Tupelo Truck Accident Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims in Tupelo and across north Mississippi, and a large share of the people who come to us after a collision with a commercial truck were on the clock when it happened. A delivery driver rear-ended on the highway, a project manager struck in a work vehicle, a trucker run off the road by another rig: these are workers’ compensation claims and third-party injury claims at the same time, and handling one badly can damage the other.
If you are looking for a Tupelo truck accident lawyer, start with the fact that an eighteen-wheeler wreck is rarely a single-defendant case. The driver, the motor carrier, the company that loaded the trailer, the maintenance contractor, and the truck’s manufacturer can each carry a piece of the fault. Evidence such as electronic logging data, dispatch records, and inspection files can disappear on a company’s ordinary retention schedule, so the early weeks matter far more than most people expect.
Tupelo sits where U.S. 45, U.S. 78 / Interstate 22, and the Natchez Trace corridor pull freight traffic through Lee County, along with the furniture, manufacturing, and distribution trucking that runs around the clock. Heavy trucks and local commuters share the same lanes, and when they collide the injuries tend to be severe.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Tupelo Truck Wreck Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a workers’ compensation and injury firm serving Mississippi and Louisiana, including Tupelo, Lee County, and communities throughout north Mississippi. Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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 state appellate courts. Together our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience.
That track record includes more than $100 million recovered for clients. Several results involved on-the-road injuries: $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, and $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck while working. Larger back-injury outcomes, including $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker, reflect the kind of medical evidence we know how to build when an insurer blames a degenerative condition for a crash injury.
Clients tell us they felt heard and kept informed, and that our attorneys stood up to the insurance company. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish.
Types of Truck Crashes We Handle Around Tupelo
- Tractor-Trailer Collisions on Highways: Rear-end impacts, underrides, and lane-change crashes along the U.S. 45 and Interstate 22 corridors through Lee County, where freight and commuter traffic mix at highway speed.
- On-the-Job Truck Wrecks: Delivery drivers, field technicians, and sales staff hit by another vehicle while working. These support a comp claim against your employer’s carrier and a separate injury claim against the at-fault driver and carrier.
- Injuries to Professional Truck Drivers: Drivers hurt when another rig, a car, or a hazard on the road causes the wreck. Comp benefits come from your own employer’s coverage, while a negligent third party may owe more.
- Jackknife and Rollover Crashes: Often tied to overloaded or poorly secured cargo, worn brakes, or speed on ramps and curves, which points liability toward the carrier, loader, or maintenance shop.
- Fatigued and Distracted Driving: Federal hours-of-service limits and electronic logs make driver fatigue provable when the records are preserved quickly.
- Wrongful Death After a Truck Crash: Families who lose a loved one may bring a claim for the death, and when the person was working, comp death benefits may also be available.
- Crashes Involving Government Vehicles: Claims against a county or governmental agency, such as a county road truck, follow shorter notice rules under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act.
What to Do in the Days After a Truck Accident in Tupelo
Get medical care first, then protect the evidence. Emergency treatment and follow-up with your own doctor create the record that ties your injuries to the crash. Do not downplay symptoms to responders or adjusters, and do not skip appointments. Gaps in treatment are exactly what insurers point to later.
Make sure a police report exists, whether it comes from the Tupelo Police Department, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, or the Mississippi Highway Patrol depending on where the crash happened. Photograph the scene, the vehicles, the skid marks, and your injuries if you can. Write down the truck’s company name, the USDOT number on the cab door, and the driver’s name. Then have an attorney send a preservation demand to the carrier. Logging data, dash camera video, maintenance files, and driver qualification records are controlled by the trucking company, not by you.
If you were hurt while working, report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. In Mississippi the report must be made within 30 days of the accident. You are covered from your first day on the job, and a claim generally must be filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury, or within two years of the last compensation payment. Those claims are heard by an Administrative Judge, with review by the Full Commission. Appeals of a final award go on the record to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which may assign the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, and the deadline to appeal is 30 days.
