Biloxi Car Accident Lawyer
A wreck on Highway 90 along the beachfront, on I-110 near the casinos, or on Pass Road in the middle of a Saturday afternoon will usually be handled under the law of Harrison County and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where tourist traffic, shift workers, and military personnel from the local base all share the same roads. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people in Mississippi and Louisiana, and works with car and truck accident victims across Biloxi and Harrison County and the Gulf Coast communities around them. If you are looking for a Biloxi car accident lawyer, the details below are what actually shape these claims.
Our firm is built around injured workers, and that matters here more than people expect. A large share of Gulf Coast crashes involve someone who was driving for work: a delivery driver, a casino employee heading to a shift, a technician in a company truck, a contractor hauling equipment. Those wrecks can produce two claims at once, a workers’ compensation claim against the employer’s carrier and a fault claim against the other driver. Handled separately by people who do not talk to each other, the two claims can undercut one another.
Mississippi’s fault rules also matter from day one. The state uses pure comparative negligence, so being partly to blame for a crash reduces what you recover rather than ending the claim. Insurers know this and try to push your percentage of fault as high as they can, often before you have seen a doctor.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a Gulf Coast Crash Claim
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC serves injured people across Mississippi and South Louisiana, including Biloxi, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Most firms that touch work injuries are general personal injury shops. We went the other direction, and our personal injury work in car and truck accidents grows out of that same focus on people who were hurt and are suddenly unable to earn a paycheck.
Our results include a $385,000 settlement for a project manager who suffered back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle, a $190,000 settlement for a truck driver who hurt his lower back in a wreck on the job, and a $175,000 recovery for a delivery driver with a lumbar injury. Back, neck, and joint injuries are what we handle most, and they are also what insurers fight hardest, usually by pointing to degenerative changes or an old injury.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe 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 personal injury and insurance cases before state appellate courts. Clients describe a firm that listens, answers questions, and fights the insurance company on their behalf. Hablamos espanol, consultations are free, we advance the costs of the case, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day.
Types of Crashes We Handle Around Biloxi
- Beachfront and Casino Corridor Collisions: Highway 90 and the streets feeding the resorts mix out-of-town drivers, pedestrians crossing mid-block, and drivers distracted by signs and navigation. Rear-end and left-turn crashes are common here, and fault is often disputed.
- Interstate and Bridge Wrecks: I-110 and I-10 carry commuters, commercial traffic, and evacuation volume in storm season. High-speed impacts produce disc herniations, fractures, and head injuries that need long treatment.
- Commercial Truck Crashes: Freight and port-related trucking moves through the Gulf Coast daily. These claims involve the driver, the carrier, and sometimes a maintenance or loading contractor, and they require early preservation of logbooks and vehicle data.
- Work-Vehicle Accidents: A crash while driving on the clock can support both a comp claim and a claim against the at-fault driver. Coordinating the two protects you from lien and settlement problems.
- Back, Neck, and Spine Injuries: Herniated lumbar and cervical discs are among the injuries we see most often. Insurers commonly blame degeneration, and medical evidence is how that argument gets answered.
- Shoulder, Knee, and Fracture Injuries: Seatbelt and dashboard trauma often causes rotator cuff tears, meniscus tears, and broken ankles or hips that may require surgery and months of rehabilitation.
- Wrongful Death: When a crash kills a family member, surviving relatives may bring a claim for the loss. The time limits depend on the state and the theory of the case, so early review matters.
- Crashes Involving Government Vehicles: A collision with a county or other government vehicle falls under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act, which carries a one-year limit and a notice requirement that ordinary crashes do not.
What to Do After a Crash on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Get medical attention first, even if you feel mostly fine. Adrenaline hides disc and soft tissue injuries for days, and a gap between the crash and your first appointment gives an insurer something to argue. Call law enforcement to the scene so a report is created; depending on where you are, that may be Biloxi police, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, or the Highway Patrol. Photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, signals, and your injuries before anything is moved or repaired.
Be careful with the other driver’s insurer. Their adjuster may call within a day or two and ask for a recorded statement. You are not required to give one, and casual remarks like “I’m okay” or “I didn’t see him” get quoted back later to raise your share of fault. Give basic facts to your own carrier and hold off on anything else until you have spoken with a lawyer.
Deadlines depend on what kind of claim you have. A general injury claim in Mississippi without a shorter specific rule must be filed within three years of when the claim accrued. Claims against a county or other governmental body must be filed within one year and require notice under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act. If you were hurt while working, you must report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and you generally have two years from the injury to file a petition with the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission. Federal claims and lawsuits that land in federal court on the Coast are heard in Gulfport, in the Southern Division of the Southern District of Mississippi.
Keep every bill, work note, and pay stub. Track missed shifts and any limits your doctor places on lifting, standing, or driving. If your own health coverage pays for treatment, keep those records as well; they help show the injury and the cost.
