Pascagoula Car Accident Lawyer
Getting your medical bills paid, your vehicle repaired or replaced, and your lost income covered after a wreck comes down to proving who caused it and refusing to let an adjuster shrink the value of your claim. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana injury and workers’ compensation firm, and it helps people hurt in crashes in Pascagoula and across Jackson County, along the Gulf Coast, and throughout South Mississippi. If you need a Pascagoula car accident lawyer, that is the work we do.
Pascagoula is an industrial town. Shipyard shifts, refinery traffic, and port trucking put heavy vehicles and tired drivers on the same roads as everyone else, and a crash here often involves a commercial defendant, a company insurer, or an injured person who was driving for work at the time.
That last point matters. If you were struck while on the clock, you may have two claims running at once: workers’ compensation through your employer and a fault-based claim against the other driver. Handled separately, they can undercut each other. Handled together, they can add up to far more.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Pascagoula Car Crash Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people across Mississippi and Louisiana, including Pascagoula, Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs, and the rest of the Gulf Coast. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you owe no fee unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Hablamos español.
The people behind that record matter to a crash victim. 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 state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Results give a sense of what serious injuries can be worth. We secured $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after he was struck in his work vehicle, $190,000 for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job, and $685,000 for a surgical tech with a lower back injury. Those are the kinds of claims where an insurer’s first offer tends to ignore the long-term picture.
Common Crash Types and Injuries We See From Pascagoula Roads
- Work Vehicle and Commute-Adjacent Collisions: Delivery drivers, field technicians, and managers struck while driving for an employer may have both a comp claim and a claim against the at-fault driver.
- Commercial Truck Crashes: Port, shipyard, and refinery freight keeps tractor-trailers on the roads in and out of Pascagoula, and these wrecks often involve the trucking company, its insurer, and sometimes a cargo or maintenance contractor.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations are common after rear-end and side-impact crashes, and insurers frequently blame degenerative changes that were already there.
- Shoulder and Knee Injuries: Torn rotator cuffs, meniscus tears, and ligament injuries from bracing against the wheel or striking the dash often require surgery and months of recovery.
- Fractures: Broken ankles, hips, and ribs can mean specialist care, hardware, and extended time away from physical work.
- Burns and Catastrophic Injuries: Fires after a collision, or crashes at industrial sites, can leave permanent damage that drives the value of a case far past the first estimate.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash kills a family member, surviving relatives may bring a claim, and the deadlines differ from an ordinary injury case.
- Premises and Third-Party Contractor Liability: Some crashes trace back to an unsafe work zone, a poorly maintained lot, or a contractor’s negligence rather than only a careless driver.
What to Do After a Wreck in Pascagoula
Start with medical care, even if you feel mostly fine. Adrenaline hides pain, and a gap between the crash and your first treatment gives an insurer room to argue your injury came from something else. Call the police so a report exists. Within Pascagoula, that usually means the city police department; on county roads or highways, the sheriff’s office or Highway Patrol may respond.
Photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, and your injuries. Get names and insurance details from every driver and contact information from witnesses. Do not apologize or guess at fault at the scene, because those remarks get repeated in claim notes.
Be careful with the other side’s adjuster. A recorded statement is not required, and early calls often aim at getting you to minimize your injuries or accept a quick, low payment. Give your own insurer the basic facts, and let us handle contact with everyone else.
If you were driving for work, report the injury to your employer right away. Under Mississippi workers’ compensation law, notice must go to the employer within 30 days of the accident, and a claim must be filed with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years if no disability benefits have been paid. Coverage begins on an employee’s first day, with no waiting period. Comp claims are decided by the Commission, not a court.
For the fault claim, Mississippi’s general three-year limit under Miss. Code § 15-1-49 applies to most negligence actions. Wrongful death based on negligence also carries three years, while intentional torts carry one. Claims against a county or government agency are different: they carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. If your crash involved a government vehicle or a county road defect, do not wait.
