Arkansas Injury Lawyer Blog

Nursing Home Abuse in Arkansas

October 11, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Law enforcement officials shut down a residential care facility in Hot Springs, Arkansas for various fire, building, and safety code violations. Officials from numerous government agencies converged on the home after finding people not getting the care they needed along with open electrical wiring and a lack of smoke detectors.

Data released by the federal government in 2008 found that 95 percent of Arkansas nursing homes were cited for health and safety violations and many of those troubling stats persist. A nursing home patient advocate recently pointed out that there are 234 nursing homes in Arkansas and all the nursing homes except for three percent were cited for violations of the law last year. There were 2,500 reported cases in Arkansas of senior harm, abuse and neglect at nursing homes in 2010 and some of those incidents caused the death of elderly residents.

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel recently announced that his office is increasing both civil investigations and criminal cases to curb nursing home neglect. Currently, there are over 180 state and federal laws that govern nursing homes and their treatment of the elderly. It is important that family members of nursing home residents stay diligent in making sure the Arkansas nursing home is properly taking care of the resident’s needs.

Nursing Home Residents’ Rights Month 2011

October 10, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Residents’ Rights Month 2011 reminds us that residents of long-term care facilities (nursing homes) are part of the community. Community is more than just a nursing home. Residents have the right to continue to participate in activities and other groups that meet outside of the nursing home. This year’s Residents’ Rights Month theme Welcome Home: Creating Connections Between Residents and the Community challenges us to think of creative ways to involve residents in the community and to invite the community into the facilities in the month of October and throughout the year. It is time to bring our elders back into the community at large. As an Arkansas lawyer who represents nursing home residents and their families, this month is important to remind us all that these residents need our attention and our diligence to make sure their needs are being met. If their needs are not met, it is important to hold the nursing home owners responsible so that other residents will not be ignored.

Little Rock Car Accidents

September 3, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

A national insurance company has ranked Little Rock, Arkansas 119 out of the top 200 biggest cities in the report. According to the report, Little has gotten worse over the last few years. From my experience as a Little Rock accident lawyer, most accidents are caused from inattention and various distractions. Serious accidents caused from cell phone use continues to rise even even with recent Arkansas laws concerning texting while driving.

If you or a family member has suffered an injury in car accident please contact an Arkansas accident lawyer as soon as possible to fully protect your legal rights.

Artificial Hip Complaints and Recall

September 2, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

A recent article in the New York Times shed some much needed light on a problem that will grow larger and larger. The number of complaints filed with the Federal Drug Administration concerning artificial hip implants rose dramatically in the last couple of years. According to the article, there were 5,000 complaints this year alone.

The use of artificial hips became a very common orthopedic surgical procedure over the last decade and the use of all metal hips accounted for nearly one-third of the estimated 250,000 replacements performed each year. Patients have started to have severe problems with the hip implants necessitating removal and causing long term debilitating injury. A large number of lawsuits have been filed and it is expected that many more will be as more and more individuals have problems. Artificial hip implant complaints are currently being reviewed by Arkansas injury lawyers.

If you or a family member has problems with a artificial hip or have questions whether the artificial hip is part of a recall, please contact an Arkansas injury lawyer so that your rights can be protected.

Accident On Interstate 30 in Arkansas

July 25, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

The Arkansas State Police are reporting that a serious accident occurred on Interstate 30 near Prescott, Arkansas. Four people were killed, and four people are being treated for serious injuries as the result a wreck on Interstate 30.

A white Dodge Durango SUV was headed east on Interstate 30 when the driver veered into the center median and over-corrected and overturned. Three people in the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, but one person died later as a result of injuries at a Hot Springs, Arkansas Hospital. Additional people were severally injured and are being treated at local hospitals according to the report.

One vehicle accidents are often severe and result in serious injury or death. Many times we focus on two car accidents, however, on car accidents are just as serious and require consultation with a accident lawyer. Multiple types of insurance coverages could be triggered in this type of car accident. Therefore, it is important to contact an attorney to determine what the legal implications are because of a one vehicle crash. If you or a loved one would like to speak with an Arkansas injury car accident lawyer, please contact the Pfeifer Law Firm for a free consultation.

