Arkansas Injury Lawyer Blog

Bus Crash Caused by Distracted Driving

July 23, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that last year’s fatal tour bus accident near Dolan Springs, Ariz. was caused by the driver being distracted by his manipulation of the driver’s side door as he was traveling about 70 mph. As the driver attended to the door, the vehicle drifted out of its lane. The driver then made an abrupt steering maneuver to correct the drift resulting in a loss of directional control of the medium-sized bus.

On January 30, 2009 a 29-passenger bus, operated by DW Tour and Charter and carrying passengers crashed on a return trip from Grand Canyon West to Las Vegas. Seven passengers were killed, and nine passengers and the driver sustained minor to serious injuries. In its investigation the NTSB found that other factors, in addition to the driver’s failure to maintain control of his vehicle, contributed to the accident and its severity.

The vehicle was not equipped with a lane departure warning system. This device would have been alerted upon the initial drift from the driving lane. Further, a stability control system, already widely used in automobiles, could have reduced the likelihood of the driver losing control of the bus.

Arkansas Truck Accident Caused by Improper Loading

June 29, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

An 18- wheeler accident in Arkansas at the I-30 , I-440 interchange tied up westbound traffic for hours. Arkansas State Police say as the truck driver taking curve into I- 30 West, his load shifted and the 18-wheeler overturned.

This large truck accident shows how important loading trucks is for driver safety. Truck accidents caused by improper loading can lead to accidents that injure the truck driver and other drivers on Arkansas roads. Thankfully, this Arkansas truck accident did not cause a collision with a car or another truck. However, improper loading can lead to the truck losing control and causing a severe accident. After a truck accident, it is important that a truck accident lawyer be involved as soon as possible so that a proper investigation occurs.

If your loved one have been in a truck or car accident, please contact Paul Pfeifer, an Arkansas truck accident attorney, and make sure your rights are fully protected.

United States Supreme Court Allows Arkansas Defective Drug Suit to Trial on Punitive Damages

June 23, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a drug company’s appeal to block an Arkansas defective drug trial to assess punitive damages. The Court also let stand a compensatory damage award for 2.75 million in the case of a woman who got breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy.

The Plaintiff alleged that the drug company did not provide adequate warning regarding the risk of the drugs. The Plaintiff will now proceed to trial to determine whether punitive damages should be awarded. The trial will take place in Federal District Court in Little Rock.

Little Rock, Arkansas personal injury lawyer Paul Pfeifer has successfully litigated personal injury cases in Arkansas State and Federal Courts. If you have a case involving a personal injury call the Pfeifer Law Firm to discuss your legal rights.

Arkansas Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

June 16, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

A story recently aired on a local Little Rock, Arkansas television station concerning the quality of Arkansas nursing homes. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect of nursing home patients in Arkansas continues to be a serious problem for Arkansas’ elderly population. Out of the 231 nursing homes that receive Medicare in Arkansas, 32 are rated poorest quality in the National Medicare Rating System. Common injuries included: pressure ulcers (bed sores), dehydration, malnutrition, infections, falls, poor hygiene, elopement, medication errors, assault, and death. Arkansas nursing home residents often become victims of nursing home owners and management that care more about profits than for the people that they are paid to provide care for. The Arkansas nursing homes that currently have a one star rating are:

Arkansas Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

Ash Flat Health Care & Rehabilitation Center

Trucking Accidents and Texting Ban

May 13, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

Large commercial trucks are more likely to be in fatal accidents on U.S. and Arkansas Highways. Big rigs represent about 3% of all motor vehicle registrations, but 8% percent of all motor vehicle accidents and 12% of all traffic fatalities nationwide each year. One potential cause of these accidents is distracted driving.

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently banned texting while driving commercial vehicles and vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are three types of distracted driving:

Visual (taking eyes off road)

Gulf Coast Oil Spill Lawyer

May 3, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

Teams of lawyers from around the nation are mobilizing for legal battles over the massive Gulf Coast oil spill, filing multiple lawsuits in recent days.

