Madison Truck Accident Lawyer
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured workers and accident victims across Madison County and the rest of Mississippi and Louisiana, and a large share of the people who call us after a truck wreck were hurt while doing their jobs. Delivery drivers, project managers, and truck drivers get hit on the road, and when that happens, the crash can support more than one claim at once.
A Madison truck accident lawyer has to think about two tracks from the first conversation. If you were working when an 18-wheeler, box truck, or company vehicle collided with you, workers’ compensation pays your medical care and part of your lost wages whether or not anyone was at fault. The company or driver who caused the wreck may also owe you for the losses comp does not cover. Handled separately, those two claims can collide. Handled together, they reinforce each other.
Madison sits on the Interstate 55 corridor north of Jackson, with Highway 51 running alongside it and the Interstate 220 connection nearby. Freight, delivery vans, and contractor trucks move through constantly, and commuters share those lanes with them. That mix is exactly where serious collisions happen.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Truck Wreck Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Mississippi and Louisiana law firm built around injured workers. We serve Madison, Ridgeland, Canton, and communities across Mississippi and South Louisiana. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we speak Spanish.
Several results speak to this kind of case directly. We secured $385,000 for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, $190,000 for a truck driver who injured his lower back in a wreck on the job, and $175,000 for a delivery driver with a lumbar injury. Bigger back-injury outcomes include $685,000 for a surgical tech and $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, which matters because spinal injuries are among the most common results of heavy-truck impacts.
The people doing the work include Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, who has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers, and Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe, both recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers. The firm was ranked by Best Law Firms in 2026 for Workers’ Compensation Law, Claimants, in Jackson. Clients regularly describe the same things in their reviews: attorneys who listen, who stay with the case, and who stand up to the insurance company at each step.
Kinds of Truck Crashes We See in Madison County
- Tractor-Trailer Collisions on I-55: Rear-end impacts, lane-change sideswipes, and jackknifes on the interstate through Madison and Ridgeland often involve fatigue, speed, or a driver who failed to slow for traffic. These crashes produce herniated discs, fractures, and head injuries.
- Work Vehicle Struck by a Commercial Truck: Salespeople, project managers, inspectors, and service techs drive all day. When a truck hits a work vehicle, comp applies and a third-party claim against the at-fault driver and carrier may also exist.
- Delivery and Box Truck Wrecks: Package and freight deliveries have grown across the Highway 51 and Interstate 55 corridor. Time pressure on drivers can contribute to unsafe turns, distracted driving, and missed stops.
- Injured Truck Drivers: Drivers hurt in a wreck while on the clock are generally covered by workers’ compensation, and another motorist or a trucking company’s unsafe practices may add a separate claim.
- Construction and Contractor Truck Accidents: Dump trucks, flatbeds, and concrete mixers servicing Madison County job sites can cause crashes on both highways and site access roads, affecting other drivers and workers alike.
- Wrongful Death After a Truck Crash: When a family loses someone to a collision with a commercial vehicle, a wrongful death claim may proceed alongside comp death benefits if the person was working.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Disc herniations, fractures, and nerve damage are the injuries we most often see after heavy-truck impacts, and insurers frequently argue they are just degenerative.
What to Do After a Truck Accident Near Madison
Get medical care first, even if you feel mostly okay. Adrenaline hides injuries, and neck and back damage often shows up days later. Call the police so a report exists, and take photographs of the vehicles, the road, skid marks, and any visible injuries. Get the truck’s company name, the driver’s information, and witness contacts. If you can, note the USDOT number on the cab, since it identifies the carrier.
If you were working at the time, tell your employer about the injury promptly. In Mississippi, you must report a work injury within 30 days, and you generally have two years to file a claim with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Mississippi covers workers from their first day on the job. If you work in Louisiana, you also have 30 days to report, and a formal claim generally must be filed within one year of the accident.
The third-party claim against the truck driver and trucking company runs on a separate clock. In Mississippi, a negligence claim with no other prescribed period generally must be filed within three years of the cause of action accruing. Louisiana’s period for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, is two years. If the at-fault party is a county or other government entity, Mississippi requires notice under the Tort Claims Act and imposes a one-year limit, which is much shorter.
Be careful with the trucking company’s insurer. Adjusters often call within days, sound sympathetic, and ask for a recorded statement. Anything you say can be used to blame you, to minimize your injuries, or to point to a pre-existing condition. You can decline until you have talked to a lawyer. Do not sign a release or accept a quick offer before you know the full extent of your injuries, because a settlement closes the claim permanently.
