Many new or amended bills are presented to Arkansas’ General Assembly on a daily basis. While many are dismissed, a number proceed forward through the process and are eventually passed as laws. As a resident and citizen of Arkansas, it’s crucial to be aware of the law changes that could impact your life. The following are some of the most important law changes that have taken place in 2019 so far.

No matter how responsible of a driver you are, there’s no way to control the others on the road. Any unsuspecting driver could end up in an accident because of someone else’s negligence. As a result, serious physical, psychological, and financial consequences are likely. In Arkansas, distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding top the list for the causes of accidents, but it’s also important to be aware of where a crash is most likely to happen.

In order to reduce the number of accidents and save lives, drivers need to acknowledge where a significant number of crashes take place. While a collision can happen anywhere, the following roads are the most dangerous in Arkansas.

Commercial vehicle accidents are on the rise. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA), there was a 2 percent increase from 2015 to 2016 in the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses. Approximately 4,440 large vehicles used to transport goods, services, or people were in accidents in 2016. The results are often devastating. Physical injuries, financial burdens, and fatalities affect thousands of families.

It’s important to be aware of how often commercial drivers cause accidents. This awareness can encourage the further pursuit of knowledge as to why these collisions happen and what can be done about stopping them. Let’s take a look at the number of annual tractor-trailer accidents in Arkansas.

Plenty of individuals and families fly for business trips or vacations because it’s faster than traveling on land. But when an aircraft experiences issues, the chances for getting seriously hurt are increased. If you’ve been injured in a plane accident, you may be eligible for compensation.

The extreme nature of aircraft injuries have the potential to be catastrophic, meaning that the injury will have permanent effects. Care for these kinds of injuries typically require intense care and some form of continuing treatment. The recovery process can be costly, and it’s not fair for someone who was wrongfully injured to be worrying about how they’re going to afford their medical bills when the accident wasn’t their fault. McMath Woods, P.A. will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.

The #MeToo movement has increased our awareness of harassment and sexual misconduct in private and public spheres. As such, this social movement has given voices and credibility to survivors and has promoted an examination of the consequences offenders face.

There are a number of takeaways we can examine when it comes to the influence of the #MeToo movement. We’ll examine the ones that apply most to the workplace and employment law.

Large commercial trucks are a common sight on highways. When they’re involved in accidents, the consequences can be severe. There’s a significant difference between a fender bender with a car and a high-speed accident with a big rig. Individuals who have been wrongfully injured in a truck accident may suffer from major, catastrophic injuries that will require intensive medical treatment and could prevent them from working for a long time.

At these times, filing a lawsuit against the negligent party or parties could be in the victim’s favor. All personal injury lawsuits are governed by strict timelines, known as statutes of limitations, that depict when a claim can be filed. Here’s everything you need to know about Little Rock statutes of limitations in a truck wreck lawsuit:

Government agencies will undoubtedly feel the impact for a significant time of the recent, record long government shutdown. The impact of the convulsive operational pace will have a trickledown effect on any and all doing business with federal agencies, some more than others, considering some agencies are often times granted extended funding to operate fully or partially. Unlike the United States Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), both of which are fully funded through October 2019, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) closed completely during the recent shutdown due to lack of funding.

Like after past closures, the substantial backlog of cases has placed everyone at the mercy of the multi-faceted EEOC process – a process that is now likely several months behind. So, what does this process look like from all angles?

On Sunday, February 24th, the attorneys of McMath Woods P.A. will serve as a community sponsor of the 38^th annual Little Rock Soup Sunday benefitting Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families (AACF).

Approximately 2000 soup lovers will gather at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock from 4-7 p.m. to taste an abundance of delicious soups, breads and desserts from Central Arkansas’ favorite restaurants. Ciao Baci chef, Jeff Owen, will be honored as the event’s featured chef and serve up a uniquely crafted soup for event patrons and sponsors in the Patron Room.

Proceeds of Soup Sunday benefit AACF’s work to ensure that all children have the resources and opportunities they need to lead healthy, productive lives and to reach their full potential. AACF was founded over 40 years ago and continues to effectively make an impact with their efforts to advocate for Arkansas’ most vulnerable children through systematic reforms related to quality of life issues and support of the state’s foster system and other state programs.

Unexpectedly losing a loved one completely turns a family’s life upside down. The deceased’s loved ones suddenly have to plan a funeral and burial, grieve their loss, and adjust to a new way of life. These matters are often worse when their loved one died because of an individual’s or company’s negligence. In these cases, it may be some small comfort to bring the responsible party to justice.

Here are a few reasons why filing a lawsuit may be in your family’s best interests:

McMath Woods partner, John Coulter, has joined a network of nearly 800 attorneys across the country who are partnering with the TIME’s UP Legal Defense Fund to provide legal assistance to women who experience sexual misconduct including assault, harassment, abuse and related retaliation in the workplace. The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, housed by the National Women’s Law Center – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides legal resources and financial support in select workplace sexual harassment and sexual harassment-related retaliation matters.