Articles Posted in Car Accident

Little Rock, Arkansas has been ranked in the top ten most accident prone cities. According to an article in a popular health magazine, Little Rock ranked fifth in the number of accidents that occur each year. This finding appears to be based upon statistics from the Bureau of Labor, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Medical Association.

As someone who deals with Arkansas accident victims, this finding is quite troubling. Arkansas accident injuries include car accident injury, on the job injury, slip and fall injury, motorcycle accident injury, truck accident injury, dog bite injury, medical injury, and nursing home abuse injury. Arkansas personal injury victims have a right to have their medical bills paid, lost wages paid, pain and suffering fairly compensated and be fully compensated for their damages.

If you or a family member has suffered a personal injury in Arkansas, please contact an experienced Arkansas personal injury lawyer to make sure your injuries are fully and fairly compensated.

A recent article in the New York Times was disappointing. The story outlined problems with Courts getting enough people to show up for jury duty and the resistance to people wanting to serve on jury duty. This problem has a negative impact on people who suffer a personal injury or car accident in Arkansas. Jurors must be reminded that the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution states:

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

The article points out that angry jurors are a concern for plaintiffs in civil suits because the plaintiff brought the suit and is more likely to be blamed by the jurors for any inconvenience that jury duty caused them. I often remind jurors about their civic duty and thank them for their service. The right to a jury trial should always be cherished.

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 applied to date:

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Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Little Rock Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center, Memphis, Tenn.

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 of damages for the costs of necessary medical care, treatment, or services.

This is a very important decision for Arkansans who suffer a personal injury. This change will stop the negligent party from escaping liability by blaming a non-party for the personal injury. The decision also allows an personal injury victim to recover the full amount of damages in a Arkansas personal injury lawsuit. The case will help Arkansas accident victims receive reasonable personal injury settlements. If you or a family member has suffered a personal injury please contact an experienced Arkansas personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to make sure your rights are protected.

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 an accident “in which death has occurred or is likely to occur” to a “chemical test of the blood, breath or urine”. The results of the test may be used for prosecution purposes and are to be conducted regardless of whether the surviving driver appears to be under the influence of intoxicating or illegal substances or not. A test will also need to be conducted regardless of whether the suspected erring driver is critically injured or not.

Unfortunately, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol leads to very serious car accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident or truck accident involving alcohol or drugs it is important to contact an experienced Arkansas personal injury lawyer to discuss your rights.

A recent study by the Benton, Arkansas police is being used to make the roads safer. According to an article published by the Benton Courier, police are using accident reports to focus on high traffic accident areas to determine the causes.

According to the study, areas of Military Road from Carpenter Street to Northshore Drive have the most number of accidents. The main contributing factors were failure to yield (12 of the collisions), following too closely (nine of the collisions), careless driving (six of the collisions), not stopping at a red light (four of the collisions), driving too fast (two of the collisions) and improper lane changes (two of the collisions). The other area with high car accident rates include parts of Alcoa road in Benton Arkansas.

This is a proactive approach to reducing car accidents in Arkansas. People should be aware of the areas that produce a high percentage of car accidents so that they can avoid suffering an injury or property damage from a car or truck accident. If you would like to speak with an Arkansas car accident lawyer, please contact me today.

A recent news story reported that three people died in three separate accidents on Interstate 40 in Arkansas. Car and truck accidents on I-40 and I-30 in Arkansas are often tragic. The news report indicates that the car accidents happened in or near construction zones. Under Arkansas law, it is imperative that drivers slow down and follow all construction warnings to avoid accidents.

If you or a family member has suffered a personal injury in a car accident or truck accident, please contact an Arkansas accident lawyer to discuss your legal rights.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recorded over 37,000 fatal traffic accidents in 2008. According to government statistics, fatal accidents are the lowest they’ve been since 1961. The government also says seat belt use continues to rise in most states. In Arkansas, 70 percent of motorists wear their seat belt compared to just over 50 percent in 2001.

A recent Arkansas car accident occurred in Northeast Arkansas in which the injured divers and passenger were not wearing a seat belt. Although it is advisable to always wear a seat belt, a common question asked by many clients is whether the failure to wear a seat belt will limit their recovery in an Arkansas car accident claim. The answer is no. Arkansas law says that the fact that someone was not wearing a seat belt is not admissible at trial. Therefore, a negligent driver can not argue to a jury that the personal injury from the car accident was more serious because the injured person was not wearing a seat belt.

If you or a family member have been injured in an Arkansas car accident I urge you to contact an experienced car accident lawyer in Arkansas to discuss you legal rights.

Approximately one in six drivers across the United States may be driving uninsured by 2010. This unfortunate prediction was published in a recent study from Insurance Research Council. According to the report the percentage of uninsured motorists decreased nationally, from 14.9 percent in 2003 to 13.8 percent in 2007. However,the recent economic downturn is expected to trigger a rise in the uninsured motorist rate.

The extent of the uninsured motorists problem varied by state. In 2007, the five states with the highest uninsured driver estimates were New Mexico (29 percent), Mississippi (28 percent), Alabama (26 percent), Oklahoma (24 percent), and Florida (23 percent). The five states with the lowest uninsured driver estimates were Massachusetts (1 percent), Maine (4 percent), North Dakota (5 percent), New York (5 percent), and Vermont (6 percent).

Arkansas uninsured drivers totaled 15 percent. Although Arkansas was not the worst, the number of uninsured drivers shows how important it is to have adequate uninsured motorist coverage. Arkansas law mandates that insurance companies offer at least $25,000.00 in uninsured coverage. Any denial of uninsured or under-insured coverage MUST BE IN WRITING.

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