The injury claim against the at-fault driver or trucking company runs on a separate clock. Most Mississippi negligence claims must be filed within three years, but claims against a county or governmental agency carry a one-year limit and require notice. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer, do not sign a medical release that reaches back years, and do not accept a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries. A federal court case in northern Mississippi, if one is ever needed, would be filed in the Northern District of Mississippi, which includes Lee County.
How Comp and a Truck Accident Claim Fit Together
When you are hurt in a work-related truck crash, two systems apply at once. Workers’ compensation pays reasonable and necessary medical care and wage replacement regardless of who caused the wreck. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability pay roughly two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a statutory weekly maximum, for no more than 450 weeks, and other permanent partial disability payments are likewise capped at 450 weeks.
The third-party claim is different. It seeks the things comp does not pay, such as pain and suffering, and full lost earnings, from the negligent driver and trucking company. Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, so if you are found partly at fault your recovery is reduced by your share rather than eliminated. The comp carrier will often claim reimbursement from your third-party recovery, so the two claims must be settled in the right order and with the right language. That coordination is the reason we handle both together.
The insurer’s arguments are predictable. They blame degenerative discs for a back injury, call a torn shoulder or knee an old sports injury, or push you back to work before your doctor releases you. We answer with treating-physician opinions, imaging, and your work history.
Truck Accident Questions We Hear from Tupelo Clients
How soon should I call a lawyer after a truck accident?
As soon as you are medically stable. Trucking companies investigate quickly, and electronic data and video can be overwritten. Early contact lets us demand that the carrier preserve its records.
Does workers’ comp apply if I was in a truck crash while working?
Yes, if you were injured in the course of your job, comp can cover medical care and wage benefits no matter who caused the crash. You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days.
Can I sue the other driver and also receive comp benefits?
Often, yes. Comp comes from your employer’s carrier, and a separate claim against a negligent third party can recover additional damages. The two must be coordinated because the comp carrier may seek reimbursement.
How long do I have to file in Mississippi?
For comp, report within 30 days and file a claim with the Commission within two years of the injury or the last payment. For most negligence injury claims, the general period is three years. Claims against a county or government agency have a one-year limit and require notice.
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 instead of being barred. Comp benefits do not depend on fault at all.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement. Fees in workers’ comp cases are limited and approved under state law.
What evidence matters most in a truck wreck case?
Driver logs, dispatch and GPS records, dash camera footage, maintenance and inspection files, cargo loading records, and the driver’s qualification and drug-testing history. Most of it is in the carrier’s hands, which is why preservation letters go out early.
Can more than one company be responsible?
Yes. Along with the driver and carrier, a cargo loader, broker, repair shop, or parts manufacturer may share fault, and naming the right parties affects how much insurance coverage is available.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
If the injury is work-related, comp should pay authorized treatment. If it is not, your health plan may pay and then seek repayment from a settlement. We help sort out who pays first so you are not stuck with bills.
What if the insurer says my back injury was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If the crash caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, benefits may still be owed, and strong medical evidence is how that argument is won.
What if my loved one died in a truck crash?
Mississippi allows a wrongful death claim, generally within three years for negligence, and comp death benefits may also be available if the crash happened at work. Noneconomic damages in most wrongful death cases are capped at $1,000,000, and the cap does not limit economic damages.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Truck Accident Clients Across Tupelo and Lee County
We represent injured people in Tupelo and throughout Lee County, including Saltillo, Verona, Plantersville, Shannon, Baldwyn, Nettleton, and Guntown. Just beyond the county line we help clients in Pontotoc, Fulton, Okolona, Aberdeen, Corinth, Booneville, and New Albany, along the highways that carry freight between Memphis, Birmingham, and the Gulf.
Our work extends across north Mississippi and into Oxford, Southaven, and the Delta, and statewide to Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf Coast. We also represent clients across Louisiana, from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette to Lake Charles and Shreveport.
Talk With a Tupelo Truck Accident Attorney Today
If a commercial truck injured you or took someone you love, speak with a Tupelo truck accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe before the evidence disappears and before an adjuster shapes your claim for you. Call us any hour, since our phones are answered 24 hours a day. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you.
