Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A Cullman man has been charged with murder and various other charges stemming from a December 17, 2010, car wreck on Highway 31. According to an article by Trent Moore of the Cullman Times, Kenneth Burns struck a vehicle that was occupied by a couple and their young daughter. Sadly, the child died from her injuries while her parents were severely injured in the wreck. Burns was found to have been driving under the influence (DUI) at the time of the wreck. The family has filed a personal injury and wrongful death lawsuit against Burns.

As Alabama Car wreck attorneys we sadly see this situation far too often. In 2009, there were 6,671 crashes in Alabama where the driver was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. In 2009, 290 people lost their lives in Alabama in alcohol and drug related crashes. I currently have two car accident cases where the at fault driver was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) at the time of the wreck. This problem of drinking and driving can be prevented. If you are going to drink, please have a designated driver or take cab. When you drink and drive you not only put your life at risk, but you put the lives of everyone else on the highway at risk.

For more information on DUI accidents, please see our new Alabama DUI Car Accidents page.

By: Morris Lilienthal, Huntsville Car Accident Lawyer

Three separate Cullman Co. Car Accidents during the October 22nd weekend resulted in three fatalities. According to a news report, the first wreck happened early Saturday morning on Alabama Highway 69 near Arab, AL. The driver, Joel Kent Cater, lost control of his vehicle and struck a utility pole. At this time, police are still investigating the cause of this single car accident crash.

The second fatal crash happened just after 9 am on Saturday morning when, Timothy Paul Callahan lost control of his pickup truck on Alabama Highway 278 and struck a tree. There is no indication as to what caused this second single car accident.

Often single car accidents are caused by a driver's inattention, distraction or by them falling asleep. However, there are occasions where single car accidents can be caused by a defective tire, brakes, steering mechanism or some other mechanical issue with the vehicle. Further, there are occasions when a person is involved in a single car accident and their injury is enhanced by a defect in the vehicle. For example, the air bag fails to deploy or the seat belt buckle is defective causing it to unlatch during an accident. All of these are various types of product liability claims.

The third and final auto accident was a two car accident that occurred on highway 54 and claimed the life of Mickey Hurley.

A two car wreck occurred at the intersection of Hwy 157 and Saint Joseph Drive in Cullman, Alabama. According to the Cullman Times, the driver of one car allegedly ran the stop light at Saint Joseph Drive and collided with a vehicle traveling on Hwy 157. The driver and two occupants of the car traveling on Saint Joseph Drive were transported by EMS to Cullman Regional Medical Center. The driver and passenger of the other vehicle were uninjured. In 2007, there were 29,486 motor vehicle accidents in the state of Alabama where the cause of the accident involved a driver who failed to heed to a traffic control device. Many times these car and truck accidents are caused by a driver who is distracted and thus fails to see the traffic control device. As Cullman car accident lawyers we often see the destruction that can be caused by a distracted driver.