Failure-to-Yield
Failure-to-Yield Accident Attorney Serving Little Rock, AR
When a motorist fails to obey the rules of the road, they put themselves and others in harm’s way. If another driver failed to yield the right-of-way and hit you, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries, lost wages, vehicle repairs or replacement, and more.
Little Rock car accident attorney Paul Pfeifer has extensive experience handling a wide variety of car accident cases. He has helped families across Arkansas recover compensation for their injuries and other losses, and his strong track record of positive results earned him a top AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
If you’ve been hurt, time is limited to take legal action. You could be owed significant compensation, and you only have one shot at getting what you’re rightfully owed. Don’t wait until it is too late. Contact Pfeifer Law Firm at (501) 374-4440 or reach out to us online to schedule a 100% free and confidential consultation to discuss how we can help you.
In What Situations Must a Driver Yield Under Arkansas Law?
The rules surrounding right-of-way in Arkansas are a bit complicated, but it’s important to know and understand them. Here are a few of the basic rules:
- You must yield the right-of-way any time you are driving down a street or proceeding through an intersection that could cause you to hit a pedestrian with your vehicle.
- You must exercise caution and yield to pedestrians who are crossing a driveway or walking in a parking lot.
- Pedestrians walking with a guide dog or using a white cane have the right-of-way in all situations.
- When making a left turn, you must yield to all traffic that is proceeding straight through the intersection.
- When entering a traffic circle, you must yield to any vehicles that are already in the circle.
- When merging, the driver in the lane that is ending should yield the right-of-way to any vehicles in the lane they are moving into.
- You are not allowed to enter an intersection if doing so would cause gridlock, for example, by proceeding through an intersection and blocking traffic to your right or left.
- If you are at an intersection and there’s no stop sign, you are required to yield to traffic on your right.
- At a four-way stop or three-way stop, the vehicle that arrived first has the right of way.
- If an emergency vehicle is sounding its sirens or using its horn, all vehicles are required to yield the right-of-way. Move as close to the right side of the road as possible. If you’re already in an intersection, proceed through and then pull over to the right.
What Happens If a Driver Fails to Yield?
Right-of-way laws apply most frequently at intersections and roundabouts. Here are some of the most common types of accidents that can happen when someone fails to yield the right-of-way:
- Frontal or head-on crash: Head-on collisions often occur as a result of drivers not yielding the right of way when someone is making a turn. For example, a driver making a protected left turn has the right of way, but another driver who isn’t paying attention may proceed through an intersection and collide with them head-on. A similar situation can also occur if a driver making a turn ignores oncoming traffic heading toward them. Frontal collisions are some of the most dangerous collisions that can occur and can result in life-threatening injuries.
- T-bone: A T-bone crash occurs when a car strikes your vehicle at a perpendicular angle to the direction you’re traveling, forming a “T” shape. This is another type of accident that often occurs at intersections. Like head-on collisions, they can happen when turning drivers don’t yield to oncoming traffic or when drivers making a protected turn are struck by drivers moving through the intersection when they shouldn’t.
- Sideswipe: Sideswipe crashes occur when a car strikes another car on its side, moving in the same or opposite direction. A common example of this is when drivers have an accident while merging or changing lanes. Drivers who are merging are required to yield to drivers who are already in the lane they’re moving into. Similarly, drivers who are changing lanes should yield the right-of-way to any vehicles that are already in their new lane. When drivers are careless and don’t yield the right of way, they’re very likely to slam into the side of another vehicle that’s in the lane they’re trying to enter, leading to an accident.
What Type of Compensation Could I Be Owed?
Under Arkansas law, in a car accident claim, you can seek compensation for things such as:
- Your lost wages
- Your reduced ability to earn a living because of your injuries
- Your past medical bills related to the accident
- The cost of any future medical care you may need because of your injuries
- The value of any property damaged or destroyed in the accident
- The physical pain and suffering stemming from your injuries
- Any mental or emotional trauma that’s a result of the accident
Arkansas uses a comparative negligence system to determine how compensation is awarded in personal injury cases. Ideally, you don’t want to be found at fault for the wreck, but if you do hold some responsibility, you may still be able to recover compensation, but your compensation will be reduced by whatever percentage of fault you bear for causing the crash. You can only recover compensation if you are less than 50 percent responsible for the crash.
How Can Pfeifer Law Firm Help?
Attorney Paul Pfeifer and the team at Pfeifer Law Firm are ready to help you get justice after a failure-to-yield accident. The statute of limitations for filing a personal injury lawsuit in Arkansas is three years from the date of the accident. While this may seem like a long time, it is actually a short window given how much has to happen to get what you’re owed.
You’ll want to hire an experienced attorney right away to secure evidence before it is cleaned up or lost, and your attorney will need time to negotiate a settlement with the other party’s insurance company. Most cases settle out of court, but if the insurance company fails to offer you a fair settlement, your lawyer may advise filing a lawsuit to seek damages in court. This can be a time-consuming process, so make sure to take immediate action to protect your claim.
Get started today by calling our office at (501) 374-4440 or visiting our contact page.