Tupelo Truck Driver Injury Lawyer
Truckers who get hurt on the job around Tupelo have a decision to make fast, and it is usually made before anyone has explained the rules: do you handle the insurance adjuster yourself, or do you bring in someone who does this for a living? Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation law firm that represents injured workers across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Lee County and the communities around Tupelo, and a Tupelo truck driver injury lawyer from our team can start protecting your claim from the first call.
Trucking injuries rarely fit the neat story an insurer wants to hear. A driver strains a back lifting a tarp at a loading dock, wrecks on a highway while hauling for a carrier, or is struck while parked on a shoulder. Each version raises different questions: was this a workers’ compensation claim, a claim against the driver who hit you, or both? Is the carrier arguing you were an independent contractor? Is your back pain being blamed on years of driving rather than a specific incident? The answers shape what you can recover, and they are worth getting right early.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Trucker’s Injury Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, serving Tupelo and Lee County along with the rest of north Mississippi, the Delta, the Gulf Coast, and South Louisiana. Most lawyers who take comp cases are personal injury attorneys who see a work injury only when one walks in. We built the firm the other way around. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients, consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and you owe no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish.
Several results speak directly to what truckers go through. We secured $190,000 for a truck driver who injured his lower back in a wreck while on the job, $150,000 for a truck driver with a meniscus tear, and $175,000 for a delivery driver with a lumbar injury. We also obtained $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, a fact pattern that mirrors many highway crashes involving work trucks. Our largest results include $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury.
Rob Lunsford, our 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 a trucking case also involves a third-party injury claim. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the team. Clients consistently describe attorneys who listened, communicated clearly, and stood up to the insurance company at every step.
Types of Injuries and Claims Truckers Bring
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Long hours seated, hauling freight, and rough docks lead to lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Insurers often point to degenerative disc disease, and we answer with medical evidence showing how the work caused or worsened the condition.
- Highway and Interstate Collisions: Drivers on routes through north Mississippi, including the Natchez Trace corridor and the highways feeding Tupelo, can be hurt by another motorist while on the clock. These cases can support a comp claim and a separate personal injury claim.
- Loading, Unloading, and Dock Injuries: Strained shoulders, torn rotator cuffs, and SLAP tears happen while pulling tarps, handling straps, or moving freight. Employers sometimes call them old sports injuries.
- Knee and Leg Injuries: Climbing in and out of cabs and jumping down from trailers leads to meniscus and ACL tears. A meniscus tear is the injury behind one of our truck driver settlements.
- Fractures: Falls from a trailer bed or a loading ramp can break ankles, feet, hips, and wrists, often requiring specialists and surgical repair.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fuel hauling, fires after a crash, and industrial deliveries can produce severe burns and life-altering trauma.
- Wrongful Death: When a driver dies in a crash or on the job, family members may have both workers’ compensation death benefits and a claim against a negligent third party.
What to Do After a Trucking Injury Near Tupelo
Report the injury to your employer right away. In Mississippi, written or verbal notice is required within 30 days of the accident, and waiting gives the carrier an easy argument that the injury did not happen at work. Get medical care immediately, tell the provider exactly how you were hurt, and be specific about every body part that hurts, because gaps in early records are what insurers use later to dispute causation.
If you were in a crash, photograph the scene, the vehicles, and your injuries, and collect names and contact information for witnesses. Request the police report. Keep your logbook, dispatch messages, bills of lading, and pay records, since they prove you were working and establish your average weekly wage. Do not give a recorded statement to an adjuster before talking with a lawyer, and do not sign a medical release that opens your entire history.
The filing clock is separate from the notice deadline. In Mississippi, if no disability benefits have been paid, the right to benefits is barred unless you file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury. The two years can also run from the last compensation payment. Mississippi claims are heard by the Commission, not a court, and begin with an Administrative Judge, with review available by the Full Commission on the existing record. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days of its filing and notice to the parties. In Louisiana, a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident, or up to three years from the last payment if benefits were paid.
Do not wait for the insurer to decide you are done. Many drivers are pushed back to work before a doctor clears them, or lose benefits without warning. Call us before you accept a settlement, return to duty against medical advice, or sign anything from the carrier.
How These Cases Typically Unfold
Most claims begin the same way: you report the injury, the employer’s insurer opens a file, and an adjuster decides whether to accept or contest it. If accepted, you receive medical treatment and wage benefits. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability pay two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a weekly maximum set by law and for no more than 450 weeks. Workers are covered from the first day on the job, with no waiting period.
