There is no unified statewide law dealing specifically with vicious dog attacks in Arkansas. This can leave victims struggling to get the compensation they deserve after they’ve been bitten and leave dog owners clueless about what their obligations are in regards to protecting family, friends, and the public at large.

One Child Bitten Every Day

Unfortunately, this is an issue that arises all-too-often in our state. According to the National Pit Bull Victims Association (NPBVA) there were six fatal dog attacks in Arkansas between 2010 and 2016—and those six deaths involved pit bulls. However, Dr. Michael Golinko, a plastic surgeon at Arkansas Children’s Hospital who specializes in pediatric dog bites, says that he personally is seeing at least one child injured per day by dog attacks. Most of these victims suffer from minor lacerations but some—most notably those attacked by pit bulls—are bitten multiple times in multiple locations on their body.    There are several breeds of vicious dogs, but without a doubt pit bulls remain high on that list.

Patients Suffering from Inadequate Care May Soon Have More Legal Options Available to Prove Malpractice

In a groundbreaking decision a Pulaski County circuit judge has ruled that a long-standing law that has protected doctors from giving damning testimony at their own malpractice trials in Arkansas is unconstitutional. The law currently gives doctors the right to refuse to answer questions about whether their standard of care and performance was adequate in cases where victims suffered serious—even life-threatening injuries. Indeed, plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits in Arkansas may even be barred from asking such questions of their formerly trusted caregivers.

The monumental moment came about when in 2017 Judge Wendell Griffen (the man who essentially stopped executions in Arkansas) ordered that a plastic surgeon would indeed have to answer questions concerning the quality of care he demonstrated in regards the Arkansas malpractice lawsuit he was facing.

A man is lucky to be alive after a vicious dog attack in Arkansas’s Saline County. The victim, a 23-year-old male, was walking on Atkins Road in Avilla, Arkansas in September of 2017 when he was attacked by four Pit Bulls. The dogs had escaped from a neighbor’s yard and cornered the helpless victim against a fence. They then mauled the man for several minutes before an eyewitness was able to beat the dogs away with a metal pipe.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital suffering from multiple bite wounds—including several severe injuries to his legs and foot. While he is expected to live, he will be left with lifelong scarring and likely some reduced mobility due to the severity of the dog attack.

Police cited the animals’ owner for having “vicious dogs.” The Pit Bulls which attacked the man were seized by Arkansas sheriff’s deputies for mandatory 10-day quarantine.

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?

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Rottweilers Maim Beloved Family Pets

A vicious dog attack in Fort Smith, Arkansas earlier this month could have ended much worse. A couple had taken their dogs on a leisurely stroll in a park when two Rottweilers appeared out of nowhere and began to savagely maul the family pets. The terrified owners tried desperately to free their beloved animals from the vicious dogs for several minutes until Good Samaritans who happened to be driving past stopped to help. They were able to pull the Rottweilers back and tossed the two injured household pets into the car and safety.

Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt in the attack, though the sheer terror the victims experienced as they watched their helpless pets being bitten, shaken, and tossed around was enough to scar them for a long time to come.

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 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?

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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 ›