Personal Injury Lawyer S. Mark Andrews

Recent trial successes include a jury verdict in Montgomery, Alabama, arising out of an automobile accident caused by a distracted driver. The defendant was using his cell phone while driving a large box truck on wet roads. As a result of being distracted on his cell phone, the defendant driver failed to see or stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights letting off children. The bus had been stopped for at least nine (9) seconds in the defendants’ lane of travel.The defendant had an unobstructed view of the bus, but the defendant never stopped for the bus. Instead, the defendant swerved at the last second suddenly revealing the stopped bus to Plaintiff who was presented with a sudden emergency. Plaintiff had no way to avoid a severe collision with the bus.Plaintiff suffered life-threatening injuries and was in a coma for at least 31 days following the accident. The case was tried before a Montgomery, Alabama, jury who returned a verdict of $1,272,000  in compensatory damages.

Mark was also trial counsel in another automobile accident caused by a driver who was under the influence of alcohol. The impaired driver failed to stop at a stop sign and pulled into the path of another vehicle. All passengers in both vehicles suffered severe and permanent injuries as a result of the collision. The case was tried before a Geneva County, Alabama, jury that returned a verdict of $3,800,000 .

Mark was the lead counsel in the case of Rebekah Blades v. Thermal Technologies, et.al., that was tried in Pike County, Alabama. The trial resulted in compensatory only verdict of $21,000,000  verdict. The case arose out of catastrophic injuries suffered by Rebekah Blades while working at a Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Brundidge, Alabama, when a piece of heavy grade sheet metal approximately 3 ½ feet long fell 28 feet and impaled the Plaintiff’s face. The force of the blow caused extensive facial trauma resulting in multiple surgical procedures.Additionally, Ms. Blades developed epileptic and non-epileptic seizures, which remained uncontrolled even with significant levels of medication. As a result of her injuries, Mrs. Blades was unable to work, drive, or even care for her young daughter without assistance. The verdict was recognized by The National Law Journal’s Verdict Search in the Top 100 Verdicts in the Nation for 2011.The verdict has also been recognized by Business Alabama as one of the Top 10 Jury Verdicts in the State of Alabama between 2008 and 2011. The $21 Million Dollar Verdict is also the largest compensatory only verdict for a negligence action in the history of the State of Alabama according to the Alabama Jury Verdict Reporter.

In another trial in Anniston, Alabama, Mark represented workers who suffered severe injuries as a result of an unguarded skylight while installing a satellite communications system on the roof of a Federal Express freight terminal. One worker fell through the skylight landing on a co-worker below, the workers’ injuries involved facial and brain injuries. The jury returned a verdict of $4,200,000 . Mark has also been involved in many other cases involving workers falling through unguarded skylights which have settled without the need for trial.