Nursing home abuse in Arkansas comes in many forms. While physical and emotional violence have the most obvious effects, neglect, carelessness, and distracted employees can wreak havoc on an individual’s health and wellbeing. When you trust your loved one to the care of professionals in a nursing home, you expect they will be treated with dignity, respect, and the attention they deserve. But financial pressures, staffing constraints, and high employee turnover can all erode that solid base upon which your loved one’s health, safety, and their very lives rest. In fact, Arkansas nursing homes are, statistically, some of the worst in the nation when it comes to specific safety violations.

1-in-5 Arkansas Nursing Homes Cited for “Significant” Violations

There are a total of 234 licensed nursing homes in Arkansas. 46 of them have been cited for what the U.S. Centers for Medicate and Medicaid Services classify as ‘Significant” medication errors. That’s 1 out of every 5 nursing homes in your area. Is your loved one housed in one of these facilities?

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A deadly car accident in Arkansas was likely caused by excessive speed. That’s according to police accident reconstruction specialists investigating the fatal car crash in Texarkana. The crash occurred at around 5:30 PM on the afternoon of March 20^th when one vehicle was “T-Boned” by another. The driver of the vehicle that was struck was pinned inside the twisted wreckage of her sedan. Rescue crews struggled to extricate her and rushed her to a nearby hospital but her injuries proved too severe. She passed away shortly thereafter.

Excessive Speed is a Top Contributing Factor to Car Accidents in Arkansas

Police investigating this terrible deadly car crash in Texarkana collected evidence at the scene that suggests the vehicle which struck the victim was likely exceeding the posted speed limit at the time of the crash. If true, this crash was just one of the hundreds that occur every year in Arkansas in which at least one driver was operating their vehicle at unsafe speeds. In fact, excessive speed contributed to 31% of all fatal car crashes in the United States between 2005 and 2014.

While it’s difficult to prove such accusations after the fact, forensic evidence like skid marks, auto computer data, and eye witness testimonies can often eliminate the shadow of doubt in investigators’ eyes. If that accusation can be proven, it goes a long way toward shifting the liability for the crash onto the speeding driver. Continue reading

Nursing homes are designed to be a place where the elderly and chronically ill can be taken care of by compassionate, qualified staff. To ensure that these institutions are following the regulations, The Department of Human Services does unannounced surveys of each location.  According to ProPublica, 73 of the 230 nursing homes in Arkansas have serious deficiencies. One thing that surveyors look for is how many residents at the nursing home have bedsores. Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, can be a form of neglect, and anyone who suffers from them due to neglect deserves to be compensated for the ill treatment they have received from nursing home staff. If your loved one has suffered from pressure ulcers during a nursing home stay, contact the attorneys at Pfeifer Law Firm to talk about your loved one’s rights.

What are Pressure Ulcers and How do They Occur

Pressure ulcers are injuries to the skin or the underlying tissue. They are caused by being in one location too long, which puts continuous pressure on specific areas of the body. Nursing home patients who are bedridden or confined to wheelchairs will develop bedsores if their position is not changed frequently. Common places for bedsores include heels, ankles, hips, and tailbones because they are all bony protrusions. If a nursing home resident requires any medical devices such as an oxygen mask or an orthopedic brace, the consistent contact with one area of the body can also lead to pressure ulcers. Continue reading

Pedestrian Accident in Arkansas Refocuses Attention on Dangerous Downtown Street

A 47-year-old woman was killed in Arkansas earlier this month while she was waiting to cross the street at a busy intersection in Little Rock. The fatal pedestrian accident in Little Rock happened at around 11 on the morning of February 5^th at the intersection of West 6^th Street and Broadway. Two cars collided in the intersection. The force of the impact drove both cars off the street and onto the sidewalk. The victim was struck while waiting at curbside for the crosswalk light to change.

Little Rock Police are investigating the crash and have asked eye-witnesses to come forward. There have been no citations issued pending the results of that investigation but it appears as if at least one of the drivers ignored the traffic signal and entered the intersection while they faced a red light.

In this particular car accident in Little Rock, the force of the crash was so great that the victim was knocked almost 80 feet from the point of impact. That demonstrates that at least one of the vehicles was likely travelling at an unsafe speed at the time of the crash. Continue reading

Pedestrian Accident in Fort Smith Sends Teenager to Hospital

A terrifying pedestrian accident in Fort Smith, Arkansas recently highlighted the increased danger automobiles pose to children. Just last week a high school student was struck and injured by a reckless driver while crossing the street in a marked crosswalk in Fort Smith. The student was just blocks from school when a vehicle, operated by a 35-year old man, plowed into him. The injured boy was rushed to a Fort Smith hospital and then flown to Little Rock for more extensive treatment.

