Alabama Car Accident Lawyer Blog

A tragic car v. truck accident has claimed the lives of two teachers and two young children. The wreck occurred on US Highway 82 In Tuscaloosa County near the Pickens County line. This area of US 82 is a 4 lane highway and early reports indicate a third vehicle may have run a stop sign on a road that intersects with US 82 causing a the 18 wheeler to try and avoid that vehicle causing it to come over onto the vehicle the teachers and children were riding in. As a result of this awful accident, LeWanna Nettles, 59, her sister Stephanie Nettles Barnes, 54, and two children 2 and 8 were killed. Ms. Nettles was a current teacher at Aliceville High School and sister Ms. Barnes had retired from teaching at Aliceville the year before. This is truly a tragic loss for their family, friends and Aliceville High School. As a native of Pickens County (Morris Lilienthal) and the husband of someone who taught at Aliceville Middle for eight years I know that a loss like this will hit this community hard; however, I also know that this communities closeness will bring people together to help them overcome this great loss. Our condolences and prayers go out to victims families and friends.

A wreck between two 18 wheelers on Interstate 20/59 in Tuscaloosa Wednesday night tied up traffic for hours. The Tuscaloosa truck accident occurred when the driver of southbound tractor-trailer lost control swerved into the median then into the northbound lanes and collided with a Fed Ex truck and trailer. As a result of the horrific impact both trucks caught fire. John Spencer, of Tuscaloosa was injured when one of the trucks hit his 1992 Buick. Terry Jackson one of the truck drivers was also injured in the crash.

At this time there is no indication of what caused this crash. When an accident like this occurs the investigation into the accident will likely include a drug test for each truck driver as well as a review of the driver's log books as well as the truck itself. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates the hours of service of truck drivers IE how much time they can drive before they have to rest. For more information on this topic see the Alabama Injury Attorney Blog post: Truck Accidents - Driver Fatigue and Hours of Service Regulations.

A tragic crash between a motorcycle and car in Tuscaloosa has claimed the lives of the drivers of both vehicles. The Tuscaloosa car accident occurred on May 24th about 6 pm on Watermelon Road. According to the Tuscaloosa news report, the driver of the motorcycle, Timothy Hargrove of Coker, was traveling westbound when his vehicle veered over into eastbound traffic and struck the car of Karin Fischer. Sadly, both Mr. Hargrove and Ms. Fischer died as a result of their injuries. A child in Ms. Fischer's car did receive minor injuries, but hopefully will make a full recovery.

Unfortunately, as Alabama car accident attorneys we see this type of tragic wreck far too often. In 2008, there were 2,106 crashes in Alabama involving a motorcycle. In this situation, if the wreck happened as set forth above, the family of Ms. Fischer would have a claim under Alabama's wrongful death statute. The first step would be for an estate to be set up as the proper party to bring a wrongful death claim in Alabama is the administrator of the estate. Alabama has a very unique wrongful death statute in that in only allows for punitive damages. You cannot make a claim for compensatory damages under Alabama's wrongful death law. Another area of inquiry in addition to a recovery against the at fault driver in this type of situation would be a recovery under Ms. Fischer's uninsured and/or underinsured motorist insurance. Click here for more information on Alabama's wrongful death law and Alabama's uninsured motorist law.

A car accident on US Highway 82 in Tuscaloosa has sadly claimed the life LaBridgette Ellis. According to the Tuscaloosa News report, Ms. Ellis was pulling out on to Hwy 82 heading eastbound when she was struck by a large Ford truck. The initial investigation indicates Ms. Ellis may have failed to yield the right of way. According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety, in 2008 14.5% of all Alabama car and truck accidents were caused by a driver failing to yield the right of way. Failure to yield the right of way was the single greatest cause of all automobile accidents in Alabama in 2008 ranking just ahead of driver not in control and tailgating.

A horrific early morning Truck Accident on I-359 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama has claimed the life of Tawanna Davis of Duncanville, Alabama. According to the Tuscaloosa News website, the wreck occurred when Ms. Davis hit a retaining wall just before 5:00 am. Ms. Davis was driving a laud for McLeod Trucking out of Cottondale and was on her way to Jasper when the truck accident happened. It's unclear at this early stage what caused this tragic crash.

A truck accident on 15th street in Tuscaloosa, Alabama between an 18-wheeler truck and Alabama Crimson Ride bus early Friday morning injured the drivers of both vehicles. According to the Tuscaloosa News report, the bus, which is used to transport students to and from classes at the University of Alabama, was empty at the time of the accident. The semi-truck subsequently ran over a curb and a fire hydrant busting the gas tanks on the truck. A hazmat crew had to be called into contain the gasoline spill. If you have been the victim of a truck accident contact the Tuscaloosa car and truck accident attorneys of Martinson and Beason, P.C.

A multi-car accident occurred on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa when the driver of one vehicle lost control of his vehicle while traveling at a high rate of speed. According to a report on the car wreck in the Tuscaloosa News, the car accident involved six cars and sent two drivers to the hospital. In 2007, there were 3,578 Alabama car accidents where the primary cause of the wreck was driving over the speed limit. Unfortunately, many drivers often ignore the posted speed limits and the results can be deadly.

In the context of a personal injury lawsuit, as Alabama car accident attorneys, we always investigate whether the defendant driver's speed was a proximate cause of the accident. If it can be established that the defendant driver was not just speeding, but driving at an excessive rate of speed over the speed limit that fact may give cause to a claim for wantonness or recklessness, which can be grounds for a punitive damages award. Punitive damages are awarded under Alabama law only in situations where it can be established that the defendant's conduct was carried on with a reckless disregard or conscious disregard of the rights or safety of others. Punitive damages have two distinct purposes: a) punishing the particular defendant for his/her wrongful act; and b) protecting the public by deterring the defendant and others from doing such acts in the future.