Injury claims in Crittenden County: what to know first
Crittenden County, Arkansas includes 9 named communities, the largest being West Memphis, Marion, Earle. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Arkansas rules apply: a 3-year filing deadline for most injury claims, modified comparative negligence (50% bar), and lawsuits filed in the Crittenden County Circuit Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.
Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Crittenden County may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Arkansas. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone.
Injury claims in Crittenden County: key facts
- Injury lawsuit deadline
- three years from the injury date (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105)
- Medical malpractice deadline
- two years
- Fault rule
- modified comparative negligence (50% bar)
- Auto insurance system
- At-fault (liability insurance pays)
- Minimum auto liability
- 25/50/25 (thousands: per person / per accident / property)
- Where lawsuits are filed
- Crittenden County Circuit Court
- Tell your employer
- On the Workers' Compensation Commission's Form N (Ark. Code § 11-9-701); the law sets no number of days, but the employer owes no benefits for the time before it receives your report
- Workers' comp claim
- two years — Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission
- Fatal crashes, 2020-2024
- 75 in Crittenden County; none coded to Crittenden County itself (NHTSA FARS)
- Attorney fees
- Injury attorneys commonly work on contingency; confirm fee terms before hiring
Which roads in Crittenden County have the most fatal crashes?
From 2020 through 2024, federal crash records list 75 fatal crashes in Crittenden County, in which 78 people died. The roads with the most were I-55 with 16 fatal crashes, I-40 with 13 and US-70 with 10.
| Road | Fatal crashes, 2020-2024 | Deaths | Latest year |
|---|---|---|---|
| I-55 | 16 | 16 | 2024 |
| I-40 | 13 | 15 | 2024 |
| US-70 | 10 | 10 | 2024 |
| US-64 | 7 | 7 | 2024 |
| State Route 147 | 4 | 4 | 2022 |
| State Route 149 | 2 | 3 | 2024 |
| W Service Rd | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| State Route 77 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Southland Dr | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF), national data files downloaded from NHTSA on November 3, 2026. A crash counts for a road under the trafficway the reporting agency recorded; the same street with and without a route number is one row, and a route recorded without a street name keeps its own row; roads with fewer than two fatal crashes are not listed. The 2024 figures are NHTSA's first release for that year and may change in its Final File.
How to cite these figures: Ask Legal Matters, "Fatal crashes in Crittenden County, AR, 2020-2024," compiled from NHTSA FARS (2020-2023 Final File and 2024 Annual Report File (ARF)), https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/arkansas/crittenden-county/, checked November 3, 2026. Downloads and method: https://asklegalmatters.com/injury-guides/data/.
The yearly count was 13 in 2020, 9 in 2021, 17 in 2022, 22 in 2023 and 14 in 2024; 57% of the crashes happened after dark. 17 involved a pedestrian, cyclist or other person outside a vehicle, and 6 happened at or near an intersection.
Most fatal crashes in Crittenden County happen after dark. In night crashes, evidence about street lighting, headlights, speed and visibility tends to decide fault, and much of it disappears within days.
Communities in the county with the most fatal crashes coded to them:
Reporting the crash in Arkansas
In Arkansas, the driver must notify the nearest law enforcement agency immediately of a crash that injures or kills anyone or causes total property damage that appears to be $3,000 or more (Ark. Code § 27-53-202, as amended by Act 815 of 2023). The Department of Finance and Administration also requires an SR-1 accident report within 30 days when anyone is injured or killed or any one person's property damage exceeds $1,000.
- Who must report
- Police notice: the driver in a crash that injures or kills anyone or causes apparent total property damage of $3,000 or more. SR-1 report: a crash with injury, death or more than $1,000 of damage to any one person's property
- Report to
- Police notice: the nearest law enforcement agency. SR-1 report: the Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Driver Services
- Deadline
- Police notice: immediately. SR-1 report: within 30 days
- Copy of the crash report
- Arkansas State Police: crash records
Sources: Arkansas Act 815 of 2023 (Ark. Code § 27-53-202); Arkansas DFA: Safety Responsibility; Arkansas.gov: Accident Report SR 1-21; Arkansas State Police: crash records. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.
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Free claim review for injuries in Crittenden County
Tell us where and when the accident happened, how you were injured, and whether you received treatment. Your request may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in Arkansas. Partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts of your situation.
Click here for a free claim review — submit accident detailsAsk Legal Matters is a lead-generation service, not a law firm. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney. Review the contact consent and privacy policy on the form before submitting.
Communities in Crittenden County
Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.
Smaller communities in Crittenden County include Clarkedale, Crawfordsville, Edmondson, Gilmore, Proctor, Turrell. Residents of these areas follow the same Arkansas rules, use the same Crittenden County Circuit Court, and can request a free claim review from anywhere in the county.
Arkansas's three years statute of limitations
Arkansas generally gives an injured person three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105); medical malpractice is different (two years). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Crittenden County Circuit Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Crittenden County is to get legal advice early.
How fault works: modified comparative negligence (50% bar)
Arkansas follows modified comparative negligence (50% bar). In plain terms, you can recover only if you were less than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Crittenden County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.
Auto insurance in Arkansas: an at-fault system
After a crash in Crittenden County, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Arkansas requires drivers to carry only 25/50/25 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Crittenden County cases.
Where Crittenden County injury cases are filed
Lawsuits arising from accidents in Crittenden County are typically filed in the Crittenden County Circuit Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Crittenden County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Crittenden County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.
Workplace injuries: Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission
Employees injured on the job in Crittenden County are generally covered by Arkansas workers' compensation, administered through the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission. Report the injury to your employer on the Workers' Compensation Commission's Form N (Ark. Code § 11-9-701); the law sets no number of days, but the employer owes no benefits for the time before it receives your report — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within two years. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.
Frequently asked questions
Is there 2025 fatal crash data for Crittenden County?
Not yet from the federal census of fatal crashes. The newest national file is NHTSA's 2024 Annual Report File, the first release for 2024, used here with the 2020-2023 Final Files; NHTSA had not published 2025 FARS data when this page was updated on November 3, 2026. FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days, and a crash counts for Crittenden County when the reporting agency coded it there. Some cities and states post newer counts on their own crash dashboards, which use their own definitions.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Crittenden County?
Generally three years from the date of injury under Arkansas law (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105); medical malpractice claims generally have a two years limit, and claims against the county, a city or the state require notice much sooner.
Which court handles injury cases in Crittenden County?
The Crittenden County Circuit Court is the trial court for Crittenden County. Some claims may be filed where the defendant lives or does business, and claims against out-of-state companies can be removed to federal court.
I live in a small town in Crittenden County. Do the same rules apply?
Yes. Arkansas's deadline, fault rule and insurance requirements apply everywhere in the state. Smaller communities simply have fewer local attorneys, which is one reason people use a free claim review request to reach attorneys who handle cases across Crittenden County.
What if I was partly at fault?
Arkansas applies modified comparative negligence (50% bar): you can recover only if you were less than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault.
Is Ask Legal Matters a law firm?
No. Ask Legal Matters is a lead-generation service, not a law firm. Requests may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in Arkansas, and submitting a request does not hire an attorney.
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Ready to share what happened in Crittenden County?
Tell us where and when the accident happened, how you were injured, and whether you received treatment. Your request may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle inquiries in Arkansas. Partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts of your situation.
Click here for a free claim review — submit accident detailsAsk Legal Matters is a lead-generation service, not a law firm. Submitting a request does not hire an attorney. Review the contact consent and privacy policy on the form before submitting.
Nearby counties in Arkansas
See the Arkansas personal injury guide for every county in the state.