How Fault and Damages Work in a Mississippi Car Accident Claim
Because Mississippi follows pure comparative negligence, a jury or adjuster assigns each driver a percentage of fault, and your recovery is reduced by your share. A person found 30 percent responsible still recovers 70 percent of the damages. That makes evidence about speed, lane position, phone use, and signal timing worth real money, and it is why early scene photos and witness names matter.
Damages in a car accident claim generally include medical expenses, lost wages and reduced earning ability, and pain and suffering. Mississippi caps noneconomic damages in most wrongful death cases at $1,000,000, but those caps do not limit economic damages such as bills and lost income.
Louisiana drivers who are hurt on the Coast should know the rules differ across the state line. Louisiana now bars recovery for a person found 51 percent or more at fault in crashes on or after January 1, 2026, and its general injury deadline for newer injuries is two years. If your crash happened in Louisiana, or you live there, the law that applies may not be the law you assume, and we handle claims on both sides of the line.
When a Crash Is Also a Work Injury
This is where our workers’ compensation focus pays off. If you were driving on the job, workers’ compensation covers reasonable medical care and wage replacement regardless of who caused the wreck, and Mississippi covers workers from the first day of employment. Wage benefits are generally two-thirds of average weekly wage up to a statutory maximum, and total disability benefits are capped at 450 weeks.
The at-fault driver’s insurer is a separate source of recovery, and it can pay for things comp does not, such as pain and suffering. The comp carrier, however, often has a right to be reimbursed from that recovery. Settling one claim carelessly can damage the other. We handle both so the strategy is coordinated from the start.
Biloxi Car Accident Questions Answered
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident in Biloxi?
For a minor fender bender with no injuries, probably not. If you were hurt, missed work, face a fault dispute, or the other driver’s insurer is pushing back, a lawyer can handle the insurer and the evidence while you recover.
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 for you.
How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Mississippi?
A claim with no shorter specific rule generally must be filed within three years of when it accrued. Claims against a county or government agency have a one-year limit and require notice, so do not wait if a government vehicle was involved.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Mississippi uses pure comparative negligence, so you can still recover. Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault, which is why insurers work to inflate that number.
Should I give the other driver’s insurance company a recorded statement?
You are not obligated to. Anything you say can be used to shift fault toward you or to minimize your injuries, so speak with a lawyer first.
Can I recover if I was hurt while driving for my employer?
Yes, and you may have two claims: workers’ compensation through your employer’s carrier and an injury claim against the at-fault driver. Report the injury to your employer within 30 days to protect the comp claim.
What if the insurer says my back injury was already there?
A prior condition does not end a claim. If the crash caused, worsened, or accelerated the problem, you may still recover. Medical records and physician opinions comparing your condition before and after are the key evidence.
Will my own health insurance cover treatment while my claim is pending?
Often it will, and using it keeps you from delaying care. The health plan or other payer may later seek reimbursement from a settlement, so we account for those claims when negotiating.
How long does a Gulf Coast car accident case usually take?
It depends on how long you treat and whether liability is disputed. Settling before treatment is finished is a common mistake, because you cannot reopen a claim once it is closed.
What if the crash involved a commercial truck?
Truck cases involve additional parties and evidence, including driver logs, maintenance records, and electronic data that can be overwritten. A lawyer should send preservation demands quickly.
What if I lost a family member in a crash?
Wrongful death claims have their own deadlines and rules about who may sue. Mississippi allows three years for a negligence-based death claim, while Louisiana allows the longer of one year from death or two years from the injury. Call as soon as you can so the right deadline is identified.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Hablamos espanol, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with our team in their own language from the first call to the end of the case.
Serving Car Accident Clients Across Biloxi and Harrison County
Our work for injured drivers starts in Biloxi, including the Back Bay area, the Point Cadet neighborhood, the beachfront along Highway 90, and the neighborhoods around Keesler and Pass Road. In Harrison County we also represent clients in Gulfport, D’Iberville, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Diamondhead area communities, and from there we serve injured people in nearby Ocean Springs and Gautier in neighboring Jackson County, and Bay St. Louis and Waveland in neighboring Hancock County.
Across the rest of Mississippi we represent clients in Hattiesburg, Jackson, Madison, Southaven, and the Delta, as well as north Mississippi. In Louisiana we serve New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Shreveport, and communities throughout South Louisiana and north Louisiana. Whether the crash happened on the Coast or on a work trip far from home, we can review the claim.
Talk to a Biloxi Car Accident Attorney Today
If you were hurt in a crash, you do not have to deal with the insurance company by yourself. A Biloxi car accident attorney at Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe can review what happened, explain how fault and your own deadlines affect the claim, and coordinate a workers’ compensation claim if you were on the job. 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 your case.
