No legal claim can restore what a family loses when a loved one is killed in a crash on I-20/59, on McFarland Boulevard, or anywhere else in Tuscaloosa County. What the law does provide is accountability — a mechanism for making the responsible party answer for the consequences of their negligence. At Simmons Law, Chris Simmons represents Tuscaloosa families who have lost someone in a fatal accident and guides them through Alabama's wrongful death process with honesty and care.
Alabama's Wrongful Death Act
Wrongful death claims in Alabama are governed by Alabama Code § 6-5-410, which creates a unique framework unlike most other states. Alabama's wrongful death statute allows recovery only of punitive damages — damages designed to punish the at-fault party — rather than compensatory damages for the family's grief or lost support. The purpose is to vindicate the value of the life lost and deter similar conduct. All wrongful death recovery in Alabama goes to the surviving spouse and children, or if none, to the estate.
This structure makes Alabama wrongful death cases particularly dependent on the degree of the defendant's wrongdoing. A defendant whose conduct was especially reckless or egregious — a drunk driver on US-82, a trucking company that knowingly dispatched a fatigued driver on I-20/59, a property owner who ignored a lethal hazard — faces larger punitive exposure than one whose negligence was less culpable. Chris Simmons builds the evidentiary record that establishes the full scope of the defendant's conduct.
The Two-Year Filing Deadline
Alabama Code § 6-2-38 requires wrongful death actions to be filed within two years of the date of death. This deadline is absolute. Families who are still in the acute stages of grief sometimes allow time to pass without consulting an attorney, and some find the deadline has passed before they understand its importance. Chris Simmons urges families who have lost someone in a Tuscaloosa County crash to make a call early — even if litigation ultimately does not happen, understanding the options requires acting within the window.
Fatal Crashes in Tuscaloosa County
The stretch of I-20/59 between the Birmingham approach and the Mississippi state line sees fatal crashes every year, many involving commercial trucks. McFarland Boulevard's combination of high speeds and heavy commercial entry traffic has claimed lives in intersection crashes. US-82 east and west of Tuscaloosa is a major corridor for both local traffic and pass-through drivers who may be unfamiliar with the road's characteristics. US-43 north of Tuscaloosa toward Fayette carries logging truck traffic that has been involved in fatal crashes.
When a Tuscaloosa crash is fatal, DCH Regional Medical Center's Level II Trauma Center at 809 University Boulevard East is typically where victims are transported — and where, tragically, families sometimes receive the worst news of their lives. Those medical records become part of the legal record. Chris Simmons handles that process respectfully, ensuring the family's privacy is protected while building the strongest possible case.
What Families Can Expect
Wrongful death cases in Tuscaloosa County are filed in the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court at 714 Greensboro Avenue. The administrator or personal representative of the estate has the legal authority to file the claim under Alabama law. If no estate has been opened, Chris Simmons can guide the family through that process. Many cases settle during the litigation process without proceeding to trial, though Chris Simmons prepares every case for the courtroom from day one.
Simmons Law takes wrongful death cases on a contingency basis. There is no fee unless there is a recovery, and there is no cost to have an initial conversation about what happened and what the family's options are. Call (251) 306-8333.
