Jonesboro Personal Injury Lawyers
Reviewed by Larry “Jimmy” Peters, Founder · Arkansas Bar No. 2020103 · Updated August 2026
What this page covers
This is our overview page for injury claims arising in Jonesboro and Craighead County — car crashes on I-555, U.S. 49 and U.S. 63, on Red Wolf Boulevard, Caraway Road, Highland Drive, Johnson Avenue and Southwest Drive; 18-wheeler collisions on the freight corridor that ties Jonesboro’s industrial parks to Memphis; motorcycle wrecks on Crowley’s Ridge; pedestrian injuries around the Arkansas State University campus; uninsured-driver claims and wrongful death. Car, truck and motorcycle cases each have their own detailed Jonesboro page, linked below. This page explains the Arkansas rules that apply to all of them and the practical questions people in Northeast Arkansas ask us first.
A word about where we are. Southern Injury Attorneys does not have a Jonesboro office. Jonesboro and Craighead County cases are handled by our Arkansas-licensed attorneys from the firm’s Memphis headquarters at 5865 Ridgeway Center Parkway, Suite 390, roughly 70 miles and an hour and twenty minutes away on I-555 and I-55. In practice that changes very little: consultations are free by phone or video, documents are signed electronically, we come to Jonesboro when an in-person meeting is needed, and the case itself is filed and litigated in Craighead County where it belongs. Our Arkansas personal injury overview covers the rest of the state, and the West Memphis and Little Rock pages cover those cities.
Jonesboro personal injury law at a glance
| Deadline to file suit | 3 years from the injury — Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105; wrongful death 3 years from the date of death — § 16-62-102; medical injury claims 2 years — § 16-114-203 |
|---|---|
| Fault rule | Modified comparative fault with a 50 percent bar: you recover, reduced by your percentage, only if your fault is less than the fault of the parties you sue — § 16-64-122 |
| Minimum auto liability insurance | 25/50/25 — $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, $25,000 property damage (Ark. Code Ann. § 27-22-104) |
| First-party benefits on your own policy | $5,000 medical within 24 months, 70% of lost income up to $140/week for 52 weeks, $5,000 accidental death — § 23-89-202, unless rejected in writing |
| Uninsured / underinsured motorist coverage | Must be offered and is part of the policy unless rejected in writing — § 23-89-403 (UM), § 23-89-209 (UIM) |
| Claims against the city or county | Cities and counties are immune from tort suits except to the extent of their liability insurance; they must insure their vehicles at least at 25/50/25 — §§ 21-9-301, 21-9-303 |
| Where suit is filed | Craighead County Circuit Court, Civil Division, 511 S. Main St. #200, Jonesboro, AR 72401 (Jonesboro district; the county’s Lake City district sits at 107 Cobean Blvd.) |
| Federal court | E.D. Ark., Northern Division, E.C. Gathings Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 615 S. Main St., Jonesboro (covers Craighead, Greene, Poinsett, Mississippi, Lawrence, Clay, Randolph, Sharp, Fulton, Izard, Independence, Jackson, Cross and Woodruff counties) |
| Crash report | Jonesboro Police Department reports: online, by phone at 870-935-5562 or in person at 1001 S. Caraway Rd., usually available 1–3 business days after the crash. Arkansas State Police reports: crashreports.ark.org, $10 for people involved in the crash |
| Our office | 5865 Ridgeway Center Pkwy, Suite 390, Memphis, TN 38120 · (901) 300-5001 · about 70 miles from Jonesboro |
Get a free Jonesboro injury case review
Tell us what happened and a member of our Arkansas team will call you back — usually within minutes during business hours. Free, confidential, no fee unless we win. Prefer to talk now? Call (901) 300-5001.
How common are serious crashes in Jonesboro and Northeast Arkansas?
