Metairie Truck Accident Lawyer
Metairie drivers know what it feels like to share a lane with an eighteen-wheeler on Interstate 10 or Veterans Memorial Boulevard, and anyone who has been hit by one knows how quickly the next few weeks fill up with decisions. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people in Jefferson Parish and across South Louisiana, and a Metairie truck accident lawyer from our firm can start sorting out those decisions with you from the first call.
Truck crashes are not ordinary car wrecks with bigger vehicles. The trucking company, its insurer, and often a cargo or maintenance contractor all begin protecting themselves within hours. Evidence such as electronic logging data, dashcam footage, and driver qualification files can be lost or overwritten if no one asks for it early. And when the injured person was driving for work at the time, a second system, workers’ compensation, runs alongside the injury claim and has its own deadlines.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Metairie Truck Crash Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a firm built around injured workers, with workers’ compensation at the center of its practice, and our attorneys bring over 75 years of combined experience to their clients. We have recovered more than $100 million in settlements. We represent people hurt in Metairie, Kenner, Harahan, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and communities throughout Mississippi and South Louisiana, and we handle car and truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death alongside our comp work. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, you pay no fee unless we recover for you, and our phones are answered 24 hours a day. Hablamos español.
That background matters in truck cases because so many of them are work injuries. Our results include a $385,000 settlement for a project manager who suffered back injuries when he was struck in his work vehicle, and a $190,000 settlement for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job. Our attorneys know how to line up a third-party claim against a negligent driver or carrier with the comp benefits an injured worker is already owed, so one does not undercut the other.
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. Keaton Belk and Erin Heimlicher round out the attorney team. Clients consistently describe a team that listens, answers questions, and stays in the fight with the insurance company.
Kinds of Truck Crashes We See Around Metairie
- Interstate 10 Collisions: Heavy freight moves through Jefferson Parish on I-10 between the Bonnabel and Williams Boulevard exits, where merging traffic, stop-and-go congestion, and lane changes put passenger cars in a truck’s blind spots.
- Rear-End Impacts: A loaded tractor-trailer needs far more distance to stop than a car. Following too closely, distracted driving, and worn brakes are the usual causes, and the injuries often involve the neck and lower back.
- Underride and Side-Swipe Crashes: Cars can slide beneath a trailer or be pushed off the road during a wide turn. These crashes tend to produce catastrophic injuries and sometimes death.
- Delivery and Box Truck Wrecks: Metairie’s commercial corridors, including Veterans, Airline Drive, and Causeway Boulevard, carry constant local delivery traffic. Smaller commercial vehicles are held to the same duty of care and often have their own insurance questions.
- Port and Industrial Freight: Trucks serving the Mississippi River terminals and industrial sites in the region bring tankers, flatbeds, and heavy equipment haulers onto local roads, each with different cargo-securement and maintenance issues.
- Work-Vehicle Crashes: When the injured person was driving or riding for an employer, the crash can support both a workers’ compensation claim and a lawsuit against the at-fault driver or trucking company.
- Fatal Truck Collisions: Surviving family members may bring wrongful death and survival claims, each with its own time limit under Louisiana law.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in Jefferson Parish
Get medical care first, even if you feel mobile. Adrenaline hides injuries, and disc herniations, concussions, and internal injuries often show up days later. A prompt record linking your symptoms to the crash is one of the strongest pieces of evidence you will have. Ask the responding officer, whether from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office or Louisiana State Police, to document the truck’s company name, the driver’s information, and the DOT number on the cab.
If you can do so safely, photograph the vehicles, skid marks, road conditions, and any visible cargo spill. Collect names and numbers from witnesses. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer, and do not sign medical releases or accept a quick offer before you know the full extent of your injuries. Adjusters are trained to settle early and cheaply.
Then call a lawyer quickly so a preservation letter can go to the carrier. Trucking companies are required to keep certain records, but data from the truck’s electronic control module and driver logs can be overwritten in the ordinary course of business. A written demand to preserve it puts the company on notice.