Distracted Driving Causes Arkansas Accidents

July 13, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Cellphones and other electronic devices cause up to 25 percent of U.S. car crashes, according to a recent report. The study was released by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The study stated that drivers are distracted up to half the time and that crashes caused by distractions can cause a fatal injury. The study indicated that texting causes more distraction that cellphone use.

Thirty U.S. states and the District of Columbia have law prohibiting the use of all cellphones by novice drivers and 41 states and Washington, D.C. had prohibited texting by novice drivers. Thirty four states and the District of Columbia have enacted texting bans for all drivers.

Unsafe Bus Companies Cause Serious Crashes

May 6, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced new safety rules that would make it harder for tour bus companies to gain permission to operate and easier for the government to put unsafe operators out of business. Other proposals would make it easier for the government to take away bus drivers’ commercial licenses if they violate drug and alcohol laws while operating a vehicle other than a bus.

The new proposals would require bus companies to pass a safety audit before receiving federal permission to operate. The audit would include an interview with the company’s owners and a safety examination of the company’s drivers and vehicles.

This personal injury blog has written about previous serious bus accidents that were caused by unsafe companies and drivers. You can read about them here and here. A post about an Arkansas bus accident can be found here.

Guilty Plea in Fatal Arkansas Accident

May 1, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

An Arkansas state trooper struck a plea bargain this week over the death of a motorist killed in a Mississippi County crash. According to the black box records, the police car was traveling in excess of 100 miles per hour without emergency lights or sirens.

The Arkansas trooper entered a no contest plea to a Class A misdemeanor, negligent homicide. Sentencing was suspended for a year and he could appear a year from now and have his record expunged.

This fatal Arkansas traffic accident shows how useful the computerized black boxes can be in accident investigations. Most cars have black boxes that record information that can be used in claims and lawsuits involving injury or death in auto collisions and crashes. It is important that an injured car accident victim or their family contact a personal injury lawyer to help determine if this information needs to be preserved in their personal injury claim or lawsuit. If you or a loved one has any questions concerning a car, truck or auto accident, please contact an Arkansas accident attorney at the Pfeifer Law Firm to discuss your rights.

Bus crash spotlights cut-rate bus companies

March 18, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Cut-rate bus companies, driver fatigue and the need for safer windows and roofs came into focus after a New York bus crash killed 15 people on their way home from a casino. Reports indicate that the driver was driving on a suspended license and should not have been behind the wheel.

The bus is similar to buses in Arkansas that talk people to the casinos for a cheap fare. Federal regulators have long recognized the dangers of fly-by-night bus companies that skimp on safety and skirt the regulations. Although, it was unclear whether this company could be lumped into that category, it is clear that their safety policies and practices were poor.

Driver fatigue, which has been cited more often than any other reason as a cause or contributing factor to bus crashes, has been the target of a slew of recommendations not just for buses and trucks, but in aviation, rail and marine accidents as well. Additionally, reports indicate that the driver served time in prison for manslaughter and grand larceny.

Dangerous Tractor-Trailers and Big Trucks on Arkansas Highways and Roads

March 1, 2011 | Paul Pfeifer

Big Rigs or 18-Wheelers are enormous, slow to stop and make very wide turns. A truck wreck with a car is usually severe. A new study shows tractor-trailers are more dangerous than previously thought.

In a study released by the Insurance Industry for Highway Safety (IIHS), the report states that “New crash tests and analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety demonstrate that underride guards on tractor-trailers can fail in relatively low-speed crashes – with deadly consequences. The Institute is petitioning the federal government to require stronger underride guards that will remain in place during a crash and to mandate guards for more large trucks and trailers,” IIHS writes in a press release.

Rear guards are important for reducing under-ride deaths and injuries when a car crashes into the back of a tractor-trailer in an accident. “Under-ride makes death or serious injury more likely since the upper part of the passenger vehicle’s occupant compartment typically crushes as the truck body intrudes into the vehicle safety cage,” explains the IIHS.