Arkansas is one of the more dangerous states in the country to drive in. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s analysis of federal crash data counts 603 traffic deaths in Arkansas in 2024 — 19.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, against a national rate of 11.5, and 1.53 deaths per 100 million miles driven against 1.19 nationally. Of those 603, 175 were car occupants, 222 were in pickups and SUVs, 76 were motorcyclists, 69 were pedestrians and 32 were occupants of large trucks. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, working from the same federal data, put the state’s 2022 rate at the fourth-highest in the nation. The Arkansas Department of Transportation’s own count shows 637 deaths in 2022, 596 in 2023, 603 in 2024 and 569 in 2025. Sources: IIHS, Fatality Facts 2024: State by State; ACHI, Arkansas roadway fatality dashboard (NHTSA FARS 2016–2022); ARDOT, Monthly Fatalities in Arkansas.
Jonesboro is the hub of that region. The city has grown to roughly 82,000 people and Craighead County to about 117,000, and Arkansas State University brought a record 17,926 students to town in fall 2025. The road network that serves them was built for a smaller city. I-555, the freeway that runs from I-55 at Turrell to Jonesboro and was signed as an interstate in 2016, carries commuter and truck traffic to and from Memphis. U.S. 49 and U.S. 63 cross the city and continue to Paragould, Brookland, Trumann and the Missouri line; Highway 18 runs east to Lake City and Blytheville. Inside the city, Red Wolf Boulevard, Caraway Road, Highland Drive, Johnson Avenue, Nettleton Avenue and Southwest Drive carry the retail, hospital and campus traffic, and the signalized intersections along them — Caraway and Highland is a familiar one on local crash reports — produce a steady stream of rear-end, T-bone and left-turn collisions.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Jonesboro?
Arkansas gives an injured person three years from the date of injury to file suit (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105). For a crash, that is normally the date of the crash. Wrongful death claims also carry a three-year period, running from the date of death (§ 16-62-102). A claim that turns on medical negligence — for example, a crash victim injured a second time by the treatment that followed — has only two years (§ 16-114-203). Miss the deadline and the claim is gone, regardless of how clear the other driver’s fault was.
Three years sounds like plenty of time. It is not, for two reasons. First, the evidence deteriorates far faster than the statute runs: business and traffic camera footage is overwritten in days or weeks, vehicles are repaired or scrapped, and a trucking company’s electronic logs may be lawfully discarded after six months. Second, your own insurance policy has its own clocks — the $5,000 medical benefit under § 23-89-202 covers only expenses incurred within 24 months of the crash, and most policies require prompt notice of a claim. The legal deadline is three years; the practical deadline is measured in weeks.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault?
Yes, within limits. Arkansas uses modified comparative fault under § 16-64-122. A jury assigns a percentage of fault to everyone involved. If your fault is less than the fault of the party or parties you are suing, you recover your damages reduced by your percentage. If your fault is equal to or greater than theirs, you recover nothing. A driver found 20 percent at fault for a Caraway Road collision with $100,000 in damages recovers $80,000. A driver found 50 percent at fault recovers $0. That 50 percent bar is stricter than the pure comparative rule across the river in Mississippi, and it is the single biggest reason Jonesboro cases are won or lost on the fault evidence rather than the injury evidence.
Because the difference between 49 and 50 percent is the difference between a recovery and nothing, insurers put real effort into moving that number. Speed, following distance, lane position, phone use and seat-belt use are all argued. Identifying every responsible party early — the other driver, the driver’s employer, a vehicle owner who entrusted a car to an unsafe driver, a bar that over-served a driver — matters for a concrete reason in Arkansas: every defendant added to the comparison changes the percentage that decides whether you recover at all.
Which court hears a Jonesboro injury case?
Craighead County is one of a handful of Arkansas counties with two county seats and two court districts. Jonesboro cases are filed in the Craighead County Circuit Court, Civil Division, at 511 South Main Street, Suite 200, in downtown Jonesboro; the eastern district of the county sits in Lake City at 107 Cobean Boulevard. Under Arkansas venue rules a crash case is generally filed in the county where the crash happened or where a defendant resides, so a Jonesboro wreck stays in Craighead County unless there is a reason to move it — a defendant headquartered in Pulaski County, for instance, or a crash on U.S. 49 that occurred across the Greene County line in Paragould.
