A fully loaded 18-wheeler carries far more force than a passenger car, so the injuries and the insurance response that follow are usually far more serious than what follows an ordinary fender bender. Richard Schwartz & Associates handles commercial trucking claims statewide, and our Mississippi truck accident lawyer team can step in while the carrier's own records are still within reach.
Our attorneys work the Interstate 20, Interstate 55, and Interstate 10 freight corridors, from the Jackson metro to the Gulf Coast. We know which records to request, who has to receive a preservation letter, and how fast those requests need to go out. Call to get an honest read about your potential claim.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- What Our Firm Brings to Your Mississippi Commercial Trucking Claim
- Why Is a Truck Wreck Claim Different From a Car Crash Claim?
- Who Can Be Held Accountable After an 18-Wheeler Accident?
- How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Wreck Claim in Mississippi?
- What Damages Can a Semi Truck Accident Lawyer in Jackson MS Pursue for Clients?
- The Kinds of Commercial Truck Accident Cases We Take On
- FAQs: Mississippi Truck Accident Lawyer
- Let Our Mississippi Trucking Team Take It From Here
What Our Firm Brings to Your Mississippi Commercial Trucking Claim
People choose us because we have done this work here, in these communities, for a long time. Our attorneys have served Mississippi clients for more than 40 years and have recovered over $1 billion for the families who trusted us with their cases.
Results may vary. Prior case outcomes do not guarantee similar results.
Specifically, three things shape how we approach a big rig claim:
- Six offices across the state: You meet with our team close to home rather than driving hours for every update on your file.
- Trucking-focused investigation: Our attorneys pull driver qualification files, maintenance histories, and onboard data instead of leaning on the crash report alone.
- No fee unless we win: You owe us nothing while the claim is open, and nothing at all if we do not recover money for you.
Our attorneys have settled and tried claims in circuit courts from the Delta to the coast, and we handle the trucking paperwork in-house rather than farming it out. Our Jackson truck accident attorneys also take cases from the surrounding counties, and someone at our firm answers the phone 24 hours a day.
The sooner you connect with us, the more time we have to secure important evidence. Reach out, and we will look at your wreck at no cost.
Why Is a Truck Wreck Claim Different From a Car Crash Claim?
The short answer is that federal law sits on top of state law in every commercial trucking case. Interstate carriers and their drivers answer to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which sets rules on driving hours, inspections, drug testing, and hiring. A broken safety rule can become direct proof of negligence in your claim.
Specifically, 49 CFR § 395.3 caps property-carrying drivers at 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty, all inside a 14-hour window. Drivers also cannot stay behind the wheel past 60 hours in seven days or 70 hours in eight days, depending on how the carrier operates. When someone pushes past those limits, the logs usually show it.
The agency also requires carriers to check a driver's record before hiring and to keep testing files current, so a hiring decision made years earlier can still matter to your case. Several other features separate a tractor-trailer case from a standard passenger vehicle file:
- Multiple insurance policies tied to one crash
- Coverage limits far above personal auto policies
- Investigators who reach the scene within hours
- Electronic data that overwrites itself
- Federal safety rules layered on top of Mississippi law
- Defendants headquartered in other states
We handle car accident claims too, but a commercial truck case demands a different approach from the start. The larger vehicles, the number of potentially responsible parties, and the additional records make early investigation especially important.
Who Can Be Held Accountable After an 18-Wheeler Accident?
More than one party usually shares responsibility for a semi crash. The driver may have made the immediate mistake, yet the companies behind that driver often set the conditions that led to it. Our Mississippi 18-wheeler accident lawyers study every link in the chain before deciding who belongs in the claim.
Responsibility in a commercial case may reach any of the following:
- The truck driver
- The motor carrier that employs or contracts with the driver
- The freight broker that arranged the load
- The shipper that loaded and secured the cargo
- The company that owns or leases the trailer
- The shop that serviced the rig
- The maker of a failed part or tire
Naming the right parties early matters, because each one may carry separate coverage. In contrast, a claim aimed at the driver alone can leave most of the available insurance money untouched. Ask our team to sort out who may share responsibility, at no charge to you.
What Evidence Does a Mississippi Truck Accident Attorney Move to Protect?
The strongest proof usually sits inside the trucking company's own files, and it does not stay there forever. Under 49 CFR § 396.3, inspection, repair, and maintenance records must be kept for one year while the vehicle is in service, plus six months after it leaves the carrier's control.
Some electronic records cycle out in a matter of months, so a letter sent the same week as the wreck lands very differently than one sent months later. The first step in our investigation is telling the carrier in writing exactly what to hold. The material a Mississippi truck accident attorney on our team asks for usually includes:
- Electronic logging device (ELD) data and driver logs
- Engine control module downloads, often called the black box
- Driver qualification and training files
- Pre-trip and post-trip inspection reports
- Dispatch messages and bills of lading, the shipping papers recording what the truck carried and where it was going
- Drug and alcohol testing results
- Dash camera and nearby business video
Once those records are locked down, our attorneys measure them against the physical damage and what witnesses saw. Contact us early, and we will send the preservation letters for you.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Wreck Claim in Mississippi?
