New laws are now in effect that the Arkansas legislature hope will reduce Arkansas traffic accident and personal injuries. A simplified For drivers under 18: -No using cell phones while driving. -Only one minor may be in the vehicle with you unless they are siblings or live with in the…
Bus companies that the federal government has ordered to stop operating due to serious safety violations frequently change their name and continue to operate. A Government Accountability Office report which found that unsafe bus companies did not even bother to change their business addresses or phone numbers when they submitted…
Sixty Arkansas hospitals have applied to receive funding for trauma care that will come from a tobacco tax. As our previous post regarding the Arkansas Trauma system points out, the system is designed to save the lives of Arkansas accident victims. The following is a list of hospitals that have…
The Arkansas Supreme Court declared a portion of the 2003 tort reform law unconstitutional. The Arkansas Court found that the law violates the Arkansas Constitution separation of powers clause. The Arkansas Justices decided questions over the provisions regarding the negligence or fault of non-parties when considering liability and regarding evidence…
The Arkansas Legislature passed a bill in 2009 that would amend current law and requires law enforcers to conduct testing for the presence of drugs and alcohol in drivers who were involved in fatal or potentially fatal car accidents. Act 423 requires that law enforcers subject a driver involved in…
The driver of the 18-wheeler flipped his semi-truck because he fell asleep behind the wheel. This truck accident occurred on Interstate 540 in Northern Arkansas. A news story concerning the accident included a quote from a truck diver that is all too common. He said, “It’s easy to fall asleep.…
A bill was signed into law by Gov. Mike Beebe creating an Arkansas trauma system. The bill is meant to speed up how quickly trauma patients in Arkansas get the medical care they need. This is a huge victory for people who suffer a personal injury in a car accident,…
According to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, Arkansas is the third most dangerous state for driving. The average annual motor vehicle-related death rate was highest in Mississippi (31.9 per 100,000 population), followed by Wyoming (27.7), Arkansas (25.6), Montana (25.6), and Alabama (25.1). The study also found that…
Arkansas is the only state without a trauma center to deal with people who suffer a personal injury. Currently, the Arkansas Legislature is debating a plan to institute a trauma system. Unfortunately, a similar plan was defeated in 2007. Hopefully, this will not happen again. According to government statistics, 15,000…
Four students from the Pine Bluff School District were taken to Jefferson Regional Medical Center for injuries after an accident involving the school bus they were riding on. Police said the bus was northbound on Main Street near 27th Avenue when it ran off the road, hit a culvert, then…