When the defendant is an out-of-state company — most trucking cases — the case may be removed to federal court. Jonesboro has its own federal courthouse: the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern Division, sits in the E.C. Gathings Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse at 615 South Main Street, a block from the county courthouse. Since the 2019 realignment the Northern Division covers Craighead, Greene, Poinsett, Mississippi, Lawrence, Clay, Randolph, Sharp, Fulton, Izard, Independence, Jackson, Cross and Woodruff counties. Removal changes procedure and the jury pool but not the Arkansas law that applies.
What is a Jonesboro personal injury case worth?
No lawyer can give you a number from a web page, and anyone who quotes one before reading your medical records is guessing. What we can tell you is what goes into the number. Economic damages — medical expenses past and future, lost earnings, lost earning capacity, out-of-pocket costs — are not capped in an Arkansas injury case. Non-economic damages — pain, suffering, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, a spouse’s loss of consortium — are likewise uncapped; article 5, section 32 of the Arkansas Constitution forbids the legislature from limiting the amount recoverable for personal injury or death, and the Arkansas Supreme Court has struck down statutory caps on that basis. Punitive damages require proof that the defendant knew or should have known the conduct would naturally and probably cause injury and continued anyway with malice or reckless disregard, and they are the exception, not the rule.
Against those figures sit the practical limits: the at-fault driver’s coverage (Arkansas minimums are only 25/50/25), your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, the fault percentages a Craighead County jury might assign, and the liens that health insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, hospitals and your own med-pay carrier assert against a settlement — the Arkansas Supreme Court has confirmed that a med-pay insurer may recover what it paid out of your settlement. Much of the work in a serious case is in that second list.
What insurance pays after a Jonesboro crash?
Three layers, in order. First, your own policy’s first-party benefits under § 23-89-202: up to $5,000 in medical and hospital expenses incurred within 24 months, 70 percent of lost income up to $140 a week for up to 52 weeks, and a $5,000 accidental death benefit. Every Arkansas auto insurer must offer these, and they are part of the policy unless the named insured rejected them in writing. They pay regardless of fault and within days, which is why we ask about them on the first call. Second, the at-fault driver’s liability policy, which may be as small as $25,000 per person. Third, when that is not enough or the driver had no insurance, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under §§ 23-89-403 and 23-89-209 — also part of every policy unless rejected in writing. Roughly one Arkansas driver in eight carries no insurance at all, so the third layer matters more here than in most states.
Where do Jonesboro crash victims get treated, and why does it matter?
Jonesboro has two hospitals, St. Bernards Medical Center and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, and both are designated Level III trauma centers by the Arkansas Department of Health (St. Bernards in August 2024, NEA Baptist in April 2024). Arkansas’s adult Level I center is UAMS in Little Rock, and the nearest Level I center to Jonesboro is Regional One Health in Memphis, so the most severely injured crash victims from Northeast Arkansas are frequently stabilized in Jonesboro and transferred by ground or air to Memphis or Little Rock. That matters for the claim in two ways: the trauma record from two or three facilities has to be assembled into one coherent medical proof, and each facility and the air-ambulance provider will assert its own lien or bill against the recovery. A firm headquartered in Memphis handles Regional One records and liens every week.
What kinds of Jonesboro injury cases do we handle?
Each of the following has its own page with the law, the local geography and the questions people actually ask:
- Car accidents — Caraway, Highland, Red Wolf and Southwest Drive collisions; crash reports; the $5,000 med-pay benefit; the 50 percent bar.
- Truck and 18-wheeler accidents — the I-555 corridor to Memphis and U.S. 49/63; federal hours-of-service and electronic logging rules; the six-month evidence window.
- Motorcycle accidents — Arkansas’s under-21 helmet law, the lane-splitting ban, rider bias and Crowley’s Ridge.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist claims — hit-and-run, the written-rejection rule and stacking.
- Pedestrian accidents — crosswalk right-of-way, the A-State campus and the Caraway Road retail corridor.
- Slip and fall — premises claims against Jonesboro stores, restaurants and apartment complexes.
- Wrongful death — who may file, the survival claim, the three-year clock from the date of death.
Dog-bite, rideshare and delivery-vehicle matters in Craighead County are handled as well; call and we will tell you candidly whether the case is one we can help with.
