Posts by Luke Williams
A Quiet Morning in Southwest Birmingham Ends in a Fatal Train Strike
At 8:23 a.m. on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, a southbound Norfolk Southern freight train moving along the 3900 block of Bessemer Avenue in southwest Birmingham struck a woman standing on the tracks. By 8:51 a.m., she had been pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was found roughly 100 yards from the point where investigators…
Read MoreAn Alabama Caterer, a Dimly Lit Loading Dock, and a Premises Liability Ruling That Matters
A caterer was led to an exit she had never used, walked through a doorway into the dark, and took two strides before falling off a loading dock she could not see. Almost four years later, on Friday, May 8, 2026, the Alabama Supreme Court decided her case was not over after all. In Joseph…
Read MoreDriver Critically Injured in May 12 Crash Involving Montgomery Police Vehicle
At 8:53 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, a marked Montgomery police unit was sitting along Troy Highway near East South Boulevard when it was struck from behind. By the time officers and paramedics began clearing the scene, two people had been transported to a local hospital, one of them in critical condition, and a…
Read MoreSix Years after a Hartselle Killing, an Alabama Mother Is Sentenced to Life over a Custody Dispute
On the morning of July 24, 2020, Anthony Larry Sheppard was supposed to be in a Morgan County courtroom for a custody hearing. He never made it. By the time his attorney asked Hartselle police to check on him, Sheppard was already dead inside his home, the storm door shattered, and the main door left…
Read MoreEight Days Before Primary Day, the Supreme Court Reshapes Alabama’s Congressional Map
Eight days before Alabama voters head to the polls, the U.S. Supreme Court rewrote the map they will eventually vote under. On May 11, 2026, the justices opened the door for the state to eliminate one of its two majority Black congressional districts before the November midterms, a move that could hand Republicans an additional…
Read MoreWhy Personal Injury Cases Are Really Built Before a Lawsuit Is Ever Filed
Insurance carriers often have an adjuster, an investigator, and sometimes defense counsel assigned to a claim within forty-eight hours of an accident. Most injured people are still in a hospital bed when that team starts working. That gap matters more than any closing argument ever will. By the time a complaint is drafted and a…
Read MoreDivorce Is Not Just a Legal Split: How Financial, Parenting, and Emotional Decisions Collide
A divorce filing in Alabama can technically be finalized just thirty days after it is submitted. In reality, most cases stretch far longer, and the decisions made in those opening weeks often shape every page of the final decree. That is the part most people miss when they walk into the courthouse. The legal split…
Read MoreWhen the Insurance Company Says You Were Partly at Fault: What That Really Means in Alabama
In 46 states, a driver who bears just one percent of the blame for a crash still recovers ninety-nine percent of their damages. In Alabama, that same one percent can wipe out the entire claim. That is the quiet weight behind every insurance adjuster’s phone call after an accident. When the adjuster suggests you were…
Read MoreThe Hidden Role of Character, Conduct, and Credibility in Alabama Custody Cases
Two Alabama parents can file nearly identical custody petitions and walk out of two different courtrooms with completely different outcomes. The reason rarely sits on the official record. It lives in the smaller details. The screenshots, the school pickup logs, the texts sent late at night, and the tone a parent uses when speaking about…
Read MoreWhy “Minor” Car Accidents in Alabama Can Quickly Become Major Legal Problems
According to the Alabama Department of Transportation, the state recorded 140,118 traffic crashes in 2024, producing more than 36,600 injuries. Most of those drivers walked away from the scene believing the wreck was minor. Many of them were wrong. A fender bender that looks manageable at the scene can grow into a major legal problem…
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