Preserve evidence early. Commercial carriers keep logbooks, electronic logging data, dispatch records, maintenance files, and sometimes dash camera footage, but they do not keep them forever. A prompt letter demanding that the carrier preserve this material can make the difference in proving a driver was over hours, distracted, or poorly trained.
How Workers’ Comp and a Truck Accident Claim Fit Together
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. You do not need to prove the truck driver was careless to receive medical treatment and wage replacement. In Mississippi, temporary and permanent total disability are paid at two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a statutory maximum, for up to 450 weeks. Louisiana pays similar wage benefits, subject to its own weekly limits, and offers supplemental earnings benefits if you return to work at reduced pay.
What comp does not pay is pain and suffering, and it generally does not make up the full difference in your income. A claim against the negligent truck driver and the trucking company can recover those losses. In Mississippi, fault is judged by pure comparative negligence, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault rather than eliminated. In Louisiana, for causes of action arising on or after the start of 2026, a person found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower share reduces the award proportionally. That makes how the fault story is told very important.
Coordination matters. The comp insurer may have a right to be repaid from your third-party recovery, and settling the injury case the wrong way can jeopardize your ongoing comp benefits. We handle both claims so these pieces do not undercut one another.
Frequently Asked Questions About Madison Truck Accidents
Do I need a lawyer after a truck accident in Madison?
If anyone was seriously hurt, it is wise to talk to one. Trucking companies and their insurers respond quickly and have lawyers ready. If you were on the job, the added layer of workers’ compensation makes legal guidance even more valuable.
How much does it cost to hire your firm?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of your case, and we are paid only if we recover benefits or a settlement for you. Attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases are limited and approved under state law.
I was driving for work when the truck hit me. Do I file workers’ comp or sue the truck driver?
Often both. Workers’ compensation covers your medical care and part of your wages regardless of fault, and you may also have a claim against the at-fault driver and their employer for losses comp does not cover.
How long do I have to report a work-related truck accident?
Report it to your employer right away, and no later than 30 days in both Mississippi and Louisiana. Missing that window can put your comp claim at risk.
What is the deadline to sue the trucking company in Mississippi?
Generally three years for a negligence claim. Claims involving a county or governmental agency carry a one-year limit and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, so those deadlines can be far shorter.
What if I was partly at fault for the wreck?
In Mississippi, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault rather than barred. Louisiana is stricter for causes of action arising on or after the start of 2026: at 51 percent or more at fault you recover nothing. Either way, how fault is proven matters.
Will the trucking company’s insurer want a recorded statement?
Probably. You are not required to give one to the other side’s insurer, and doing so before you know your injuries or have legal advice often hurts more than it helps.
What evidence is unique to truck accident cases?
Driver logbooks and electronic logging data, dispatch records, maintenance and inspection files, driver qualification records, and any dash camera footage. Carriers do not keep this indefinitely, so early preservation requests matter.
Can a pre-existing back problem sink my claim?
No. A prior condition does not automatically end a claim. If the crash caused, worsened, or accelerated your condition, benefits may still be available. Insurers raise this argument constantly, and strong medical evidence is how it gets answered.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim after a work-related truck crash?
Both Mississippi and Louisiana protect workers from retaliation for filing a comp claim. If you were let go or punished after reporting your injury, tell us so we can review your options.
What happens if my workers’ comp claim is denied after the crash?
In Mississippi, the case goes before the Workers’ Compensation Commission, starting with an Administrative Judge and potentially the Full Commission, with further review available through the appellate courts. A final Commission award can be appealed within 30 days. We handle denied claims and appeals in both states.
Do you handle Spanish-speaking clients?
Yes. Hablamos español, 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 Madison County and Beyond
We represent clients in the city of Madison and throughout Madison County, including Ridgeland, Canton, Flora, and Gluckstown, and the communities along Highway 51 and Interstate 55. Just across the county line, we also help people in neighboring Jackson, Clinton, Pearl, Brandon, Flowood, Byram, and Terry, as well as families in Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. Our reach extends north through Mississippi and into Louisiana, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport. Wherever the wreck happened, if a truck was involved and you were working or were hurt by someone who was, we can help sort out the claims.
Speak With a Madison Truck Accident Attorney Today
If a truck wreck has left you hurt and unsure how workers’ comp and an injury claim fit together, a Madison truck accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can walk you through it. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, consultations are free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call us to talk through what happened and what comes next.