Most injury claims in this state must be filed within three years of the crash date. That deadline comes from Miss. Code Ann. § 15-1-49, and courts rarely excuse a late filing. Shorter notice periods can apply when a government-owned vehicle or a public agency is involved, so let our Mississippi truck accident lawyer team confirm your date before you count on the general rule.
An early start also gives our attorneys room to finish the investigation well before settlement talks begin. Fault does not have to land entirely on one side, either.
Mississippi uses a pure comparative fault rule under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-7-15, meaning a jury assigns each party a share of the blame and trims your award by your own percentage. For example, a person found 20% responsible still keeps 80% of the verdict. Let us look at the fault picture before that percentage gets settled.
What Damages Can a Semi Truck Accident Lawyer in Jackson MS Pursue for Clients?
Compensation covers what the wreck has already cost you and what it will keep costing you. Our team builds both halves with medical records, wage statements, and testimony from the providers treating you. Our semi truck accident lawyer serving Jackson, MS families usually pursues several categories of damages at once:
- Medical costs: Emergency care, hospital billing, and the ongoing care your providers document as related to the crash.
- Lost income: Pay missed during recovery and reduced earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to the same work.
- Physical pain and mental suffering: The physical discomfort and emotional effects of the injury, supported by medical records and testimony from people who see the impact firsthand.
- Household and travel costs: Vehicle repairs, replacement transportation, mileage to appointments, and paid help with tasks you can no longer perform.
- Loss of enjoyment of life: The loss of hobbies, activities, independence, and everyday experiences your injuries prevent you from enjoying.
- Loss of consortium: The effect serious injuries can have on the companionship, affection, support, and marital relationship shared with a spouse.
We also track the out-of-pocket costs people forget, like parking, tolls, and pharmacy co-pays. Punitive damages enter the picture in a small share of trucking cases. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-1-65, a jury may consider them only when clear and convincing proof shows actual malice, gross negligence, or fraud, and the court holds a separate hearing before that question is ever reached.
Our attorneys evaluate whether the proof in your case may support a punitive damages claim.
The Kinds of Commercial Truck Accident Cases We Take On
Our attorneys handle a wide range of commercial vehicle cases, from underride collisions to multi-vehicle interstate crashes. Rollover truck accidents may involve shifted or improperly secured cargo, making shipping and loading records important evidence. The cases we handle include the following:
- Jackknife wrecks
- Underride and override crashes
- Tire blowout accidents
- Wide-turn and blind-spot collisions
- Cargo spill and unsecured load incidents
- Log truck and dump truck wrecks
- Delivery van and box truck crashes
Tell us what hit you, and we will explain what your claim is likely to need. The review is free, and nothing obligates you to move forward with us.
FAQs: Mississippi Truck Accident Lawyer
Our Mississippi truck accident attorneys hear these questions most often from people who bring their injury cases to our team. The answers can help clarify what to expect as a commercial truck claim moves forward.
Where Will My Truck Accident Case Be Filed?
Most cases start in the circuit court of the county where the wreck happened or where the defendant does business, such as Rankin County or Madison County. Trucking companies are often headquartered elsewhere, so they may move the case to federal court, usually the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson or the Northern District in Oxford, when no defendant shares your home state and enough money is at stake.
Our attorneys try cases in both settings and will tell you early which one your claim is likely headed for.
Can I Bring a Claim if I Was Working When the Wreck Happened?
Often, yes. Workers' compensation may cover medical expenses and part of your lost wages, while a separate claim against the trucking company can address losses comp does not, including pain and suffering. Our team coordinates both claims while accounting for the compensation carrier's reimbursement rights.
Will I Have to Give a Recorded Statement?
Not to us, and frequently not to the other side either. Adjusters often request one within days of a collision, and you are generally not required to give a recorded statement to a company that does not insure you. Our attorneys can take over those calls so you are not answering questions while you are still in treatment.
Does It Matter if the Crash Happened Outside Mississippi?
It can change where the case belongs and which state's law applies. If you live here but were struck in Louisiana, Tennessee, or Alabama, our attorneys can still review the claim and work alongside counsel in that state when the rules call for it. Reach out before assuming your case has to be handled somewhere else.
What Should I Bring to the First Meeting?
Bring whatever you already have, and do not worry about the gaps. The crash report, photos, insurance information, discharge paperwork, and any letters from an insurer give us a running start. Bring a list of the doctors you have seen if you can, since that single page saves weeks of records requests.
What Happens to My Damaged Vehicle While the Claim Is Open?
Hold off on repairs or salvage until someone inspects it. The vehicle is evidence, and our team may want a reconstruction professional to examine crush patterns and impact points before anything gets fixed. We can help arrange storage and deal with your own insurer in the meantime.
Let Our Mississippi Trucking Team Take It From Here
You should not have to decode federal safety rules while you are still healing. Richard Schwartz & Associates will absorb the paperwork, the adjuster calls, and the investigation, and our Mississippi truck accident lawyer team will answer your questions as the claim moves forward.
Call or connect with us online to get your free case review started today. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you, and nothing about that first conversation locks you into anything.