If you live in Redmont Park, you’ve probably looked down at it from the overlook near Vulcan Park. The Red Mountain Expressway slices straight through the ridge in a deep rock cut, carrying US-31 and US-280 between downtown Birmingham and the over-the-mountain suburbs. It’s one of the most-used routes in the city and one of the more unforgiving ones when something goes wrong.
Why this stretch is tough
The expressway packs a lot into a short distance. Drivers coming off I-20/59 and out of downtown merge with traffic from Southside, climb through the cut, and then split toward Homewood and Mountain Brook on 280 or toward Vestavia Hills and Hoover on 31. Exits come quickly. There isn’t much shoulder in the cut itself, and the rock walls leave no room to swerve.
A few patterns show up again in crashes along this corridor.
- Rear-end collisions in rush hour. Morning traffic heading north into downtown and afternoon traffic heading south stack up fast. A driver glancing at a phone at the crest of the hill doesn’t see the brake lights until it’s too late.
- Late lane changes near the exits for Fifth Avenue South, University Boulevard and the 280 split. People realize they’re in the wrong lane and dive across.
- Wet-weather wrecks. The grade and the curves get slick in Birmingham’s heavy spring and summer rain.
- Stalled cars with no place to go. A breakdown in the cut blocks a lane, and secondary crashes follow.
Who responds
The expressway runs through the City of Birmingham, so Birmingham police often work crashes here, and state troopers may respond on the US routes as well. Once you’re past the city line toward Homewood, that city’s police take over. The agency that wrote your report is the one you’ll buy it from. Our guide to getting a crash report in Birmingham has the steps for each.
Fault on a crowded expressway
In most rear-end crashes the driver in back is presumed to have been following too closely or not paying attention. That’s a good starting point, but Alabama’s contributory negligence rule means the other driver’s insurer will look hard for anything you did wrong. Did you cut in front of them? Brake suddenly for no reason? Have a brake light out? In a comparative fault state those arguments trim a claim. Here, they can end it. Read our explainer on Alabama’s fault rule before you give a taped statement.
Chain-reaction wrecks are harder. When four cars pile into each other in the cut, each driver’s insurer points at someone else. Photos of where each car came to rest, the damage pattern on each bumper and any dashcam footage become important quickly.
Staying safe after a crash in the cut
Alabama law expects drivers to stop at a crash involving injury and help those who are hurt. On a road like this, though, standing in a live lane is genuinely dangerous. If your car can move and nobody is badly hurt, getting to the shoulder or the next exit is usually safer than staying put. Turn on hazards, call 911 and stay out of traffic. If you can’t move the car, stay buckled in unless there’s smoke or fire.
Once you’re safe, photograph the position of the cars, the damage, the lane markings and the traffic around you. Get names, phone numbers, plates and insurance details from every driver involved. Ask witnesses who stop for their contact information.
Medical care nearby
The expressway runs right past the UAB medical district, and many people hurt in crashes here end up at UAB Hospital’s emergency department. Whatever hospital you go to, keep every discharge sheet and bill. If pain shows up a day or two later, which is common with neck and back injuries, see a doctor then rather than waiting. A gap in treatment is one of the first things an adjuster will point to.
If road conditions played a part
Sometimes the road is part of the story, like debris from a rockfall, a pothole that sent a motorcycle down, or a broken signal at a ramp. The expressway is a state highway route, and claims about state highways follow different rules than claims against a city. If a city crew or vehicle was involved, the six-month notice rule may apply. Our guide to government claims explains the difference.
Deadlines still apply
Most crash lawsuits in Alabama have to be filed no later than two years after the wreck. Claims against cities need notice within six months. Settlement talks don’t stop either clock. See our deadline table for the details.
Talking to someone local
The written report that is not the trooper’s report
Crashes in the cut often involve serious injuries or more than $250 in damage. Under Ala. Code ยง 32-7-5, the operator still has to report the matter in writing to the director within 30 days, even after an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency trooper has already taken a crash report. If the operator is physically incapable of making that report, the owner has 10 days after learning of the crash. Keep a copy of whatever you file, because it is easy to forget this step once treatment starts.
The two-year injury deadline still runs from the crash itself, even while you wait for an ALEA report or for a 32-7-5 filing to be processed. See the deadline table.
If you want to talk your case through, browse injury attorneys near Redmont Park. This guide is general information about Alabama law and isn’t legal advice.