A 20-year-old motorcyclist from Maylene died at UAB Hospital a day after crashing on a Birmingham freeway interchange, with no other vehicles involved in the wreck. Brandon Jace McGuire was riding on Interstate 59/20 at the Elton B. Stephens Expressway around noon on Saturday when he crashed, and he was pronounced dead the following afternoon.
According to WBRC, the Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified McGuire as the victim and confirmed he died at UAB Hospital roughly 24 hours after the crash. Birmingham Police are investigating the single-vehicle crash, per the station's report. AL.com reported additional detail on the timeline, noting the crash happened around noon on Saturday and that McGuire was pronounced dead at 1:10 p.m. on Sunday, confirming no second vehicle was involved.
McGuire hailed from Maylene, an unincorporated community in Shelby County southwest of Birmingham, according to the same account. The interchange where he crashed sits along a corridor that connects downtown Birmingham to major suburban commuter routes; the elevated freeway section was rebuilt as part of ALDOT's $750 million downtown bridge replacement project completed in 2020, per Wikipedia.
Where McGuire Was Treated
McGuire was taken to UAB Hospital following the crash. The facility operates the state's only American College of Surgeons-verified Adult Level 1 Trauma Center and treats approximately 200 emergency patients daily, according to UAB Medicine. It remains Alabama's primary destination for the most severe trauma cases in the region.
A Rising Toll on Alabama Riders
McGuire's death adds to a troubling statewide pattern. Motorcycle fatalities in Alabama reached a decade-high 125 deaths in 2024, up from 92 in 2023 and 95 in 2022, according to data released by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency in May. The agency also found that riders aged 20 to 24 — McGuire's age bracket — experience the highest number of overall motorcycle crashes and injuries of any age group in the state.
Jefferson County has been the epicenter of that trend. Crash statistics compiled by the University of Alabama's Center for Advanced Public Safety and cited by Collins Law, LLC show the county led the state with 918 motorcycle collisions between 2020 and 2025, with Birmingham alone accounting for 396 of those crashes.
Alabama's Helmet and Licensing Rules
State law requires all motorcycle operators and passengers to wear protective headgear meeting state and federal DOT standards, regardless of age, under Code of Alabama Section 32-5A-245. Riding without an approved helmet is a misdemeanor in Alabama, punishable by fines up to $100 and up to 180 days in jail, per the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Operating a motorcycle on public roads also requires a Class M driver's license endorsement, which riders obtain by passing both a written safety knowledge exam and a skills evaluation.
Birmingham Police have not released further details on what caused McGuire to crash, and the investigation into the wreck remains ongoing.
