Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer

In order to recover damages from the driver of another car after a car crash in Alabama, you will need to prove that the defendant was responsible for causing your injuries. This might happen if the defendant failed to yield at an intersection, failed to check a blind spot, or was distracted by texting behind the wheel, among other behaviors. To establish liability, your car accident lawyer will need to show that you likely would not have been hurt if the defendant had acted reasonably. Unlike most states, Alabama is a contributory negligence state. If you are found to have been negligent and, as a result, your negligence contributed to the accident, you will not be able to recover any damages, even if your injuries are catastrophic. Retaining legal counsel as early as possible in the process may make a huge difference to whether you can defeat any allegations of contributory negligence.

Truck drivers can be held liable if their careless driving causes injuries to others on the road. For example, if a truck driver in the Huntsville area speeds, disregards regulations regarding rest breaks, drives while drunk, or improperly loads cargo, they may be directly liable for the injuries that arise. Generally, the injuries experienced by truck accident victims are catastrophic, due to the size of the truck. It may be important to hold the trucking company liable as well so that a victim’s damages are more thoroughly covered. An Alabama personal injury attorney can hold a trucking company liable for its negligent hiring, supervision, or training. Often, it is also possible to establish an employer’s indirect liability through the rule of vicarious liability. This involves showing that the driver was acting in the scope of their job duties when they caused the crash. Vicarious liability applies to any employer and an employee driving any vehicle, whether this is an 18-wheeler, a moving truck, or a pizza delivery van.

Sometimes drivers fail to pay close enough attention to the presence of motorcyclists on the road. A driver of a larger vehicle may crash into a motorcyclist and cause catastrophic injuries to the motorcyclist while walking away unscathed. You may be able to recover damages from the driver of a larger vehicle if you can establish their negligence in causing a motorcycle accident. However, it is important to remember that insurers and juries are often biased against motorcyclists. As a result, you should not talk to the insurer for the other driver without first consulting a personal injury lawyer in Decatur or the surrounding areas.

We can represent you in claims arising out of workplace injuries, including those based on mesothelioma, or the welding illnesses. Generally, all employers that have at least five full-time employees are required to follow the Workers' Compensation Act. This requires payment of medical expenses related to the work injuries, payment of two-thirds of your average weekly wage while not working because of work injuries, and payment for permanent vocational impairments. When an employer is covered by the Workers' Compensation Act, your remedies are exclusive to it. However, there is an exception if an employer or coworker willfully or intentionally did something to result in your injury. For example, if a Huntsville business knew of the risk arising from welding fumes but intentionally made you work with inadequate safety equipment anyway, you might have a claim for damages. It may be possible to hold a manufacturer or another third party liable for damages if it failed to warn or supplied defective equipment.

When you use a product, you expect that the manufacturer would have taken the appropriate steps to figure out the possible risks of the product and made the product safe to the extent feasible. If you are injured by a defective product, you may be able to obtain relief by bringing a claim of negligence, as well as a claim under the Alabama Extended Manufacturers’ Liability Doctrine (AEMLD). The AEMLD allows consumers to hold manufacturers strictly liable for defective products that cause injuries. A manufacturer that markets a product that is not reasonably safe when used for its intended use in the customary way is negligent as a matter of law.

Head injuries can result in serious difficulties on the job and in a victim’s personal life. If you suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture, or other head injury as a result of someone else's negligence or recklessness, a Decatur personal injury lawyer can help you sue for damages. Damages that you may be able to recover in a case of a catastrophic and permanent head injury include medical treatment for the remainder of your life, vocational rehabilitation, lifelong care, and the pain and suffering associated with the head injury.

In Alabama, a wrongful death is a loss of life caused by another party's negligence, omission, or wrongful act. The decedent's estate may sue for wrongful death damages in any situation in which the decedent would have been able to pursue a personal injury lawsuit if they had lived. A wrongful death lawsuit may be pursued even when the defendant is not being charged criminally for the death. For example, if you are the representative of your husband's estate, and your husband was killed by a drunk driver, but the prosecutor declined to prosecute, you still may be able to recover damages through a wrongful death lawsuit.

Most people who work overtime and are not salaried are supposed to be paid time and a half. Overtime is any hours worked over 40 hours in a single workweek. Alabama law tracks the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which guarantees overtime payment. Whenever there is a contradiction between state and federal law, the more generous rule will apply. However, there are some exceptions. For example, you are not entitled to overtime if you are responsible for managing more than one other employee.

We represent victims of crimes, such as sexual abuse, that trigger both criminal and civil liability. A civil claim can be brought by a victim of a crime to recover monetary damages. While restitution may be awarded in a criminal case, it is usually limited to concrete economic damages, such as medical expenses or out-of-pocket costs. The burden of proof is higher in criminal actions, so you may have a civil claim, with its "preponderance of the evidence standard," even if a prosecutor has declined to prosecute the crime, or even if an acquittal has been issued in a criminal matter. For example, if you were raped, you may be able to recover damages for civil assault and battery, even if the prosecutor was not able to prove what happened to you beyond a reasonable doubt.

Whether you are injured on the road, on the job, or in another area of life, you should contact the Reeves Law Firm. Greg Reeves represents people in Decatur, Huntsville, Athens, Hartselle, Madison, and Birmingham, as well as other communities in Madison, Morgan, Limestone, Lawrence, Jackson, Lauderdale, and Cullman Counties. Call us at 256-355-3311 or use our online form to set up a free appointment.