The oil slick will likely poison popular beaches, ruin fisheries, disrupt traffic on the Mississippi River and ruin the tourist trade. There will likely be hundreds of thousands of plaintiffs from Texas to Florida seeking monetary damages from oil producer BP PLC and other companies that ran the Transocean Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

At least 26 federal lawsuits have been filed since the spill by commercial fishermen, charter boat captains, resort management companies and individual property owners in Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Many of the suits claim the disaster was caused when workers for oil services contractor Halliburton Inc. improperly capped a well – a process known as cementing.

Arkansas Bus Crash

April 27, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

An Arkansas Bus Crash has taken the life of a woman and more than 25 Northwest Arkansas residents were injured. The Bus accident occurred on Interstate 40 between Russellville and Clarksville, Arkansas.The bus was on its way back to Bentonville from a religious conference in Little Rock Saturday night when it rolled over on Interstate 40. The Arkansas State Police is working with vehicle specialists to determine the cause of the Bus crash.

According to news reports, the bus hit a guardrail, spun and flipped. Investigations into the causes of bus accidents like this are very important so future Arkansas bus crashes can be avoided. The federal government has found serious safety violations by owners of bus companies that transport church or other groups. It is important that Arkansas groups fully investigate the bus companies they hire to transport their members. Further, if the buses are owned by the Arkansas group, it is vital that the bus get fully and completely checked out before it is used. Safety and mechanical problems are found all too often in bus crash investigations. If you have any questions concerning an Arkansas bus crash, please contact the Pfeifer Law Firm.

Motorcycle Crashes in Arkansas

April 7, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

The latest report from the Arkansas State Police shows there were 1,913 motorcycle accidents in 2008. The report also states that there were 80 fatalities in Arkansas motorcycle accidents during 2008. The Arkansas traffic accident report shows that over the last 10 years, the number of total motorcycle crashes is increasing. These statistics include motorcycle, ATV and Moped accidents.

Under Arkansas law there is a limited amount of time to file an injury claim for motorcycle accidents. It is important for motorcycle accident victims in Arkansas to speak with an accident lawyer as soon as possible so their rights are fully protected. If you would like to discuss your legal rights, please contact an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer.

Baby Sling Recall

March 25, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

One million Infantino Slingrider and Wendy Bellissimo infant slings have been recalled in the United States. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, three infants died in 2009.

This recall comes soon after the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s safety alert warning parents that babies under 4 months old should not ride in sling carriers because of the suffocation risk.

According to some reports, the soft fabric of some infant slings that surround an infant’s neck can be dangerous. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that there have been 14 infant deaths related to sling-type baby carriers. It is recommended that a baby’s face not be covered so it is visible while in the sling.

Medical Bills After an Arkansas Car Accident

March 12, 2010 | Paul Pfeifer

One of the most common questions that I get from clients is “How do I get my medical bills paid after an accident?” After an Arkansas car accident, there are several ways to make sure medical bills are paid. First, health insurance should pay the medical bills while the claim of the accident victim is ongoing. However, if the car accident victim does not have health insurance a claim can be filed on their automobile insurance company for medical benefits coverage. Arkansas law mandates that:

Every automobile liability insurance policy covering any private passenger motor vehicle issued or delivered in this state shall provide minimum medical and hospital benefits, income disability, and accidental death benefits, under policy provisions and on forms approved by the Insurance Commissioner, to the named insured and members of his or her family residing in the same household injured in a motor vehicle accident, to passengers injured while occupying the insured motor vehicle, and to persons other than those occupying another vehicle struck by the insured motor vehicle, without regard to fault, as follows:

(1) Medical and Hospital Benefits. All reasonable and necessary expenses for medical, hospital, nursing, dental, surgical, ambulance, funeral expenses, and prosthetic services incurred within twenty-four (24) months after the automobile accident, up to an aggregate of five thousand dollars ($5,000) per person and may include any nonmedical remedial care and treatment rendered in accordance with a recognized religious method of healing. Expenses for hospital room charges may be limited to semiprivate accommodations