Category: Car Accidents

May 27, 2014 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

Plaintiffs in Alabama personal injury cases should take care to exhaust every means of serving defendants notification of a complaint before proceeding with service by publication. That’s the lesson gleaned in Volcano Enterprises, Inc. v. Rush, recently decided by the Alabama Supreme Court. The decision effectively vacates an earlier award of $37 million in favor of a family whose choir minister husband/father was killed by a drunk, off-duty Birmingham police officer in 2009. Birmingham DUI injury lawyers know the officer received 12 years in prison on a charge of reckless manslaughter, and was also ordered to pay $3 million in civil damages. The criminal court additionally ordered him to pay $43,000 in restitution. The $37 million liability claim was against the strip club that had served alcohol that night to a patron whom plaintiffs allege was already visibly impaired by the time he arrived. He had reportedly consumed hard liquor in his vehicle while waiting for a friend to show up after their shift.

May 15, 2014 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

The contract you hold with your car insurance companies is probably filled with numerous caveats designed to minimize the firm’s risk of paying up when the time comes. But an element that is inherent in these contracts – no matter what the language – is the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. If an insurance company acts in bad faith in dealing with the client, it could be subject to severe punitive damages. Examples of bad faith dealings would be if an insurer denies a claim without proper cause or delays a claim unreasonably. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers have a detailed understanding of uninsured motorist law. You are entitled to coverage for which you paid, and we are committed to helping you obtain that compensation.

Apr 17, 2014 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

In filing a Tuscaloosa car accident lawsuit, an experienced plaintiff attorney looks beyond those obviously negligent. The at-fault driver behind the wheel will be named in any negligence lawsuit. However, other parties may be found vicariously liable for the actions of that driver. In English common law, this was known as the “theory of respondeat superior.” This is the principal that allows employers to be held liable for the actions of an employee committed within the line and scope of his or her employment. The employer or vehicle owner can also be sued for independent torts such as negligent entrustment and/or negligent hiring, training and/or supervision. Each state has their own laws and limitations on vicarious liability. At the federal level, Congress passed a measure in 2005, called the Graves Amendment, which bars states from holding vehicle rental or leasing firms liable for negligence in cases where customers cause accidents.

Apr 1, 2014 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

If there is any chance that an auto insurance company can find grounds on which to deny a claim, you can bet they are going to try. Our personal injury lawyers in Tuscaloosa know one element that can make it tougher to win your claim is if the policy is outdated. When your policy fails to accurately reflect your living situation with regard to residency and household members, it can create problems when it comes time to file a claim. This was what happened in the recent case of Progressive Gulf Ins. Co. v. Faehnrich. This Nevada Supreme Court ruling reveals why it is so important to revisit your auto insurance policy in the event you move, divorce, have a licensed teen driver in your home, or experience other relevant life events. You want to make sure your loved ones are going to be covered in the event of a serious crash. Here, a married couple in Mississippi secured auto insurance for themselves and their household members. The policy listed Mississippi as their state of residency, and indicated that Mississippi was the state statutory law the policy would incorporate. Any disputes, the policy indicated, would be resolved by the law of that state.

Mar 6, 2014 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

There are many states in which a plaintiff can be at least partially at-fault for an auto accident and still collect compensation – these states adhere to the doctrine of comparative negligence. The degree to which a plaintiff is negligent is called “comparative fault” and the higher it is, the more it will impact the overall amount of compensation to which a plaintiff is entitled. Alabama, though, is different. As our Birmingham car accident attorneys must sometimes explain, here, if a plaintiff is partially at-fault the claim is completely barred under a legal doctrine known as contributory negligence.

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.

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.

Dec 27, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

An Alabama man is facing charges of leaving the scene of an accident after allegedly hitting a car with mother and child inside before fleeing, according to news reports. A witness to the crash called police and followed the 35-year-old Limestone County man onto Highway 252, where he was stopped by the Alabama State Patrol. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers understand that hit-and-run car accidents are on the rise nationwide for a number of reasons. According to USA Today, hit-and-run accidents are on the rise in many areas across the nation. And these crimes often complicate financial recovery for victims and can prove difficult for law enforcement to investigate and solve.

Dec 18, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

There is an erroneous belief that someone filing a Tuscaloosa car accident lawsuit doesn’t have a high burden of proof or that the case will be generally less complex than other types of injury claims. On the surface, this makes sense. After all, accident reports are usually quite clear: “Vehicle 1 strikes Vehicle 2. Driver of Vehicle 1 is at fault.” End of story. Right? That’s seldom the case, as Fort Motor Company v. Washington, Arkansas Supreme Court, shows. What started as a simple car accident injury claim ended in a 13-year struggle after the case evolved into a product liability action against one of the largest auto manufacturers in the world.

Nov 21, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

The Thanksgiving holidays traditionally mean heavy traffic on Alabama’s roadways, and all available state troopers will be on duty to promote safe travel during the period. Through the holiday weekend, all available state troopers will be on duty to help ensure the safety of motorists. Enforcement activity will include driver license checkpoints, line patrols and saturation patrols in selected areas. This is a heads up to be on your best driving behavior not only to avoid a costly citation, but to avoid a potentially serious traffic accident. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers understand that there are supposed to be close to 450 traffic accident fatalities and another 47,000 injuries over this year’s Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). This is typically because it’s one of the most-traveled holiday weekends of the year.