Alabama Injury Attorney Blog

A second story deck collapsed this past Saturday at the Waterford Landing apartment complex in Hoover, Al. Four people suffered minor injuries as a result of the deck's failure. This is the second time in a month a deck has collapsed at this apartment complex. On July 4th a deck collapsed at this same complex tragically killing one person and injuring 6 others. For more information on this previous accident see the Alabama Injury Attorney Blog article: Deck Collapses in Hoover, AL Apt Complex Killing One & Injuring 6 Others. Authorities have yet to determine if this second collapse is linked to the same problem that caused the first deck to collapse. For now, the Hoover Fire Department has recommend that all residents at Waterford Landing stay off their decks.

As Alabama personal injury attorneys anytime we see a tragedy such as this that can be prevented we are reminded that companies routinely fail to insure the safety of their customers, clients, and residents. Here we have situation where there was one tragedy that may have been preventable and now a second accident happens that in all likelihood could have been prevented as well.

The collapse of third (3rd) story deck at the Waterford Landing Apartments located in Hoover, Alabama has tragically claimed the life of one Alabama resident and injured 6 others. The collapse happened Sunday night - July 4th - when 7 people were standing on the deck when it gave way sending the people crashing into the deck below. 25 year-old Gerald Andrew (Drew) Scribner an Iraq War Veteran was killed in the collapse. Initial reports indicate the deck was last inspected by the city of Hoover when it was built 15 years ago. Since that time it would be up to the apartment complex - Waterford Landing - to properly inspect and maintain the structural integrity of the deck. According to Frank Woeste, a professor emeritus at Virginia Tech University and expert in the field "A properly designed deck cannot be overloaded by too many people. " Woeste also stated that the most common problem in deck design is how the ledger - the support beam for the deck joists - is attached to the outer band of joist of the house.

Initial reports also indicate the insurance company for Waterford Landing has already begun its investigation of the deck collapse. Under Alabama Premises Liability law, which comes within Alabama personal injury law (similar to slip and fall cases), the apartment complex owed a duty to the home owner and his guests to properly inspect and maintain the subject deck. While it is far too early to determine if the apartment complex complied with their duty, as experienced Alabama premises liability attorneys we often see situations such as this where a company's attempt to cut corners ends in a tragic result.

A motorcycle wreck on 2nd Ave North in Birmingham has tragically resulted in the death of a Birmingham man. According to the Birmingham News report, the driver of the motorcycle was killed was killed this morning when the driver of small pick up truck evidently didn't see the motorcycle and turned into the bike. As Alabama motorcycle accident attorneys we often see the tragic result that occurs anytime a motorcyclists is involved in an accident. According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety, there were 2,032 motorcycle crashes in Alabama in 2007 and 74% of those accidents resulted in personal injury or death.

A Birmingham Alabama man was injured in a truck wreck when his dump truck rolled over in a curve near Corridor X. According to the report from the Birmingham News, Birmingham rescue workers had to cut the driver out of the crushed truck cab. As Birmingham Truck Accident Attorneys we have seen numerous truck accidents where the driver of an eighteen wheeler is injured when the cabin of the truck collapses under the stress and strain of impact. Often, truck manufactures fail to safely and properly design truck cabins to withstand a rollover accident. In those situations, personal injury attorneys such the Alabama truck accident lawyers at Martinson and Beason, P.C. hold those manufacturers responsible for their failure to safely and properly design the truck's cabin.

A Birmingham Alabama car wreck has sent seven people to the hospital. The car accident occurred on Tuesday May 12th on 5th Ave N and East Lake in Birmingham. According to the Birmingham Fox 6 news report, the car wreck was a head on collison between an SUV and truck. According to the most recent statistics, there were 19,755 traffic accidents in Alabama on Tuesday's in 2007. Further, there were 98 fatal traffic accidents on Tuesday's in 2007 in Alabama. Click here for more information about Birmingham car accident statistics.