Little Rock Personal Injury Lawyer - Automobile Accidents

Texting Driver Causes Accident In Little Rock

Chrissie Cole — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:35:00 GMT

Robert Biggerstaff was on his way home from work like every other day when his vehicle was T-boned by a 21-year-old driver that admitted to police he was sending texts while driving.

The accident happened last month when the young driver ran a red light on Fort Smith Road. Biggerstafff was left pinned in his truck. He suffered several broken bones, a head injury and a tear in his spleen.

“My uncle was very lucky to walk away from this accident,” said Charly Wesley, Biggerstaff’s niece.

The insurance company is allowing Biggerstaff to keep his vehicle, which his niece said she hopes can be used as a learning tool.

Wesley hopes to partner with a local nonprofit to put together an awareness program to go to schools.

The man responsible for the accident that injured Biggerstaff faces several charges including failure to yield and careless driving.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Auto Insurance Limits

Frank Bailey — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:25:10 GMT

We recently learned a person can purchase up to $100,000 in "PIP" or "med pay" coverage with your auto insurance. What a bargin. Mine only costs $57 per year for two vehicles. Everyone should get this coverage. Most people only have $5,000. That is just not enough!

This kind of insurance will pay your medical bills if you are hurt in an automobile wreck, even if it is your fault. Insurance companies don't want you to know about this.

Do it now. Call your agent and ask for more PIP coverage.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Defective Valve Stems From China

Frank Bailey — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:25:08 GMT

Yet another Chinese import causes problems for Americans. The latest defective products are valve stems. Valve stems are the little black protrusions that are on the inside of each wheel and allow the tire to be inflated with air.

If a valve stem cracks, the air in the tire can suddenly escape, similar to a blow out, and the vehicle can go out of control and crash. The valves that are defective were sold between September 2006 and June 2007. There are some 30 million of these valve stems that were manufactured by Topseal, a subsidiary of Shanghai Baolong Automotive Corp. The valves were distributed by Dill Air Controls, an Oxford North Carolina, company.

Dill has issued a technical bulletin to its customers warning retailers to inspect the valves when the customers come in for regular service.

At this time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the problem.

During these hot summer months, I expect to see more of these failures as the heat from the pavement causes the rubber to decay faster.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Do I Need An Attorney

Frank Bailey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:01:16 GMT

Occasionally someone will ask me if they need an attorney for one thing or another. I inquire a little about their problem and usually respond that, “Yes they should consult with an attorney before signing anything.” Why do I do that?

In my experience, attorneys don’t normally charge for an initial consultation. It is like a store that doesn’t charge for you to go in and try on shoes to see if you like them, or if they fit. Attorneys are the same way. The initial consultation is to see if you need an attorney, if you like the attorney you are consulting with, and if the attorney is willing to undertake your case.

In our practice, we have become very selective in the cases we accept. It doesn’t do us any good to take a case where there is little chance of doing the client any good. In cases where neighbors are fighting over a boundary line, or parents fighting over child visitation or the like, we really can’t do much good for the client.

On the other hand, attorneys usually can be very helpful in the case of an auto accident, a case involving a dangerous drug or product, or a medical malpractice case. In fact, in most of those types of cases, an attorney is absolutely necessary to get the best result.

In choosing an attorney, word of mouth is good. Other factors to consider are board certification, years of experience, and interest in your case. Most attorneys are willing to discuss their experience and qualifications. If they are hesitant to discuss those types of issues, look somewhere else.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Are SUV Rollovers Preventable?

Frank Bailey — Mon, 26 May 2008 06:44:53 GMT

Did the tragic accident in Florida on Wednesday which killed several Arkansas residents result from a problem with steerability? Did the Nissan Armada SUV have the design engineering to prevent this tragic accident? Those are questions that remain to be answered.

According to the article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, the SUV went sideways and flipped three times after going into the median. Current engineering capabilities have the ability to prevent this tragic type of accident. Some vehicles are equipped with computers which sense when a driver is overcorrecting. These computers prevent skids and the resulting rollovers.

We may never know what happened to cause this tragic accident unless a thorough investigation is undertaken. First and foremost the vehicle needs to be secured so a team of experts can investigate the cause of the crash. Law firms that specialize in automobile safety have the ability to do this type of investigation, usually at no cost to those injured, to see if all current safety standards were met.

Sometimes crashes like this are not entirely the fault of the driver. With modern technology, vehicles, if properly equipped, can prevent this tragic type of accident. More needs to be done to require automobile manufacturers to comply with current safety technology. The NHTSA should investigate this accident throughly to see what really happened...

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Unsafe At Any Speed

Bailey Bailey — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:59:39 GMT

The recent grounding of American Airlines’ planes is yet another reminder to me of how large corporations will cut corners for profit. Recently, my law partner, Sach Oliver, and I attended a conference sponsored by InjuryBoard. Some of the presentations at the conference traced the history of how our laws to protect consumers got started. I didn’t realize that Ralph Nadar’s book, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” was partly responsible for our current National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA).