If your crash happened across the state line in Louisiana, different rules apply. Injuries on or after July 1, 2024 carry a two-year period under Civil Code article 3493.1, and for causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing.
How Pascagoula Car Accident Cases Typically Unfold
Most cases begin with treatment. We let your doctors determine the course of care while we gather the crash report, photographs, witness accounts, and your employment and medical records.
Next comes the claim. We put the at-fault driver’s insurer on notice and build the damages picture: medical bills past and future, lost wages, reduced earning ability, and pain and suffering. Insurers rarely open with a fair number, so we wait until your medical picture is clear before negotiating. Settling before you know the full extent of an injury is how people end up paying for surgery out of their own pockets.
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence under Miss. Code § 11-7-15. If a jury finds you partly at fault, your recovery is reduced by your share rather than eliminated. That makes the evidence about who did what, and when, central to the value of the case.
When negotiation fails, we file suit. Cases arising in Jackson County are heard in the local state courts, and some federal cases go to the Southern District of Mississippi, where the Southern Division sits in Gulfport. Having trial lawyers in the firm changes the tone of negotiations, because insurers know which firms are willing to go to a jury.
Car Accident Questions Pascagoula Drivers Ask
How much does it cost to hire a car accident lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover money for you.
How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most negligence claims must be filed within three years under Miss. Code § 15-1-49. Claims against a county or other governmental body carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so those cases need immediate attention.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you are not barred from recovering.
Should I give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement?
You are not required to. Statements given before you understand your injuries are often used to dispute the severity of your claim. Talk to us first.
Can I have a workers’ comp claim and a car accident claim from the same crash?
Yes, if you were hurt while working. Workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage benefits regardless of fault, and a separate claim against the negligent driver can recover additional damages. The two need to be coordinated so one does not undermine the other.
What deadlines apply if I was hurt while driving for my employer?
Report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and file with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury if no disability benefits have been paid.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it will, and using it keeps you from delaying care. Your health insurer may seek reimbursement from a settlement, which we account for when negotiating. Do not skip treatment because the claim is unresolved.
The other driver was uninsured. Do I still have options?
Possibly. Your own policy’s uninsured motorist coverage may apply, and if you were working, workers’ compensation benefits may be available regardless of the other driver’s insurance.
What if the insurer says my injury was already there?
A pre-existing condition does not end a claim. If the crash caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, you may still recover, and answering this argument with solid medical evidence is a routine part of our work.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a crash that did not seem serious at first?
Often, yes. Back, neck, and shoulder injuries can take days or weeks to fully show up, and a quick settlement signed early cannot be reopened. A free consultation costs nothing and tells you where you stand.
What happens if a family member died in a crash?
Wrongful death claims have their own deadlines and rules about who may bring them. In Mississippi, negligence-based wrongful death generally carries three years, and noneconomic damages are capped in most wrongful death cases. Call us soon so evidence is preserved.
Do you handle crashes outside Pascagoula?
Yes. We represent injured people throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including accidents that cross the state line.
Serving Pascagoula and Jackson County Car Accident Clients
We represent crash victims in Pascagoula and across Jackson County, including Moss Point, Gautier, Ocean Springs, Gulf Hills, Escatawpa, Vancleave, and Hurley. Along the Gulf Coast we also help people hurt in Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland.
Further inland and across South Mississippi, our work reaches Hattiesburg, Picayune, Lucedale, and Wiggins, and statewide from Jackson and Madison to Southaven and the Delta. In Louisiana, we serve clients in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, as well as across South Louisiana. Whether the crash happened on a coast highway, a county road, or a plant access road, the claim is built the same way: with the evidence, the medical proof, and the persistence it takes.
Talk to a Pascagoula Car Accident Attorney Today
A Pascagoula car accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain your options, and start building the case while the evidence is fresh. If your crash was work-related, we will line up your comp benefits and your injury claim so they support each other.
Call us any time of day. Consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you.