If the claim is denied, we file a Petition to Controvert with the Commission and build the case through medical records, treating physician opinions, and your work history. The Commission schedules a hearing before an Administrative Judge, and many cases settle before or after that point. Settlement value depends on your injury, your restrictions, your ability to return to commercial driving, and your wage history. A back injury that ends a trucker’s commercial license is a very different claim from a shoulder injury that resolves after surgery.
Employment status is a recurring fight in trucking. Carriers sometimes classify drivers as independent contractors to avoid comp coverage. How much control the company exercises over routes, schedules, equipment, and pay often matters more than the label on a contract, and we examine that closely.
When Someone Other Than Your Employer Is Responsible
If a negligent driver hit your truck, a shipper loaded unsafely, or a contractor left a hazard at a delivery site, you may have a personal injury claim against that party in addition to your comp benefits. Workers’ compensation is not fault-based, so it pays regardless of who caused the crash, but it does not compensate for pain and suffering. A third-party claim can. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than eliminated. In Louisiana, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026.
The two claims must be coordinated. The comp insurer may have a right to be reimbursed from a third-party recovery, and settling one claim carelessly can damage the other. Our attorneys handle both, including car and truck accidents and wrongful death, so the claims support each other.
Tupelo Trucker Injury Questions, Answered
Do I need a lawyer for a truck driver workers’ compensation claim?
Not every claim requires one, but if your benefits have been denied, delayed, reduced, or cut off, or your injury will keep you from driving for a long time, a lawyer can change the outcome. The insurer has adjusters and attorneys protecting its interests, and you should have someone protecting yours.
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 a trucking injury?
Report it to your employer immediately, and no later than 30 days after the accident. Both Mississippi and Louisiana use the 30-day notice period.
What is the deadline to file a claim in Mississippi?
Generally two years from the date of injury, by filing with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. If compensation payments were made, the period can run from the last payment. Because exceptions are narrow, do not rely on them.
Can my employer fire me for filing a claim?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana 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 my back problem is blamed on a pre-existing condition?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end your claim. If driving or hauling freight caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still qualify for benefits. Strong medical evidence is the key.
What if the trucking company says I am an independent contractor?
The label in a contract does not settle the question. Courts and the Commission look at how much control the company had over your work. We investigate the actual relationship before accepting a denial based on classification.
Can I bring a lawsuit against the driver who hit my truck while I was working?
Often yes. Comp benefits do not stop you from pursuing a negligent third party. In Mississippi, a driver who was partly at fault can still recover, reduced by that share. For Louisiana claims arising on or after January 1, 2026, a driver found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing.
Will I lose my CDL if I cannot pass the medical requirements after my injury?
An injury that disqualifies you from commercial driving can support a claim for permanent disability and lost earning capacity. Your restrictions, your ability to work other jobs, and your wage history all factor into how a case is valued, which is why we gather detailed medical and vocational evidence.
What if I live in Mississippi but my employer is based in Louisiana?
Interstate drivers can have a claim under either state’s system depending on where the contract was formed, where the injury happened, and where the employer operates. We review those facts to determine which state’s benefits are most favorable and which deadlines apply, and we represent clients in both.
How long does a trucker’s comp case take?
It depends on the injury and whether the insurer cooperates. Accepted claims move quickly on treatment, while contested ones can take many months if a hearing before an Administrative Judge is required. A serious injury may not settle until you reach maximum medical improvement.
Can I still get medical care while my claim is disputed?
Your health insurance may help temporarily, but the comp insurer may owe reimbursement if your claim is later accepted. Tell every provider the injury happened at work so billing is handled correctly.
Serving Truck Drivers in Tupelo and Lee County Communities
We represent injured truck drivers in Tupelo and throughout Lee County, including Saltillo, Verona, Plantersville, Guntown, Baldwyn, Shannon, and Belden. Our clients also come from neighboring counties such as Itawamba, Pontotoc, Union, Prentiss, and Monroe, and from towns including Fulton, Pontotoc, New Albany, Booneville, and Aberdeen. Because Tupelo sits at a crossroads of freight routes in north Mississippi, we regularly assist drivers hurt on the highways and at distribution points across the region.
We also serve injured workers from Southaven and the rest of north Mississippi, the Delta, Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf Coast, as well as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and communities across north and South Louisiana. A driver whose route crosses state lines can work with a team that handles both states’ systems.
Talk With a Tupelo Truck Accident Injury Attorney Today
If you were hurt behind the wheel or on a dock, you do not have to sort out the insurance company’s moves alone. A Tupelo truck driver injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain your deadlines, and handle the carrier while you focus on getting well. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover benefits for you. Call us or send your case details, and we will tell you where you stand.
