Collier et al v. State of Alabama Department of Transportation et al

On August 8, 2017, Tiffany Collier, representing herself and her minor child, filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Alabama against the Alabama Department of Transportation and its director, John R. Cooper. The suit stemmed from the death of her husband, Justin Wade Collier, who on October 3, 2015, struck a deep, unmarked pothole while riding his motorcycle on a state-maintained road in Jefferson County. The collision caused him to lose control and suffer fatal injuries. The plaintiffs claimed the department had knowledge of the dangerous condition for months but failed to repair it or post warnings, amounting to negligence and a violation of constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The case highlighted the deadly consequences of neglected road infrastructure and the legal hurdles in suing state agencies.

The federal district court dismissed the claims against the state agency on sovereign immunity grounds in 2018. However, a parallel state court lawsuit proceeded, and in February 2020, a Jefferson County jury found the Alabama Department of Transportation negligent and awarded $2.5 million in damages to the Collier family.

The central dispute was whether the Alabama Department of Transportation could claim sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to avoid liability, and whether its deliberate indifference to a known road hazard constituted a violation of the plaintiffs' constitutional rights.

The case brought widespread attention to the perilous state of Alabama's roadways and the legal barriers citizens face in holding the government accountable. It spurred public outcry over inadequate road maintenance funding and prompted legislative discussions on reforming sovereign immunity laws to better balance governmental protection with victim rights.