The FAA certainly got egg on its face as a result of this week’s cancelations. Maybe that is what we need for the NHTSA to get into gear and require safety measures on cars for those forgotten children who are too big for a child safety seat and too small for the regular seatbelts which are sized to an average male.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bailey Bailey

Car Accidents Cause Herniated Disc

Sach Oliver — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:59:35 GMT

Motor vehicle accidents cause herniated disc. A disc is a structure that is found between the spinal vertebral bodies from the neck to the tailbone. Discs serves as cushions and help your spine move. A disc is composed of two parts the central part and the outer part. When someone is a car accident where the back is injured, it is common for them to suffer a herniated disc. A herniated disc is when the disc is displaced. Displacement of the disc can cause serious pains and other problems.

According to a medical journal from the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, injuries are a frequent cause of disc herniations. Usually the herniation is associated with sudden violent motion of the spine. The article specifically notes that motor vehicle accidents cause disc herniations. It only makes common sense; during a car accident the victim's spine undergoes extreme sudden and violent motions which cannot be healthy for the spine. (see Lumbar Disc Herniation Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment, Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch, 2007)

Radiologist and surgeons us many different terms for disc problems: herniated disc, ruptured disc, protruded disc, prolapsed disk, and slipped disc. When a doctor says one of these terms to you, you have a disc that has been displaced backwards and is pressing on a nerve root or roots.

Pain is the biggest problem with herniated disc. Pain that radiates through the body stemming from where the disc is pinching the nerve is often debilitating. The pain often starts as simple back pain and then moves to the legs. Sometimes, the pain can be so great that it requires surgical treatment.

There are conservative and surgical treatment methods that can help with a herniated disc. To learn more about herniated disc or how a car accident can cause these injuries, contact us for a free consultation.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Sach Oliver

Seatbelts Can Fail

Frank Bailey — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:00:04 GMT

As much as we depend on seatbelts to save lives, you would think seatbelts would never fail. This is not always true. A jury in West Palm Beach Florida ordered Mitsubishe to pay $11,000,000 in damages to the parents of their 25 year old son Scott, who died after being partially ejected from a SUV made by Mitsubishi.
Attorneys representing the family argued that Mitsubishi sold the SUV even though it knew of problems with the belt. Scott apparently was catapulted backward through the rear window even though he was wearing his seatbelt.
We all need to be aware, that just because we have on a seatbelt there are mechanical failures inherent in some belts that allow the occupant to be ejected in a crash.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Traumatic Brain Injury...The Unseen Harm

Frank Bailey — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:44:47 GMT

After a wreck, traumatic Brain Injury often goes undiagnosed in the Emergency Room. The doctors are worried about broken bones and other serious injuries and often overlook the most serious injury of all, traumatic brain injury (TBI). Every year, one in five hundred Americans have a TBI.

Not long ago, unlike a broken bone or a herniated disc, most TBI was invisible. This made this type of case difficult or almost impossible to prove. Now that most hospitals are equipped with a CT scan or an MRI a few more TBI are detected, but only 10% to 15% is detectable through traditional CT scan and MRI.

That means that as many as 85% of TBI go undetected! What causes this problem? Most TBI occurs on a microscopic level. During trauma, the brain undergoes a "shearing" phenomenon which destroys millions of cells instantly.

These cells are particularly fragile as they are long and thin and tend to stretch or even snap at the "axon".
Any violent movement of the skull may produce this shearing effect. Direct impact to the head is not necessary. Often an "acceleration/deceleration" injury is enough to cause a TBI. Sometimes the family or the attorney who spends time with the victim makes the connection.

Some symptoms common to TBI are, inability to focus on a task, mood changes, difficulty with problem solving, inability to name an object, difficulty with drawing, slurred speech, short term memory loss. These are just a few of many telling symptoms.

If you or a family member suspect TBI you should seek treatment from a health care provider who is familiar with this invisible injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Frank Bailey

Car Crash Not Always Driver's Fault

Drew Dixon — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 14:59:07 GMT

There were nearly 6,420,000 auto wrecks in the United States in 2005. Of those 6,420,000 wrecks more than 2,900,000 people were injured and 42,636 people were killed. That means that every ten seconds someone in the United States is involved in a car wreck.

Most often those wrecks are the result of driver negligence due to the driver's failure to obey traffic laws, use of a cell phone, or use of alcohol. However, sometimes the accident may be the result of factors unrelated to the driver such as: an automobile defect, poorly maintained roadways, or faulty traffic signals.

Although roadway design has improved significantly in the last century, errors in design, maintenance, and construction continue to contribute to automobile wrecks. The Federal and State Governments continue to stress better design, maintenance, and construction of roadways to help make the roads safer for drivers. However, some companies continue to design roadways that do not provide drivers with sufficient time to see, process, and react to situations that might appear on the roadways. Local municipalities and state agencies are the ones charged with the responsibility of maintaining these roadways. If you or a loved one have fallen victim to a dangerous roadway, most state laws allow you to collect from either the local municipalities or the state itself.

Determining negligence can be difficult, and the law requires the injured party to prove whose negligence caused the injury. Attorneys who understand automobile wrecks can help prove whose negligence caused the injury and can maximize the amount of recovery for their clients.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Drew Dixon