The man behind the wheel was suspected of operating an automobile while under the influence. He was arrested and charged with second degree battery (though additional charges could be pending).

As terrible as this latest pedestrian accident in Arkansas is, it’s a scenario that plays out all too often in our area. No matter how many times we tell our children to be careful, look both ways, wait until cars stop before crossing the street, traffic crimes like this continue to happen, through no fault of our own.

Why Kids Are Too Often Victims of Pedestrian Accidents

Statistics show that children and elderly individuals share the highest risk of being involved in a pedestrian accident in Arkansas. Indeed, that age-related risk factor remains true all across America and in other parts of the world. But why are children so often the victims in automobile crashes?

Researchers at The University of London discovered that young children actually lack the mental faculties to perceive the danger of oncoming cars. Their findings suggest that a developing mind still hasn’t grasped the necessary mathematical capacity to perceive spatial relations in an accurate fashion. When children see an oncoming car, they simply don’t realize that it will collide with them by the time they’re its path. Continue reading

A potentially lethal trucking accident in Arkansas this past week highlights the danger we are all in when travelling the busy interstate highway system crisscrossing our state. Part of Arkansas 7 was actually shut down on January 8^th after an 18-wheeler hauling thousands of gallons of a caustic acid overturned just south of Jasper, Arkansas. Rescue crews and hazmat teams rushed to the scene to find what was labelled a “small” leak coming from the truck’s hazardous contents. The entire roadway was cordoned off to prevent exposure to this toxic chemical (used as a cleaner in industrial settings).

Cleanup crews quickly had the situation under control but had the leak been larger or the chemicals the big rig was hauling more volatile, the entire situation could have ended badly—not only for the trucker but for anyone within the area. Continue reading

Even Stiffer DWI Laws Don’t Stop Drivers from Drinking

People hurt in drunk driving accidents in Arkansas aren’t really concerned with statistics. Their ordeal is a very personal one. But according to accident and arrest figures collected around the country, Arkansas is the 13^th most dangerous state in the nation as far as drunk driving crashes are concerned.

That dubious honor springs directly from the high number of intoxicated drivers who knowingly get behind the wheel in our state and put the lives and livelihoods of innocent victims at risk every day. Between 2003 and 2012 a shocking 1,769 people were killed in drunk driving accidents in Arkansas. That’s an average of almost 200 deaths per year—deaths that are 100% completely preventable.

Distracted Driving Leaves its Mark on Innocent Victims in Arkansas

Statistics show that if you’ve been hurt in a car accident on the highway in Arkansas, there’s a big chance your injuries were caused by a distracted driver. Indeed, the number of people hurt in car crashes on      I-40, I-530, I-30 and elsewhere is skyrocketing as distracted and careless drivers simply ignore Arkansas traffic laws and take the fate of others into their own hands.

And while there’s very little you can do to protect yourself from being involved in a wreck caused by reckless drivers on the highways in Arkansas, you can take steps to minimize the stress of your recovery process by taking necessary steps to ensure you are getting the proper medical care for your injuries, knowing your rights, and knowing that your claim is being handled properly and efficiently.   Insurance companies have lawyers working on their behalf, and so should you.     Continue reading

We don’t often pay attention to the ground we’re walking on—especially when we’re shopping for dinner in a crowded supermarket. We’re thinking about menu options, trying to remember everything on the list (which we forgot at home), messing with coupon and loyalty apps on our phones, and wrangling kids through the congested aisles. But what we don’t see can hurt us. Slip and fall accidents in Arkansas grocery stores, supermarkets, and “Big Box” discount stores injure hundreds of hard-working people like you every year.  All it takes is one misstep and you’re out of commission for days, weeks, or even months.

What’s your family to do if you’re out of work? Can you pay $2,500 out of pocket for resetting a broken arm? Will you get the time off you need to heal correctly?

Slip and Fall Hazards in Arkansas Supermarkets

These types of stores are typically associated with higher rates of slip and fall accidents in Arkansas simply because there are more hazards inherent with:
1) The location of the buildings (usually not inside malls)
2) The infrastructure of the store itself (more refrigeration and water usage)
3) The types of product they sell (produce, seafood, frozen foods) Continue reading

There is a higher-than-average number of car accidents in Arkansas every year. The total in 2012 was 504—nearly 70% higher than the national average. That’s roughly 17 accidents per 100,000 people (compared to the national average of just 10.2 per 100,000). With the major highways and interstate traffic crisscrossing our state, the sheer number of cars on the road puts us at greater risk for collisions every time we get behind the wheel. But it’s one thing to suspect that risk and another altogether when nationally accredited agencies like the Federal Highway Administration single Arkansas out as an automobile danger zone.

So why are our roads so dangerous? Continue reading