Searcy County, AR Personal Injury Lawyer
Filing a personal injury lawsuit can end in a negligent party compensating you for all damages from an accident they caused.
Personal injuries typically happen because of negligence, and parties might be negligent when driving motor vehicles, maintaining their properties, or manufacturing products for consumers. After accidents, victims should focus on documenting their injuries and the liable party’s negligence and can do so by calling 911 and immediately going to the hospital. As we build your case, our attorneys may identify eyewitnesses and experts whose testimony can help your recovery. We can also continuously track your losses from an accident, such as your hospital expenses, lost wages, and intangible damages for pain and suffering.
Get a free and confidential case review by calling our personal injury lawyers now at (479) 316-0438.
Top Reasons for Personal Injury Lawsuits in Searcy County, AR
Victims may file personal injury lawsuits when hurt by someone else’s negligent or reckless act. A common example of negligence causing injuries is car accidents. Drivers, passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists may file injury claims, as can those hurt from poor property maintenance. Defective products can also cause injuries when they malfunction, entitling victims to compensatory damages.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are some of the most common reasons why victims suffer personal injuries and must seek compensation through lawsuits. Auto accidents involving only cars are often serious, but collisions involving pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists might be even worse. These victims do not have the same protections during accidents as drivers do, increasing their risk of suffering traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and possibly fatal injuries.
Car accidents involving large semi trucks are also very serious, sometimes causing passenger cars to roll over, flip, or hit other cars, medians, or telephone poles. Accidents caused by negligent truck drivers can be difficult to navigate, as their employers might share liability. Our personal injury lawyers can help victims approach such claims, confirming the driver’s employment status and if vicarious liability applies.
Slipping and Falling Accidents
Slipping and falling accidents typically happen because of negligent property maintenance. Property owners who leave hazards unaddressed could endanger visitors, making them liable for injuries due to negligence.
When victims trip over hazards or obstructions, they might sustain broken or twisted ankles, fractured hands and wrists, and potentially back injuries. Back injuries might require multiple surgeries and physical therapy for victims to recover fully. Falls from higher heights present the risk of serious head injuries, which might be fatal. These incidents are some of the most common workplace accidents in Searcy County, and our attorneys can help injured employees pursue Workers’ Compensation claims after occupational slip and falls.
Defective Product Accidents
Equipment and product manufacturers owe consumers a duty of care to ensure their products are safe and effective and come with the proper instructions and warnings. Failure to take these steps could lead to serious accidents, especially if manufacturers knowingly distribute defective products.
Defective products might explode or malfunction, seriously injuring users. This is one of the most common causes of construction site accidents, as workers must use dangerous tools and equipment daily. If you were hurt by a defective product while working on a construction site, you may be able to file a third-party injury lawsuit rather than a Workers’ Compensation claim. This lawsuit would be against the negligent product manufacturer, not your employer. Filing a third-party claim for a work injury could maximize your recovery, opening the door to non-economic damages.
Companies that knowingly distribute defective products could be made to pay punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. This can only happen if defendants knew or should have known of the consequences of their actions but proceeded anyway with reckless disregard for the victim’s safety, according to Ark. Code. § 16-55-206. Furthermore, punitive damages are only awarded during trials, meaning they are not recoverable from settlements.
Handling the Aftermath of Accidents that Cause Personal Injuries in Searcy County, AR
How you respond to being hurt by negligence or recklessness could affect your future financial recovery. Documenting accident scenes, victims’ injuries, and evidence of liability is crucial, and our lawyers can help victims preserve and gather relevant evidence for their claims.
After a Motor Vehicle Accident
Immediately after a car accident, call 911. According to § 27-53-202(a)(1), drivers must report accidents that cause injury, death, or $3,000 or more in property damage to local law enforcement right away. Calling the police will result in a crash report, which our lawyers can help you obtain, review, and then use while building your case. If you do not call 911, there might be insufficient documentation of the crash, which could hurt your case.
Also, make sure you exchange insurance information with the negligent driver. Officers can facilitate this exchange if you are too hurt to speak to the other driver. Refrain from discussing the accident in detail with the at-fault party, as you could misspeak and risk saying something that indicates liability. Arkansas is a modified comparative fault state with a 50% bar, meaning any victim found to be 50% or more at fault will be barred from recovery, according to § 16-64-122. Comparative fault rules can be applied to any personal injury claim, but most often come up in car accident lawsuits.
After a Slip and Fall Accident
After a slip and fall accident due to negligence, inform the property owner. You can call 911 and request assistance from paramedics if you need immediate medical attention. If you do this, the police might also arrive, and you can tell them what happened as well.
