Meridian Truck Accident Lawyer
After a collision with a commercial truck, the goal is straightforward: medical care that continues until you have recovered, income that does not stop while you cannot work, and a settlement that reflects what the crash actually cost you. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana injury and workers’ compensation firm, and our Meridian truck accident lawyer team represents people hurt in wrecks with tractor-trailers, delivery vehicles, and other commercial rigs, serving Lauderdale County and communities across the state.
Meridian sits where Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 meet, and Interstate 20 carries freight between Atlanta, Birmingham, Jackson, and Texas. That traffic runs through Lauderdale County around the clock. A truck crash here is rarely a simple two-car dispute. There may be a driver, a trucking company, a freight broker, a loading contractor, and a maintenance vendor, each with an insurer and each with a reason to point at someone else.
Many of the people we represent were working when the truck hit them. A delivery driver, a project manager in a company vehicle, or a technician headed to a job site may have two claims at once: workers’ compensation through the employer and an injury claim against the at-fault truck driver and carrier. Getting those two tracks to support each other, instead of undercutting each other, is a large part of what we do.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Meridian Truck Crash Case
Our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience, and the firm has recovered more than $100 million in settlements for clients. We handle truck and car accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death claims for clients across Mississippi, including Meridian and Lauderdale County. 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 we speak Spanish with clients who prefer it.
The people behind the work matter. 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 and has argued personal injury and insurance cases before the state appellate courts. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team.
Trucking cases often involve a driver who was on the clock, so our results in work-related vehicle cases are directly relevant. We secured $385,000 for a project manager who suffered 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 on the job. Our back injury results include $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury. Those are the kinds of spinal injuries heavy-truck impacts tend to cause. Clients regularly tell us the same thing in their reviews: we listened, we stayed responsive, and we fought the insurance company at every step.
Common Truck Crash Situations We Handle
- Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 Collisions: Long-haul traffic through Lauderdale County means rear-end impacts in slowed or stopped lanes, lane-change sideswipes, and wrecks near merges and construction zones. These cases turn on speed, following distance, and whether the driver was fatigued.
- Jackknife and Rollover Crashes: When a trailer swings out or a rig tips, the cause is often braking, cargo loading, or tire and brake maintenance. Maintenance records and load documentation become central evidence.
- Underride and Rear-End Impacts: A passenger car that slides beneath a trailer can suffer catastrophic head, neck, and spinal injuries. We look at the trailer’s rear guard and the driver’s actions before impact.
- Delivery and Box Truck Wrecks: Local delivery vehicles may fall outside the federal rules that govern big rigs, but the company that dispatched the driver can still be responsible. Schedule pressure and driver training are common issues.
- Work-Vehicle Crashes Involving a Third Party: When a truck hits someone traveling for their job, workers’ compensation pays medical care and wage benefits regardless of fault, while a claim against the truck driver and carrier can recover more.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations, fractures, and nerve damage are common after a heavy-vehicle impact. Insurers often blame degenerative changes, so medical evidence tying the injury to the crash is essential.
- Fractures, Burns, and Catastrophic Injuries: Broken hips, ankles, and legs, fuel or fire injuries, and traumatic brain injuries can require surgeries and long-term care, which drives the value of the claim.
- Wrongful Death: When a truck crash takes a life, family members may bring a claim for the loss, and the deadlines differ from an ordinary injury case.
What to Do After a Truck Wreck Near Meridian
Get medical attention first, even if you feel mostly intact. Adrenaline hides injuries, and herniated discs and concussions often show up days later. Treatment records created right away are the strongest proof that the crash caused your condition. In the Meridian area, ambulances from a collision on I-20 or I-59 will take you to a local emergency department; tell the providers every symptom, including pain you assume is minor.
Call law enforcement so a report is made, and photograph everything you can: the vehicles, the trailer, the company name and USDOT number on the cab door, the skid marks, the road, and your injuries. Get the driver’s name, the carrier, and witness contact information. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer, and do not sign medical releases that open your entire history. Adjusters are trained to find language that can be used to shrink a claim.
Send a preservation demand early. Trucking companies hold evidence that can disappear on a routine schedule, including electronic logging data, dashcam video, dispatch messages, driver qualification files, and inspection and maintenance records. A lawyer can demand that these be kept, and can bring in an accident reconstruction expert before the vehicles are repaired or sold.