Deadlines matter. For crashes on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana’s general injury claim period is two years from the day the injury is sustained. Crashes before that date fall under the older one-year period. In a wrongful death case, the claim must be filed within one year of the death or two years from the day the injury was sustained, whichever is longer. If you were hurt while working, report the injury to your employer within 30 days and file a formal comp claim within one year of the accident. If comp payments have already begun, that deadline may extend to three years from the last payment. Because these clocks differ, we look at every one of them at the start.
How Fault and Insurance Work in Louisiana Truck Cases
Louisiana assigns a percentage of fault to each party. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and a lower percentage reduces the award proportionally. Earlier crashes remain under pure comparative fault. Trucking defendants know this and routinely try to shift blame onto the injured driver, so building a clear liability picture early is essential.
Liability in a truck case can reach beyond the driver. The carrier may be responsible for negligent hiring, poor training, or ignoring hours-of-service limits. A maintenance contractor, a loading company, or a vehicle manufacturer may share responsibility. Each additional defendant can mean additional insurance coverage, which matters when injuries are serious.
If you were working at the time, your comp benefits cover medical care and wage replacement regardless of who caused the crash. The comp insurer may have a reimbursement interest in any third-party recovery, so settlements must be structured carefully. This is where handling both claims under one roof pays off.
Frequently Asked Questions About Truck Accident Claims in Metairie
How much does it cost to hire a truck accident lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and we are paid only if we recover for you.
How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the general period is two years from the day the injury is sustained. Earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. Wrongful death claims follow a one-year-from-death or two-years-from-injury rule, whichever is longer.
What if I was hit while driving for work?
You may have both a workers’ compensation claim and a claim against the at-fault party. Report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and file the formal comp claim within one year of the accident, subject to extensions when payments have been made.
Who can be held responsible for a truck crash?
The driver, the trucking company, the owner of the truck or trailer, a maintenance provider, or a party that loaded the cargo may all share fault depending on what the evidence shows.
What evidence matters most in a truck case?
Electronic logging data, the truck’s onboard data, driver qualification and training files, maintenance records, dashcam video, the police report, and your medical records. Some of it disappears if no one asks for it promptly.
What if I was partly at fault?
Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, being found 51 percent or more at fault bars recovery entirely, which is why disputing the blame placed on you matters.
Should I talk to the trucking company’s insurance adjuster?
Be cautious. Give basic information, but decline a recorded statement and do not accept an early offer until you understand your medical outlook. Let your lawyer handle the communication.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often yes, though your health plan may seek repayment from a settlement. If the crash was work-related, workers’ compensation should cover reasonable and necessary treatment. We help coordinate who pays for what.
Can I still bring a claim if a family member died in the crash?
Yes. Louisiana allows wrongful death and survival actions, and both now follow the same timing rule: one year from the death or two years from the injury, whichever is longer. A medical malpractice-based wrongful death claim is the exception and remains limited to one year.
Is it worth hiring a lawyer for a truck crash with moderate injuries?
Usually, yes. Trucking insurers contest liability aggressively regardless of claim size, and early offers rarely account for future treatment such as injections or surgery.
Do I need a lawyer if my comp claim is denied after a work crash?
A denial, delay, or cutoff of benefits is exactly when representation helps. We bring claims before workers’ compensation judges and take appeals to the Louisiana courts of appeal when needed.
Serving Truck Accident Clients Across Metairie and Jefferson Parish
We represent people injured in Metairie, from the Old Metairie and Lakeview-adjacent neighborhoods through Bucktown, Fat City, and the stretch along Veterans Memorial Boulevard. We also serve clients in nearby Kenner, Harahan, Elmwood, River Ridge, Jefferson, Gretna, Westwego, Marrero, Harvey, and Terrytown, along with New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish communities across the river.
Our reach extends throughout South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Houma, as well as Shreveport and north Louisiana. We also represent injured workers and accident victims in Mississippi, from Jackson and Madison to the Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Southaven, and the Delta.
Talk With a Metairie Truck Accident Attorney Today
If a truck changed your life on a Jefferson Parish road, a Metairie truck accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain how your injury claim and any comp benefits fit together, and get evidence preserved before it disappears. Call us any hour. The consultation is free, and you owe nothing unless we recover for you.
