Around 2:30 a.m. this morning a charter bus was found overturned in a ditch near Hot Springs.   The bus was carrying the Orange Mound youth all-star football team and chaperones.   The driver of the charter bus lost control of the bus, causing it to skid off the roadway, ultimately landing on its side in a ditch off I30 near the Hot Springs exit.   A third-grade child was killed in this bus accident, and at least 45 others were injured.   Children between the ages of 8-13 were treated at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton and Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.   Two people were airlifted.   The charter bus was owned by a company out of Somerville, Tennessee called Scott Shuttle Service.

Deaths caused by a bus wreck are rare, but obviously no one is immune from the dangers of driving on the interstates and roadways.   The bus driver was interviewed by police, but it is unknown at this time why she lost control.

A few common causes of losing control of a bus include:

Suspected medical malpractice at an Arkansas doctor’s office led to at least seven misdiagnoses and potentially one fatality. That’s the latest from a wide-ranging investigation into Arkansas’s ailing Veteran’s Administration medical care system that has the whole nation watching.

In 2016 potential unsafe practices were reported to officials at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas after it was revealed that one doctor there was “impaired” yet still treating patients. Investigators began to sift through that doctor’s medical files and immediately spotted significant errors and potentially lethal treatment mistakes. Continue reading

A fatal duck boat accident in Branson, Missouri claims the lives of 17.  Thirty-one people were on board the Ride the Ducks duck boat in Branson, Missouri when the boat capsized and sank due to heavy winds.  There was a severe thunderstorm in the area at the time this duck boat was on the water, the winds were gusting at 60 miles an hour.   The news reports of this tragic accident show the lake had waves similar to waves you would see in the ocean, winds were so strong it created white capping.   A witness that videoed the tragic event on her phone said you could see the weather coming in.  The video showed two duck boats on the water at the time and they were both trying to get back to land, but the duck boat that ultimately sank appeared to be having trouble moving in the water because the waves were so large and the boat was continuously crashing against the waves.  With fierce storms in the forecast, why was this duck boat company operating duck boat tours that day?

Continue reading

Arkansas Motorcycle Accidents Can Be Devastating

Motorcycle accidents in Arkansas often leave victims seriously injured and result in fatalities more often than automobile collisions.  In fact, motorcyclists are nearly 40 times more likely to die in a collision in Arkansas than the drivers or passengers involved in a car crash. That’s hard fact that motorcyclists have to live with, but the truly tragic part is that over half of all fatal motorcycle accidents involving automobiles here in the United States are caused by the driver, not the rider.

Such was the case earlier this month when a tragic motorcycle accident in Arkansas left one man dead and two other individuals severely injured. Continue reading

A deadly pedestrian accident in Arkansas claimed the life of a 53-year-old on Sunday, April 1^st. The victim was crossing the street in Prescott when he was struck by a northbound Chevy pickup truck. EMS crews arrived within minutes of the car crash and rushed the victim to a nearby hospital in Little Rock but the man succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Unfortunately that’s too often the case. When a relatively unprotected person is struck by a large vehicle such as a pickup truck, a box truck, or even a semi rig, the outcome is almost never good. Even when the victims survive, there are often extensive injuries, mountainous medical expenses, and life-long aftereffects.

This latest fatal pedestrian accident in Arkansas brings the total number of people killed in traffic accidents in the state to 91 just this year. That puts Arkansas on track for a near-record-breaking year for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians killed on our streets and highways. And, unfortunately, accidents like this are all too common.

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 receive 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?

Continue reading

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