Deadlines depend on the type of claim. If you were hurt while working in Mississippi, tell your employer within 30 days of the accident and file a petition with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years of the injury or the last compensation payment. The Commission, not a court, hears those claims, and its decisions can be appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court within 30 days. A negligence claim against the at-fault truck driver and carrier in Mississippi generally must be filed within three years of the accident, and claims against a county or government agency carry a one-year limit and a notice requirement. A truck crash case can be filed in state court in the county where the crash occurred or in federal court in the Southern District of Mississippi when the parties are from different states. If your wreck happened in Louisiana, the tort deadline for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 is two years, and a workers’ compensation claim there generally must be filed within one year. Because each deadline runs separately, calling a lawyer early prevents one claim from expiring while you focus on the other.
How Fault and Damages Work in a Mississippi Truck Case
Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence. If a jury decides you share some of the blame, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, but it is not eliminated. Trucking defense teams know this and look for any argument that you braked late, changed lanes, or were distracted. We build the case to put responsibility where it belongs, using crash data, driver logs, and witness accounts.
Louisiana is different for newer cases. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a person found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower percentage reduces the award proportionally. If your crash happened on the Louisiana side of the line, that rule can change the entire strategy.
Economic damages include medical bills, future care, and lost earnings. Non-economic damages cover pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Mississippi caps non-economic damages in most wrongful death cases at $1,000,000, and the cap does not apply to economic damages. When the crash happened at work, workers’ compensation wage benefits are generally two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory maximum, and the comp insurer may have a right to be repaid from a third-party settlement. Handling that reimbursement correctly can put real money back in your pocket.
Questions About Meridian Truck Accident Claims
How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Mississippi?
Most negligence claims must be filed within three years of the accident. Claims against a county or governmental agency carry a one-year limit and require notice. Waiting weakens evidence even when the deadline has not passed.
Who can be held responsible for a truck crash?
The driver, the motor carrier, a company that loaded the cargo, a maintenance contractor, a parts manufacturer, or a broker who hired an unsafe carrier may all share responsibility. Which of them is liable depends on records we obtain during the investigation.
What evidence is most important in a trucking case?
Electronic logging data, dashcam footage, dispatch records, driver qualification files, inspection and maintenance history, and the vehicle’s event data are the core evidence. We send preservation demands quickly because carriers can overwrite or discard this material.
I was driving for work when the truck hit me. Can I get workers’ compensation and sue the truck driver?
Often, yes. Workers’ compensation covers your medical care and wage benefits regardless of fault, and an injury claim against the at-fault driver and carrier can recover additional damages. The two claims must be coordinated so the comp insurer’s reimbursement rights are handled properly.
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 for you.
What if the truck driver says I was partly at fault?
In Mississippi, shared fault reduces your recovery by your percentage but does not bar it. In Louisiana, for newer causes of action, being 51 percent or more at fault bars recovery entirely, so the fault analysis matters even more there.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
You can generally use health insurance to get treated now, and the claim is resolved later. Your health plan or Medicare may seek reimbursement from a settlement, so those liens are negotiated as part of the case.
Why do trucking cases take longer than regular car accident cases?
There are more parties, more insurance layers, and more evidence to collect and analyze. Cases with serious injuries also should not settle until your doctors know how far you will recover, since a settlement closes the claim permanently.
Should I accept the trucking company’s first offer?
First offers usually come before the full extent of your injuries is known and often undervalue future surgery, therapy, and lost earning capacity. Once you sign a release, you cannot reopen the claim.
Can I still bring a claim if my family member died in a truck crash?
Yes. Mississippi wrongful death claims based on negligence generally have a three-year limit. If the death occurred in Louisiana, the rule is the longer of one year from death or two years from the injury. Contact us promptly so evidence is preserved.
What if the driver was working for a company in another state?
Out-of-state carriers are common on I-20 and I-59. The claim can usually proceed in Mississippi, and cases between citizens of different states may be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.
Serving Truck Accident Clients Across Lauderdale County and Mississippi
Our team represents truck crash victims in Meridian and throughout Lauderdale County, including the communities of Marion, Collinsville, Toomsuba, Russell, Lauderdale, Zero, and Arundel. We also serve clients in neighboring areas such as Quitman, Enterprise, Waynesboro, DeKalb, Philadelphia, Newton, and Union along the I-20 and I-59 corridors.
Across Mississippi, we represent injured people in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta, as well as north Mississippi. In Louisiana, our reach extends to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and the rest of South and north Louisiana. Wherever the crash happened, the work is the same: identify every responsible party, secure the trucking evidence, and coordinate any workers’ compensation claim with the injury case.
Talk With a Meridian Truck Accident Attorney Today
If a commercial truck hit you or someone in your family, speak with a Meridian truck accident attorney before the insurance company shapes the story. Call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC any hour of the day, schedule a free consultation, and learn where your claim stands. You pay no fee unless we recover for you.
