If you were hit on I-10, the Bayway, Airport Boulevard, or anywhere else in Mobile County, you have two years from the date of the wreck to file a lawsuit in Alabama. I’m Chris Simmons. I personally handle car accident claims for Mobile County residents from my office at 102 Saint Michael Street downtown — and I take every call myself. Free consultation. No fees unless I win.
What to Do Right Now After a Mobile Car Wreck
If you can move, get off the roadway. I-10 between the Wallace Tunnel and the Bayway is one of the most dangerous stretches of interstate in Alabama because of fog rolling off Mobile Bay and stopped traffic backing up at the tunnel. People get rear-ended a second and third time before officers arrive. Get to the shoulder if it’s safe.
Then do these four things:
1. Call 911. Mobile Police Department or Alabama State Troopers will work the scene. Get the report number before you leave.
2. Photograph everything. Both vehicles, all four corners, the road, skid marks, traffic signals, the other driver’s license and insurance card. Pictures don’t lie.
3. Get checked out. Even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks injuries for 24 to 72 hours.
4. Don’t talk to the other driver’s insurance company. Not a recorded statement, not a “quick question,” nothing. Call me first. That call is free.
Why Mobile Car Wrecks Are Different
I grew up around here. I know what these roads do to people.
The I-10 Bayway and Wallace Tunnel. Fog off Mobile Bay can drop visibility to under fifty feet in minutes. When traffic stops at the tunnel, drivers coming off the Bayway at 70 mph don’t always see it in time. These are often multi-vehicle pileups, and figuring out which driver caused which impact takes work — accident reconstruction, 911 call timestamps, dashcam footage from trucks that came through afterward.
Airport Boulevard during summer thunderstorms. Airport floods. Hydroplaning wrecks between Schillinger and I-65 are constant from June through September. Insurance adjusters love to call these “acts of God” and deny liability. They’re not. A driver who can’t keep their vehicle in their lane in rain that everyone else is driving through is at fault.
Mardi Gras season downtown. From the first parade through Fat Tuesday, Dauphin Street, Government Street, and Royal Street are full of pedestrians, parade floats, and drivers who shouldn’t be behind the wheel. DUI rear-end collisions on Government Street heading west after the parades clear are their own category.
Port traffic on US-98 and Government Street. The Port of Mobile is the tenth-busiest in the country. Container trucks and chassis carriers share these roads with everyone else. Sight lines are bad. Wrecks on US-98 near Brookley are some of the messier cases I work.
Springhill Avenue and Old Shell Road. Older corridors, narrower lanes, lots of left-turn collisions at lights without dedicated turn arrows. Witnesses matter here. Get names at the scene.
The Insurance Problem in Alabama
Alabama’s minimum auto liability limits under § 32-7A-4 are 25/50/25 — $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage. A huge percentage of drivers in Mobile County carry exactly the state minimum. If you have a serious injury — a surgery, a fracture, a head injury, lost income — $25,000 doesn’t cover the ambulance and the ER visit at USA Medical Center, much less everything that comes after.
That’s why I look hard at uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under Alabama Code § 32-7-23 in every case. Your own UM/UIM coverage steps in when the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough — or any — insurance. Insurance companies don’t always make that easy. They’ll argue stacking, they’ll invoke the made-whole doctrine when there’s a subrogation claim from your health insurer, and they’ll lowball your UIM demand counting on you not knowing any better.
The made-whole doctrine in Alabama means your health insurer or workers’ comp carrier generally cannot recover from your settlement until you’ve been fully compensated for your loss. Adjusters forget that on purpose. I don’t.
The Seat Belt Argument You’ll Hear From the Other Side
Under Alabama Code § 32-5B-4, adults in the front seat are required to wear seat belts. If you weren’t wearing one, expect the defense to bring it up. Alabama law limits how that fact can be used against you in a personal injury case. It’s not a free pass for the at-fault driver. It’s a defense argument, and it’s one I’ve handled before. Don’t let an adjuster scare you into a bad settlement because you weren’t buckled.
Statute of Limitations: Two Years. No Extensions.
Alabama Code § 6-2-38 gives you two years from the date of the wreck to file a personal injury lawsuit. Miss it by a day and your case is gone, no matter how badly you were hurt or how clearly the other driver was at fault. Don’t wait.
Where Your Case Will Be Filed
Most Mobile County car accident lawsuits with meaningful damages are filed in Mobile County Circuit Court at 205 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36644. Most cases settle. But the cases that settle for full value are the ones the defense knows are ready for trial. That’s how I prepare every file.
Get Treated. Get the Records Right.
Mobile has three hospitals you’ll likely end up at after a serious wreck: University of South Alabama Medical Center on Springhill Avenue — the only Level I trauma center on the upper Gulf Coast. Mobile Infirmary off Springhill Avenue — full-service, strong orthopedics and neurology. Springhill Medical Center — solid for follow-up, imaging, and rehab.
Get seen. Tell the providers everything that hurts. A gap in treatment records is ammunition for the insurance company. Continuity matters. If you don’t have health insurance and you’re worried about paying for treatment, call me — there are ways to get treated without paying out of pocket when there’s a claim being worked.
What I Do With Your Case
When you hire me, I pull the crash report, identify all liable parties and applicable insurance, send preservation letters for surveillance footage before it gets overwritten, handle all communications with adjusters, document your medical treatment and economic damages, and negotiate the settlement. If the number isn’t right, I file the lawsuit.
I am the attorney on your case. Not an associate. Not a paralegal. Me. I answer my own phone: (251) 306-8333. Free consultation. No fees unless I win.
