Mark Andrews was born and raised in Dothan, Houston County, Alabama. Mark is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and of Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama.
Mark is a partner in the law firm of Morris, Andrews, Talmadge & Driggers, LLC. His practice is limited to cases involving serious injury and wrongful death as a result of defective products, automobile accidents, and on-the-job injuries.
Mr. Andrews has served on several state and local bar committees and has served on the Executive Committee of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association. He currently serves on the Editorial Committee for the Alabama Association of Justice Journal. Mr. Andrews may be contacted at 334-702-0000, or by email at [email protected]
Mark has been recognized by the National Trial Lawyers to be in the Top 100 attorneys in America and was recognized in 2011 as one of the Top 40 Attorneys in America Under 40.
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.
Other substantial results have come from cases involving:
- The death of dialysis patients who died as a result of improper medical care
- Paralysis to a home health care patient by a home health care technician
- Severe injuries to a hunter as a result of a defective hunting tree stand
- Improperly secured cast iron pipes on a flatbed trailer that rolled off onto a worker who suffered severe pelvic crushing injuries
- The death of a worker who drowned as a result of defective grating over raw sewage at a wastewater facility
- The death of a father and son who were electrocuted while operating an uninsulated bucket upon contact with an overhead power line
- Severe and permanent injuries to a worker who suffered facial burns as a result of a defective lawnmower’s exhaust system
- Severe injuries to workers involved in a multi-car pile up as a result of a salvage yard burning scrap illegally causing smoke to cover a four lane highway
- Serious injuries to minor sisters as a result of unlawful sale of alcohol
- Serious injuries as a result of defective all terrain vehicles
- Serious injuries as a result of improperly filled prescriptions
- Severe and permanent injuries to a minor who suffered severely broken legs and ankles as a result of a defective swing set at a State Recreational Park
Mark has developed a particular interest into cases involving workers who have suffered severe injuries and amputations as a result of defective and unguarded machinery. Some of these cases have involved:
- Arm amputation in a defective and improperly guarded screw auger in a lumber mill operation
- A foot amputation in a defective and improperly guarded screw auger used in an ice conveying system
- An arm amputation as a result of a defectively designed chicken processing system
- A hand amputation in a defectively guarded concrete pump
- A partial hand amputation from an unguarded concrete block splitting machine
- Severe injuries to a worker who became entangled in an unguarded tractor PTO shaft
- Several cases involving entanglement in unguarded conveyor systems
- Leg crush injuries as a result of unguarded fork lift machines, and sod installing machinery
- Multiple finger amputations and serious hand and arm injuries as a result of machinery, such as:
- Unguarded and defectively designed machinery used in the manufacturing of Styrofoam products
- Unguarded conveyor machinery
- Unguarded trim saws in lumber operations
- Defective wood planer machinery
- Defective farm trailers and farm implements
- Unguarded table saws in cabinet shop operations
- Unguarded skill saws
- Unguarded and defectively designed hand held grinders
- Unguarded box manufacturing machinery
- Unguarded chicken processing machinery
- Unguarded punch press machinery
- Unguarded saw mill machinery
Mark is licensed to practice in all federal and state courts in the state of Alabama, as well as the United States Supreme Court.
Areas of Practice:
- Personal Injury
- Wrongful Death
- Products Liability Law
- Workers’ Compensation Law
- Fraud
Bar Admissions:
- Alabama State Courts – ALL
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Alabama
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama
- United States Supreme Court
Education:
The University of Alabama, Jones School of Law, Montgomery, Alabama
- University of Alabama, 1993
- B.S.
- Major: History
Published Works:
- ” A Practical Guide to Handling Uninsured Motorist Claim”, Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- Speaker, Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage, Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- RSD: A Primer, Alabama Association of Justice
- Common Issues In Machine Guarding Cases, Association of Justice Journal
Honors and Awards:
- Business Alabama: Top Attorneys in Alabama
- Commendation, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
- Selected to Super Lawyers®: 2014 – 2023
- National Trial Lawyers Top 100
- National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40
- 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® list for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Alabama Association of Justice
- Member, Board of Governors
- Alabama Association of Justice
- Member, Executive Committee
- Houston County Alabama Bar Association
- Member
- Houston County Alabama Bar Association
- Secretary
- Houston County Alabama Bar Association
- Secretary, Houston County Grievance Committee
- Houston County Young Lawyers Association
- President
- The Alabama State Bar Association
- Member, Alabama State Bar Comm., Altern Methods for Dispute Resolution
- The Alabama State Bar Association
- Member, Lawyer Referral Committee
- Southeast Alabama Trial Lawyers Association
- President
*Alabama State Bar rules require the following on attorney advertisements: “No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the legal services to be performed by other lawyers.”
