Practice Areas

Feb 18, 2014 - Construction Accidents by Cross & Smith

Two men were recently killed in an Alabama construction accident after reportedly falling some 90 feet to the ground from a man-lift on the side of a bridge. Officials with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration are investigating why the lift failed as the two men were reportedly placing wood under a bracket. Our Tuscaloosa construction accident lawyers understand the lift suddenly became detached from the side of the bridge as the two men were working. Both men were employed by Montgomery County’s primary contractor, R.R. Dawson Bridge Company, the company tapped to construct a multi-million dollar bridge at Highway 80 East which would pass over Interstate 85. This was just one portion of a 10-bridge project.

Feb 17, 2014 - Medical Malpractice by Cross & Smith

In 2006, a female patient underwent a hysterectomy at a hospital in Demopolis, about an hour outside of Tuscaloosa. Everything seemed to have gone fine. Then five years later, she sought the assistance of a rheumatologist, as she was experiencing intense pain. An x-ray revealed the presence of a hemostat clamp, lodged in her abdomen – allegedly left there negligently by the surgeon who had conducted the earlier operation. Prior to having the clamp removed surgically, she suffered debilitating pain and life-threatening infections. She later filed a lawsuit, Tucker, Jr. v. Tombigbee Healthcare Authority, which was just recently reviewed by the Alabama Supreme Court.

Feb 15, 2014 - Workers' Compensation/Work Injury by Cross & Smith

The Supreme Court of Alabama recently affirmed a county circuit court’s decision in the workers’ compensation case of David Vinson, Jr. v. G & R Mineral Services, Inc.. Our Birmingham workers’ compensation lawyers recognize that the primary issue in this case was whether the defendant was in fact the worker’s employer, or whether it was a “special employer” (as opposed to a “general employer”), which would make the firm immune from liability. Per the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act, a company is deemed a special employer when it is the co-employer of the injured worker. It’s sometimes referred to as the “loaned servant doctrine,” wherein one employer assigns its employee to perform services for another employer. In these situations, the employer who assigns the worker is the “general employer,” while the employer to whom the employee was assigned in a “special employer.”

Feb 13, 2014 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Alabama isn’t generally known for being a cold-weather state. You might not be able to tell that, however, if you had ventured out onto the highways over the past several weeks. A 17-car pileup occurred recently in Hoover, just south of Birmingham. Then there were numerous cars and at least five 18-wheelers piled up recently on I-59. And in, Central Alabama, I-65 had to be shut down after numerous 18-wheelers jack-knifed in the middle of the highway. In fact, since Dec. 1, there has been at least one report of a weather-related, multiple-vehicle pileup somewhere in the country, according to a recent analysis by USA Today. Our Tuscaloosa car accident attorneys want to caution drivers to use the utmost care when heading out in bad weather.

Feb 11, 2014 - Medical Malpractice by Cross & Smith

When it comes to emergency health care, Alabama received two failing grades out of five categories, as rated in the 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians. Not only is the care substandard, according to the 2014 America’s Emergency Care Environment report, it’s actually getting worse. The state had been ranked 38th in the nation in 2009. Alabama has since fallen to 44th. For its general lack of support of emergency patients, the state received an overall failing “D” grade. The state was graded in five categories: Access to emergency care, quality of patient safety, medical liability, public health and injury prevention and disaster preparedness. The ratings declined in every single one of those categories, compared to the most recent 2009 ratings.

Feb 2, 2014 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Recently, 10 people in Quebec died and another two dozen more were presumed dead following a nursing home fire that broke out in frigid temperatures that thwarted rescue efforts. A resident smoking a cigarette is a possible cause of the blaze. Meanwhile in Connecticut, the case of Lexington Ins. Co. v. Lexington Healthcare Group, Inc., was recently reviewed by the state’s supreme court, following a dispute over assignation of blame following a 2003 nursing home fire. The blaze resulted in 13 claims of wrongful death and serious bodily injury. Although most of those injured and their survivors had been compensated in various settlements, the case between the nursing home and the insurance company continues to drag on. Our nursing home negligence lawyers know both of these cases underscore the need for facilities in Birmingham to have solid fire prevention and disaster response plans in place. Failure to have a proper plan or to follow it can be the basis for a nursing home negligence claim in cases where such failure results in injury or death.

Feb 1, 2014 - Dangerous Products/Liability by Cross & Smith

Product liability lawsuits in Tuscaloosa must undergo a rigorous evaluation by a judge before the case can be heard by a jury. The exact elements of what you must prove are going to depend on the particular circumstances of your case. Generally speaking, though, product liability claims contain four basic elements: That you suffered some kind of damage or injury; That the product involved was either defective or lacked proper instructions or warnings; That the defect or lack of warning was the specific cause of your incurred injuries or damages; That at the time of the injury or damage, you were using the product more or less in the manner for which it was advertised and/or intended.

Jan 27, 2014 - Premises Liability by Cross & Smith

A recent report by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center reveals that, on average, there were six violent offenses that occurred daily in Alabama schools in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics were available. The agency indicates that police responded to an estimated 2,140 incidents of school violence – from kindergarten through college – throughout the year. Among those calls were one homicide, 17 rapes, 30 robberies, nearly 250 aggravated assaults and nearly 1,900 simple assaults. A large number of these incidents resulted in severe bodily injury.

Jan 24, 2014 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Drivers in almost every state believe they have a monopoly on the “worst drivers” list. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers tend to believe this has a great deal to do with the fact that so many people have been either involved in a serious crash or have experienced a close call. But as it turns out, Alabamans actually do have a legitimate stake in this claim.

Jan 22, 2014 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

A single blow to the brain can kill. But even those that don’t can have long-lasting consequences, even when the full extent isn’t readily apparent in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic brain injury. That’s according to a recent study by researchers with the New York University Langone School of Medicine. Doctors there concluded that a single concussion – which is the most common form of brain injury in the U.S. – can have long-lasting impacts to the brain, ultimately resulting in sustained structural damage. Concussions are considered a “mild” traumatic brain injury. However, just because a head injury is considered “mild” on the scale of how serious brain trauma can be doesn’t mean it’s not compensable, or that there won’t be long-term consequences. Our Birmingham brain injury lawyers know brain injuries are among the most common traumatic injury risks, caused by everything from car accidents to youth sports.