How long do I have to file after a truck accident in Mobile?

Mobile crashes fall under Alabama law: generally 2 years for personal injury and 2 years from the date of death for wrongful death. Claims against government entities usually require much earlier notice. Confirm your actual deadline with a licensed Alabama attorney.

Why was a tanker truck on the streets downtown instead of in the tunnel?

Trucks carrying hazardous materials aren't allowed through the Wallace Tunnel, so they take a marked route through the city instead. A crash on that route may involve different questions about routing and cargo.

Who handles crashes on the Bayway?

ALEA state troopers often handle crashes on I-10, including the Bayway, but local police may also respond. Ask the officer at the scene which agency is writing the report.

I was hit in Baldwin County on the way to the beach. Is that part of your Mobile service area?

Yes. We serve Mobile and Baldwin counties and all of Alabama.

Mobile Truck Accident Lawyer

A truck crash in Mobile is a Alabama claim: 2 years to file in most cases and pure contributory negligence. Big Rig Lawyer connects people hurt here with attorneys licensed in Alabama; we are a referral service, not a local law office.

If you're running a container out of the Port of Mobile, the Wallace Tunnel is part of your day, unless you're carrying hazmat and have to detour. If you're a family heading to the Gulf beaches, the Bayway is part of your trip. A truck crash on either one can turn a normal day into weeks of recovery.

AL filing deadline

2 years

Fault rule

Pure contributory negligence

Counties

Mobile, Baldwin

Driving Mobile: what the roads are really like

I-10 through Mobile carries almost everything moving along the Gulf Coast, and it gets squeezed into the Wallace Tunnel under the river. Rush hour and beach weekends back traffic up for miles on the Bayway, and there's nowhere to go once you're on it. Hazmat trucks can't use the tunnel, so they're routed through the city on surface streets and another bridge.

Weather here means fog, storms and hurricanes. Morning fog on Mobile Bay can drop visibility on the Bayway fast. Summer storms bring downpours. When a hurricane threatens, evacuation traffic and recovery crews flood the roads, and trucks carrying supplies and debris share lanes with families heading inland.

Where big rig wrecks cluster in Mobile

George Wallace Tunnel (I-10 under the Mobile River). The tunnel's tight curve and grades back traffic up, and trucks carrying hazardous cargo aren't allowed in, so they're rerouted through downtown and the port area.
I-10 Bayway across Mobile Bay. A long, low causeway with no exits, fog off the bay and sudden stops that trap traffic.
I-10 / I-65 interchange west of downtown. Port and long-haul traffic from two interstates converge in a busy junction.
US-98 and the causeway in Baldwin County. Tourist traffic heading to the beaches shares older roads with trucks.

The freight behind Mobile truck traffic

The Port of Mobile is one of the biggest in the Gulf, handling containers, steel, coal, lumber and more. The container terminal near downtown sends drayage trucks onto I-10 and I-165 every day. Airbus assembles airliners at the Brookley Aeroplex, which draws parts and suppliers. Steel mills and chemical plants along the river north of the city add heavy flatbed and tanker traffic, and I-65 runs north from Mobile toward Birmingham and beyond.

Main truck routes: I-10 · I-65 · I-165 · US-90 · US-98.

If you were driving the truck

Port drayage drivers in Mobile deal with gate lines, chassis swaps and tight turn times. After a crash, save your ELD records, gate tickets and interchange paperwork showing who owned the chassis and container. If you haul hazmat and were detoured off I-10, keep the routing instructions you followed. If the chassis had bad brakes or tires, photograph them before the equipment goes back into the pool.

If a big rig hit your car

If a truck hit your car on the Bayway or near the tunnel, you may have been stuck in stopped traffic with nowhere to go. Photograph the truck, its company name and its USDOT number. If it was hauling a shipping container, the container number matters too. Ask which agency is writing the report: Mobile police, a sheriff's deputy or a state trooper. If you were visiting from out of state, you can still get help here.

Local moves that protect a Mobile claim

Mobile police usually handle crashes inside the city, and the Mobile or Baldwin County sheriff may handle others. On the interstates, state troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) often take the report. Ask the officer which agency is writing it and write down the report number.
Port terminal gate records show when a truck entered and left. If the rig came from the port, ask a lawyer about preserving them.
ALDOT cameras monitor the tunnel and parts of I-10. Footage may not be kept long, so ask early.
If a hazmat truck was detoured and crashed, its routing and placards help show what it was carrying and why it was where it was.

Alabama rules still decide the case

⚠️ Alabama retains pure contributory negligence. Any degree of fault attributed to you — even 1% — can bar recovery entirely.

Read the full Alabama truck accident guide and the Alabama filing deadlines, or start a free case review.

Other Alabama metros

Birmingham truck accident lawyerI-20 · I-59

Huntsville truck accident lawyerI-565 · I-65

Sources

Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
SAFER Company Snapshot — carrier safety records — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Federal regulations and crash statistics are updated periodically. Figures cited on this page reflect the referenced publications at the time of writing; check the source for the current edition.