News: Driver facing DWI charge in crash that killed Ashdown woman

December 17, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

ASHDOWN, AR – A driver is facing charges for his involvement in a deadly crash in Little River County in September, according to TRK Today.

Authorities said 64-year-old Melba Rose was driving a Honda CRV on Highway 71 Sept. 2 when the accident occurred at about 9:15 p.m. Rose had just pulled onto the highway from a McDonald’s when her vehicle was hit by a Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by 55-year-old James Franklin Nowlin of Texarkana, Arkansas. The pickup then struck a car that was parked in a nearby parking lot. Rose, from Ashdown, was pronounced dead at the scene while Nowlin was injured.

Investigators said Nowlin’s blood alcohol content was above the legal limit, and he has now been charged with negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated. The crash was blamed on Nowlin’s “inattentive driving”, according to a probable cause document.

News: Independence County couple charged in ATV crash that killed daughter

November 22, 2021 | Paul Pfeifer

INDEPENDENCE COUNTY, AR – A couple is facing charges in connection with an all-terrain vehicle crash that killed their daughter in September, according to White River Now.

The incident occurred at the intersection of State Highway 25 Spur and Center Grove Road on Sept. 6. 34-year-old Daniel Wesley Aldrich was driving an ATV that crashed at that location. His 5-year-old daughter, a back-seat passenger, was critically injured and taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Authorities said Aldrich and 33-year-old Jennifer Grace Aldrich, a front-seat passenger in the vehicle, both showed signs of intoxication. A blood test on Daniel showed his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.

Drunk Driving Accident in Arkansas Highlights Liability Issues for Drinking Establishments

October 1, 2019 | Paul Pfeifer

Fatal Drunk Driving Accident in Arkansas Leaves Two First Responders Injured

A fatal drunk driving accident in Arkansas earlier this month left two members of an ambulance crew seriously injured and claimed the life of an intoxicated automobile operator. The crash happened on Interstate 40 near Little Rock Arkansas at around 5 AM on the morning of March 1^st.

A car, operated by a local woman, was traveling at speed the wrong way down I-40 when it crashed head-on into the ambulance. The driver was killed instantly. Chemical testing after the crash revealed that the woman had a Blood Alcohol Content level of 0.164—twice the legal limit in Arkansas.

Intoxicated Drivers Should be Held Accountable for their Choices and Actions

July 5, 2019 | Paul Pfeifer

According to the CDC, 29 people die every day in the US in alcohol-related crashes. That translates to one fatality every fifty minutes.

Recently in Pulaski County a 38-year-old driver was the victim of a fatal wreck caused by an intoxicated driver who rear-ended her vehicle at a high rate of speed. A passenger in the vehicle was injured and taken to Baptist Hospital for treatment of her injuries. The intoxicated driver of the Chevrolet Corvette was traveling on Highway 67 when the collision occurred. This deadly collision was 100% preventable.

More facts about drunk driving can be found on this website.

Hit and Run Accidents in Arkansas are Not Accidents—They’re Crimes

January 30, 2019 | Paul Pfeifer

Last month a 28-year-old man was arrested after an extensive search by local police following a hit and run accident in Arkansas. The individual had been involved in a near-fatal accident on January 14^th near Fern’s Valley Loop and Arkansas 264. The driver turned himself in after several hours on the run. The victim is still in the hospital facing a tremendously difficult and long-lasting road to recovery with little more than a charitable donation website to support him.

Unfortunately, these types of stories are becoming all-too-common as the number of hit and run accidents in Arkansas increases on pace with national trends. Indeed, this terrible problem is something our nation is facing as a whole. But what’s causing the increase? It may be, in part, due to a crisis of irresponsibility.

Hit and Run Accidents On the Rise Nationwide

Deadly bus crash near Hot Springs, Arkansas killed one child and injured at least 45 others

December 3, 2018 | Paul Pfeifer

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:

Number of Drunk Driving Accidents in Arkansas Among Nation’s Highest

January 9, 2018 | Paul Pfeifer

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.