Do not skip treatment because of cost concerns, since gaps in care weaken a claim.
What if the trucker was an independent contractor?
Carriers often label drivers as contractors to avoid responsibility. How much control the company actually exercises over routes, schedules, and equipment can determine whether the carrier answers for the crash, and the label on the paperwork is not the end of the analysis.
Can I still bring a claim if a family member was killed?
Yes. Mississippi allows wrongful death actions, generally with a three-year limit for negligence. In most wrongful death cases, noneconomic damages are capped at $1,000,000, though the cap does not apply to economic damages.
What if the crash happened in Louisiana but I live in Mississippi?
The law of the place where the crash happened generally governs the deadlines and fault rules, and Louisiana’s differ meaningfully from Mississippi’s, including a one-year comp filing period and a 51 percent bar for newer causes of action. The firm practices in both states and can sort out which rules apply.
How long does a truck accident case take?
It depends on the severity of the injury and whether you have reached maximum medical improvement. Claims involving surgery or permanent restrictions take longer because the value cannot be fairly assessed until the medical picture settles. Settling early often means settling low.
Serving Truck Accident Clients Across Hattiesburg and the Pine Belt
The firm represents injured people throughout Hattiesburg and Forrest County, including the neighborhoods around the University of Southern Mississippi, the Hardy Street corridor, and the areas along US-49 and US-98. The team also serves clients in nearby Petal and Lamar County communities such as Purvis and Sumrall, and across the broader Pine Belt including Laurel, Columbia, and Poplarville. Truck traffic on the highways serving these communities makes collisions a recurring concern for local workers and families.
Beyond Hattiesburg, the firm handles Mississippi cases from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Southaven, and the Delta, and north Mississippi generally. It also represents clients in Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as South Louisiana and north Louisiana. For truck drivers and delivery workers whose routes cross the state line, that two-state reach means one team can handle the whole claim.
Talk to a Hattiesburg Truck Accident Attorney Today
If a commercial truck injured you, or injured someone in your family, the sooner the evidence is secured, the stronger the case. A Hattiesburg truck accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain whether workers’ compensation, a liability claim, or both are available, and start preserving the records before they disappear. Call today for a free consultation. The phones are answered around the clock, and there is no fee unless we recover benefits for you.
