Arkansas Personal Injury Attorney

How Can an Arkansas Personal Injury Lawyer Support You?

Personal injury claims can be complex. You must fill out and file paperwork correctly and ensure it is filed within applicable legal deadlines while gathering evidence to support your claim, negotiating with insurers, and ensuring you receive a fair settlement once an offer comes. Trying to do all of this on top of your recovery can be overwhelming. One of our co-counsel personal injury attorneys will focus on your case for you, protecting your rights and fighting for a full settlement.

A personal injury attorney can help you with:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Fatal accidents

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of personal injury case types. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s recklessness, then an injury lawyer may be able to help. Our law firm partners can support you by:

• Ensuring all paperwork is done correctly and filed promptly
• Investigating your accident to determine blame and support your case
• Communicating with insurance adjusters and other parties involved
• Negotiating for the full amount of compensation that you may qualify for
• Guiding you through the settlement offer process, including rejecting offers or appealing a denial of your claim
• Representing you in court, when necessary

At The Goldwater Law Firm, we are the Gold Standard of Injury Law. For over 20 years, we’ve supported injury victims nationwide. We believe that our clients deserve empathy, respect, and dedication. That’s what you get when you work with our law firm partners.

What Losses Are Recoverable After an Injury in Arkansas?

Our co-counsels have helped injured Arkansans recover compensation for:

• Broken bones
• Lacerations
• Burns
• Road rash
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
• Damage to internal organs

Severe injuries like these can lead to physical pain, emotional trauma, and substantial financial losses. An Arkansas personal injury attorney will carefully listen to your story to fully understand what losses your injury has caused. They will use this information to fight for compensation for what you face currently due to your injuries and losses you may face in the future.

Some losses that are typically recoverable include:

Economic Losses

These financial losses include:

• Medical expenses, such as for doctor appointments and surgeries
• Lost wages
• Loss of possible job benefits, such as PTO and salary increases
• Diminished earning capacity
• Home modifications to accommodate your injuries and changed needs
• Long-term care for things like assistance with your activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Mobility devices, such as a cane or wheelchair

Non-Economic Losses

These non-financial losses include:

• Pain and suffering
• Lost quality of life
• Loss of consortium

Contact The Goldwater Law Firm to discuss your legal options for recovering compensation after an accident in Arkansas.

An Arkansas Personal Injury Attorney Can Establish Liability for Your Accident and Injuries

To hold the party who caused your accident liable, your lawyer must establish that their negligence caused your accident and injuries.

Some examples of negligence in personal injury cases include:

• A drunk driver who struck a pedestrian
• A trucking company that hired an unqualified driver who eventually caused an accident
• A mechanic who improperly installed brakes, resulting in a crash

Proving negligence and establishing liability can be difficult, especially when more than one party is at fault. An Arkansas personal injury attorney may do so by:

• Interviewing witnesses who can give an impartial account of what happened
• Obtaining video footage of the event, such as from highway traffic cameras
• Taking photos of the accident scene and analyzing them
• Consulting with experts, such as accident reconstructionists
• Reviewing police reports or other official documentation of your accident

How Arkansas’ Negligence Rules Can Affect Your Case

Arkansas follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which means that if you hold fault in your accident, you may still be able to recover compensation for your losses. Your percentage of fault will reduce your recoverable damages. For example, if your final damage award is $100,000 but you were 10% at fault, you would only recover $90,000.

It is important to note that if you are more than 49% at fault, you cannot receive any compensation. This is why it is crucial to have a lawyer establish a strong case on your behalf.

Other Arkansas Laws Affecting Your Case

In addition to modified comparative negligence, you must abide by the statute of limitations. A statute of limitations limits how long you have to take legal action. Under Arkansas’s personal injury statute of limitations, you typically only have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit.

If a personal injury ultimately led to a loved one’s passing, then a personal representative generally has three years to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible parties.

An Arkansas personal injury attorney will ensure all legal actions are filed within applicable deadlines and follow all state laws. Contact The Goldwater Law Firm to connect with one of our Arkansas co-counsels today.

Affording Legal Representation After an Injury in Arkansas

After an injury, financial pressures can quickly add up. You may have expensive medical treatments and be losing income from work, and all of it is on top of your everyday living expenses. When this happens, recovering compensation for your injuries can provide you the relief you need. However, the cost of a lawyer can seem daunting when you have so many other expenses.

But your financial situation should not bar you from getting legal support. Our law firm partners operate on a contingency-fee-basis. This means that you will owe nothing upfront. You will only pay their fee if they recover compensation for your case. So, you can have legal representation with no upfront risk.

What Happens Once You Start a Personal Injury Claim in Arkansas?

In Arkansas, insurers must complete their investigations into personal injury claims within 45 days. By the 45-day mark, the insurance company must either settle or deny the claim.

If an insurer denies your claim, it must give you a reason for doing so. This could be a lack of evidence or improperly filled out paperwork, for two examples. If your claim is denied, you can appeal the decision.

A lawyer can handle this on your behalf. Your appeal must include a response to the reason(s) for denial. So, for example, if the reason was a lack of evidence, your lawyer will need to provide more evidence that helps to support your claim.

Should I Accept a Settlement Offer?

If the insurer does not deny your claim, it will offer you a settlement. In many cases, the insurer will offer you the smallest amount it can. If a settlement offer is too low, you do not need to accept it.

Your attorney will negotiate for a fair settlement on your behalf.

While most personal injury cases settle out of court, there is a chance that yours will need to go to court. In this case, your lawyer will guide you through this process and fight for your rights there as well.

What Can You Do if You’ve Been Injured in Arkansas?

After an injury, you should focus on getting the necessary medical care. Seeing a doctor will get you an accurate diagnosis. Your doctor will also prescribe a treatment plan for your injury. The sooner you are diagnosed and begin treatment, the better your chances of recovery.

In addition to seeking medical care, you should report your accident to the proper authorities. For example, for a traffic accident, you should call the police. In other injuries, there may be other authorities who should be notified, such as animal control in dog bite incidents.

Finally, documenting your injuries can be helpful for personal injury claims. If you can do so, take photographs of your injuries soon after they have happened.