A 75-year-old Prattville man has died nearly a week after he was critically injured in a two-vehicle crash on Montgomery's Birmingham Highway, according to police. Ellis Gardner succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital at 11:15 p.m. Thursday, six days after the October 9 collision in the 3800 block of the highway.
According to AL.com, officers and paramedics who responded to the 6:30 p.m. crash found Gardner critically injured alongside a second victim who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Gardner was rushed to a hospital, where he remained for nearly a week before dying Thursday night. Montgomery police have identified Gardner as the fatality victim and say the investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
Birmingham Highway in Montgomery is part of U.S. Route 31, according to AARoads.
Crash Investigation Continues
Gardner died days after the initial crash scene response, and Montgomery police say the investigation remains ongoing. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigates traffic crashes.
That shift matters in Alabama, where fault determinations carry significant legal weight. The state enforces a strict pure contributory negligence rule that can bar an injured person from recovering civil damages if they are found even 1 percent at fault for a collision, according to Monge & Associates. Alabama is one of only four states that still retains this strict standard, the firm notes.
A Busy Corridor With a History of Collisions
The Montgomery metropolitan area, which includes Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore, and Lowndes counties, recorded more than 13,000 traffic collisions in 2023, resulting in 61 fatalities, per the same Monge & Associates analysis.
State troopers have periodically stepped up enforcement on Montgomery's busiest routes. ALEA reported that Highway Patrol and Capitol Patrol troopers responded to and investigated 145 crashes within city limits; Motor Enforcement was part of the high-visibility enforcement effort. The agency also said its MACS Unit had recorded 1,300 traffic stops since its inception, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. During the seven-day Thanksgiving 2025 travel period alone, troopers investigated 697 crashes statewide that resulted in seven fatalities, with speeding and driver impairment cited as leading causes.
Gardner's death comes about two weeks after Hoodline reported on another fatal Montgomery crash involving a 28-year-old man at Northern Boulevard and Wetumpka Highway, also investigated by Montgomery police. Open questions remain in Gardner's case, including whether speed, impairment, or a right-of-way violation contributed to the crash, and whether charges will be filed against the driver of the second vehicle. Montgomery police have not released further details as the investigation continues.