Avoid leaving the scene before taking pictures, as this might be your only opportunity to preserve evidence, such as the hazard that made you trip, slip, or fall. Contacting our lawyers immediately is also important so that we can quickly preserve any security camera footage on the premises, most likely through filing a subpoena.
After a Defective Product Accident
If a defective product injures you, do not throw it away. If you have it, keep the packaging, including any instructions and proof of purchase. These materials can give our personal injury lawyers more insight into whether the product came with the appropriate instructions and warnings. Experts may review defective products to clarify certain technical details and strengthen claims, particularly those that go all the way to trial.
After Any Accident
After an accident resulting in injury, go to the hospital. Waiting to get medical attention could worsen your physical injuries, and the defendant might not be liable for additional damages due to your delaying treatment. If you need transportation to the emergency room, paramedics can take you when you call 911. Take pictures of your immediate injuries and go straight to the hospital.
Following the treatment plan that doctors give you is also important. Letting gaps form in your medical records could raise questions about the seriousness of your injuries and how much you need compensatory damages. Make sure you see any specialists you are referred to, and do not attempt to return to work against doctors’ advice.
While Arkansas gives victims three years to file injury lawsuits, they should not wait to start building their claims with our attorneys. Waiting to prepare lawsuits, investigate liability, and preserve evidence could lead to issues meeting the standard of proof in the future if your case goes to court, which we can help you avoid.
Using Witnesses in Searcy County, AR Personal Injury Lawsuits
Witness statements and testimony can help corroborate crucial facts of your case, such as the defendant’s negligent act, the extent of your physical injuries, and your various damages from an accident. We can quickly contact anyone who witnessed the accident to record and preserve their statements and determine which types of experts may be best for strengthening your claim, particularly if it goes to a trial.
Eyewitnesses
Eyewitnesses can offer valuable firsthand accounts of what caused an accident and what happened afterward. We can prioritize interviewing witnesses immediately to ensure their statements are as accurate as possible. Victims can hasten this process by identifying witnesses at the scene and requesting their contact information. You may do this after a car crash, slip and fall, or defective product accident if you notice others in the vicinity. Involving the police after an accident can help with this process, as officers may speak to nearby witnesses and obtain their names and phone numbers.
Expert Witnesses
Expert witnesses can also give useful statements, and we can identify experts that would benefit your claim right away. For example, a crash reconstruction expert may be beneficial if you are injured in an auto accident. Such experts can review photos from the scene, police reports, witness statements, and other information to determine which vehicle initiated the collision. Reconstruction experts can also ascertain each driver’s speed and direction of travel, which could undermine a defendant’s comparative fault arguments, ensuring a victim’s full recovery.
Other experts, like medical experts, can explain victims’ specific injuries and confirm that the care they have received to date has been necessary. Medical experts can also explain additional treatments victims may need, which can lead to compensation for future medical damages.
Getting Compensation After Suffering Personal Injuries in Searcy County, AR
First, to get compensation, you must file your lawsuit on time. Three years from the date of injury is the statute of limitations for all personal injury lawsuits in Arkansas unless the victim was a minor when injured or another tolling exception applies.
After our attorneys file claims, victims may get compensation through settlements or jury awards. Negotiating settlements for some time may be beneficial, as this could help you avoid a trial, which is some victims’ aim after serious accidents. However, it is crucial to identify if and when negotiations stall, which our lawyers can do to ensure a stubborn defendant does not unnecessarily delay your recovery.
You may incur substantial medical damages if you are hurt in a motor vehicle accident, fall, or by a defective product. Itemizing all hospital bills is vital to tally your damages accurately, and our lawyers can track your medical damages throughout your claim.
Many injuries can affect victims’ earning capacities and abilities to work, entitling them to compensation for lost wages. Failing to consider an accident’s impact on your income could lead to insufficient compensation. In addition to calculating your lost wages to date, we can consider future losses if doctors do not think you will be able to return to work shortly, if ever.
Non-economic damages are the hardest to quantify, as they are more abstract than financial losses. These damages attempt to compensate victims for their emotional distress caused by negligence. Permanent, disfiguring, or physically painful injuries could cause depression, anxiety, and general pain and suffering. We can ensure a settlement fairly covers these losses. If it does not, we can continue negotiating or take your case to court and present our evidence to a jury.
Call Our Accident and Injury Attorneys in Searcy County, AR Today
Call our personal injury lawyers for help with your case at (479) 316-0438.