Olive Branch Personal Injury Lawyer
Olive Branch sits in DeSoto County, in the northwest corner of Mississippi, where I-22, I-269, and Highway 78 funnel an enormous volume of freight and commuter traffic toward Memphis and the distribution hubs along the state line. That traffic profile shapes the injury cases that come out of this county: tractor-trailer crashes, collisions involving delivery vans and company vehicles, and warehouse or logistics injuries where more than one party may share responsibility. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana injury and workers’ compensation firm that represents injured people across DeSoto County and the rest of north Mississippi, and an Olive Branch personal injury lawyer from our team handles both the injury claim and any workers’ comp claim that grows out of the same event.
That second point matters more here than in most places. A large share of the people hurt on roads and job sites around Olive Branch were working at the time, driving a truck, making a delivery, or loading freight. When that happens, two systems apply at once: workers’ compensation against the employer, and a negligence claim against whoever else caused the harm. Handling them separately, or letting one adjuster’s statement damage the other claim, is how people lose money.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for an Olive Branch Injury Claim
The firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. That background is useful in a personal injury case because so many serious injuries in this region involve a workplace connection, and insurers on both sides of the claim watch what the other one is doing.
Our results reflect injuries that look a lot like the ones seen in DeSoto County: $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries 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. Larger back-injury outcomes include $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury.
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 injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients describe an easy, professional process in which the attorney actually fought with the insurance company on their behalf.
We work on a no recovery, no fee basis. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, phones are answered 24 hours a day, and hablamos espanol for Spanish-speaking clients from the first call to the end of the case.
Injury Cases We See Across DeSoto County
- Tractor-Trailer and Commercial Truck Crashes: Interstate and highway corridors around Olive Branch carry constant freight traffic. These cases often involve the driver, the carrier, a broker, and a maintenance contractor, and the evidence (logs, inspection records, black box data) can disappear if it is not requested early.
- Car Accidents on Highway 78 and Surrounding Routes: Heavy commuter volume between DeSoto County and Memphis produces rear-end collisions, lane-change crashes, and intersection wrecks near retail and warehouse entrances.
- Work Vehicle and Delivery Driver Collisions: When someone is hit while on the clock, the injured person may have a comp claim and a claim against the at-fault driver. The two have to be coordinated so one does not undercut the other.
- Warehouse and Distribution Center Injuries: Forklift incidents, falls from docks, and heavy lifting injuries are core comp claims, and a third-party claim may exist against an equipment maker or an outside contractor sharing the site.
- Premises Liability: Falls in stores, restaurants, apartment complexes, and parking lots depend on proving the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Lumbar and cervical disc herniations are among the most common serious injuries we handle, and insurers routinely blame degenerative disease. Medical evidence tying the injury to the event is what answers that argument.
- Shoulder, Knee, and Fracture Injuries: Rotator cuff and SLAP tears, ACL and meniscus tears, and fractures of the ankles, hips, and feet often require surgery and extended time away from work.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash or workplace incident kills a family member, the surviving family has its own claim with its own deadlines.
What to Do After an Injury in Olive Branch
Get medical care first, and tell the provider exactly how the injury happened. Gaps in treatment and vague histories are what insurers use later to argue the injury was something else. If the crash involved a police response, make sure a report was taken, and photograph vehicles, the scene, skid marks, and your injuries before anything is repaired or cleaned up.
If you were hurt while working, report it to your employer promptly. In Mississippi you must give notice within 30 days of the accident, and the cutoff for filing with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission is generally two years from the date of injury or last payment. The Commission, not a court, hears comp claims, first before an Administrative Judge and then, on review, before the Full Commission in Jackson. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which often assigns the case to the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
For the injury claim against someone else, Mississippi’s general three-year period for actions without a specific limit applies to most negligence cases, with a discovery rule for latent injuries. Claims against a county or other government body are different: they carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. Missing that notice can end a claim before it starts.
Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and do not sign medical releases that reach back years. Do not accept a quick check before you know the full extent of treatment. Call an injury attorney before those conversations happen. Federal court matters from DeSoto County fall within the Northern District of Mississippi, Oxford Division, which is relevant when a case involves an out-of-state trucking company.
How Fault and Comp Interact in a Mississippi Injury Case
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence. If you share some blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than eliminated. That makes the fight over fault percentage central, and insurers will try to assign you a larger share than the evidence supports.
When the injury happened at work, comp pays medical care and wage benefits regardless of fault, at up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a statutory maximum, for up to 450 weeks in total and permanent disability cases. A separate claim against a negligent third party can recover losses comp does not cover, such as pain and suffering. The two recoveries have to be managed together, because comp carriers can claim reimbursement from a third-party settlement and mistakes in timing or structure cost real money. This is where an attorney’s work shows: gathering the medical records, retaining experts when liability is contested, sequencing settlements, and trying the case when the offer is not fair.
Olive Branch Personal Injury Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Olive Branch?
Not every fender bender needs one. If you were seriously hurt, if fault is disputed, or if a commercial vehicle was involved, a lawyer can make a large difference. Insurers have adjusters and attorneys protecting their position from day one.
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 for you.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most negligence claims fall under a three-year period, though some claim types have shorter limits, and claims against government entities require notice and carry a one-year limit. Speak with an attorney early so nothing is missed.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so your compensation is reduced by your share of fault but not barred. Even a claimant found mostly at fault can still recover something.
I was hurt in a crash while driving for work. Do I have one claim or two?
Often two: a workers’ compensation claim against your employer’s insurer and a negligence claim against the at-fault driver. They run on different timelines through different forums, and they should be coordinated from the start.
How soon do I have to tell my employer about a work injury?
Within 30 days of the accident in Mississippi, and sooner is better. Late notice is one of the easiest ways for a carrier to deny a claim.
What if the insurer says my back problem was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not automatically end a claim. If the event caused, worsened, or accelerated the condition, you may still be entitled to compensation or benefits. Strong medical evidence is how that argument is answered.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often yes, though the health insurer may seek reimbursement from a settlement later. If the injury was work related, workers’ comp should be paying for authorized treatment instead. We help sort out who should be paying for what.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ compensation claim?
Mississippi protects workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting an injury, tell us so we can review your options.
What happens if a family member died in a crash or on the job?
Mississippi wrongful death claims for negligence generally carry a three-year limit, with a shorter limit for intentional torts. Noneconomic damages in most wrongful death cases are capped by statute, while economic damages are not. A work-related death may also support comp death benefits.
Do you handle cases outside Olive Branch?
Yes. We represent injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, including the Gulf Coast, the Delta, Jackson, and New Orleans.
Serving Injured Clients Across DeSoto County and North Mississippi
We represent clients throughout DeSoto County, starting with Olive Branch and extending to Southaven, Horn Lake, Hernando, Walls, Nesbit, Lake Cormorant, and Lewisburg. Many of these communities share the same highway corridors and distribution employers, so the injury patterns overlap from one town to the next.
Beyond DeSoto County, our team serves neighboring areas of north Mississippi, including Tunica, Batesville, Senatobia, Holly Springs, Oxford, and Tupelo, and reaches south to Madison and Jackson, the Delta, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf Coast. We also represent injured people across South Louisiana and north Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport.
Talk With an Olive Branch Personal Injury Attorney
If you were hurt in a crash, on a job site, or because of someone’s unsafe property, an Olive Branch personal injury attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, identify every claim available to you, and tell you plainly where you stand. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Call us today to talk through your case.
