Car Accident Attorneys in Mobile, Alabama

A serious car accident can keep costing you long after the first bills arrive. Alabama generally does not cap compensatory damages in a standard car accident claim, so your case should account for what the crash has cost you now and what it may cost you later. Before you sign anything, a Mobile car accident attorney can check if the offer reflects the full impact of your injuries, because once you release the claim, you usually cannot come back for more.

Depending on the case, compensation in a Mobile car accident claim may include:

• Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, medication, and future treatment related to your injuries.
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity: Paychecks missed during recovery and future earnings lost when an injury changes what you are able to do for work.
• Property damage: Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other recoverable losses tied to the damage.
• Pain and suffering: Compensation for the physical pain, emotional distress, and disruption the crash has caused.
• Permanent impairment and disfigurement: Lasting disability, scarring, loss of function, and other permanent effects.
• Punitive damages: Potentially available when clear and convincing evidence shows wanton or similarly wrongful conduct. Alabama places statutory limits on many punitive damage awards under Ala. Code § 6-11-21, although important exceptions apply.

Some car accident claims have different limits. In an Alabama wrongful death case, Ala. Code § 6-5-410 allows punitive damages rather than compensation for medical bills, lost income, or pain and suffering. Claims involving a city, county, or other covered government entity can also be capped. Under Ala. Code § 11-93-2, recovery for bodily injury or death is generally limited to $100,000 for one person and $300,000 for all claims arising from a single occurrence.

In serious injury cases, the real limit is often the insurance available. Alabama only requires $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash in bodily injury coverage, which can run out quickly. If the at-fault driver is underinsured, your own UM/UIM coverage may help, unless it was rejected in writing.

A Mobile car accident lawyer can review the facts, identify the coverage available, and give you a better idea of what your claim may be worth. Even if you are not sure you have a valid claim, it is worth calling us for a free consultation to find out.

Alabama is one of the few states that still follows contributory negligence. If your own negligence contributed to the crash, even slightly, it can bar you from recovering anything on an ordinary negligence claim. That gives insurers a powerful reason to look for anything they can use to shift some of the blame onto you.

There are exceptions. Contributory negligence does not defeat a valid wantonness claim, and Alabama’s last clear chance doctrine may apply when the other driver actually knew you were in danger and still had enough time to avoid the crash. With so much riding on fault, having a car accident lawyer in Mobile build and defend your side matters.

The statute of limitations for most car accident lawsuits in Alabama is two years from the date of the crash under Ala. Code § 6-2-38. Miss that deadline and the court can bar your claim, no matter how strong it might otherwise be. A wrongful death lawsuit generally has its own two-year deadline measured from the date of death.

Some Mobile accident claims move on a much shorter clock. If your crash involves a City of Mobile vehicle, Mobile County vehicle, or another government entity, special notice or presentment rules may apply before the ordinary lawsuit deadline arrives. Municipal tort claims can require notice within six months, while claims against a county generally must be presented within 12 months. Claims involving a state vehicle may need to go through the Alabama Board of Adjustment, which has its own filing deadline.

Two years can disappear quickly when you are focused on treatment, getting back to work, and dealing with the insurance company. Meanwhile, evidence can be lost, and shorter deadlines may already be running. We can determine exactly how much time you have and protect your right to take the case to court before it is too late.

No matter where in Mobile your crash happened, the same three questions decide your case: who’s at fault, what insurance applies, and how much time you have left. Schedule a free consultation, in person, by video, or wherever’s convenient, and a Mobile car accident attorney will walk you through all three.