Why hire a firm based in Memphis for a Jonesboro case?
Because the case is decided by Arkansas law and Craighead County juries, not by the lawyer’s street address. What matters is whether the firm handles serious motor-vehicle cases regularly, has the resources to hire reconstruction and medical experts, knows the § 16-64-122 fault fight and the first-party and UM/UIM rules, and is prepared to file suit at 511 South Main rather than take the first offer. Southern Injury Attorneys handles car, truck, motorcycle and wrongful death cases across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi from Memphis, our attorneys are licensed in Arkansas and five other states, and Jonesboro is closer to our office than Little Rock is. Jonesboro clients get the same team, free consultations by phone or video, electronic signing, and in-person meetings in Jonesboro whenever they are needed. We would rather tell you plainly where we are than rent a mailbox on Main Street.
What should you do in the first weeks after a Jonesboro crash?
- Get medical care and keep going. Gaps in treatment are the most common argument used to devalue a genuine injury. Use your own policy’s $5,000 medical benefit so bills do not go to collections while fault is sorted out.
- Get the crash report. Jonesboro Police Department reports can be purchased online with your last name, report number and date of loss, by phone at 870-935-5562, or in person at 1001 South Caraway Road; they are usually available one to three business days after the crash. Crashes worked by the Arkansas State Police — most of those on I-555 and the U.S. highways outside the city — are ordered at crashreports.ark.org for $10.
- Photograph everything while it exists. Vehicles, the scene, skid marks, signage, your injuries.
- Report the claim to your own insurer — your policy requires it, and it opens your med-pay and UM coverage — but do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before you have advice. Our Arkansas guide to what not to say explains why.
- Preserve evidence. Ask nearby businesses to hold camera footage; do not repair or dispose of your vehicle until it has been photographed and, in a serious case, inspected. In a truck case, a preservation letter should go out within days.
- If a City of Jonesboro, Craighead County or A-State vehicle was involved, find out the insurance limits early. Under §§ 21-9-301 and 21-9-303 those entities are immune except to the extent of their liability insurance, so the policy defines the case.
- Keep your own record of missed work, medications, and what you cannot do now that you could do before.
Southern Injury Attorneys
5865 Ridgeway Center Pkwy, Suite 390, Memphis, TN 38120 — about 70 miles from Jonesboro via I-555 and I-55
(901) 300-5001 · Open 24 hours · Free phone and video consultations for Craighead County clients; we meet clients in Jonesboro when it is needed
Get directions · About our Memphis office
What clients say about Southern Injury Attorneys
Real Google reviews from our clients. Individual results vary.
“Jimmy was prompt and truly listened. I never felt like just another payday. My case was resolved in my favor. 10/10.”
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“I felt reassured from the first consultation. Tough negotiators who got results.”
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Related Jonesboro and Arkansas pages
Detailed Jonesboro pages: car accidents, truck accidents and motorcycle accidents. Elsewhere in Arkansas: West Memphis and Little Rock. Statewide: Arkansas personal injury, Arkansas car accidents, Arkansas truck accidents, Arkansas motorcycle accidents and what not to say after an Arkansas crash. Our Memphis office is the closest Southern Injury Attorneys location to Jonesboro.
Jonesboro personal injury FAQs
How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Jonesboro, Arkansas?
Three years from the date of injury under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105; wrongful death claims run three years from the date of death under § 16-62-102. Medical negligence claims have only two years under § 16-114-203.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault for a crash in Craighead County?
Yes, if your fault is less than the fault of the parties you sue. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage. If a jury finds your fault equal to or greater than theirs — 50 percent or more against a single defendant — you recover nothing (Ark. Code Ann. § 16-64-122).
Where would my Jonesboro injury lawsuit be filed?
Usually in the Craighead County Circuit Court, Civil Division, at 511 South Main Street, Suite 200, Jonesboro. Cases against out-of-state companies may be removed to the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern Division, at the E.C. Gathings Federal Building, 615 South Main Street.
Does Southern Injury Attorneys have an office in Jonesboro?
No. Jonesboro and Craighead County cases are handled by our Arkansas-licensed attorneys from our Memphis headquarters at 5865 Ridgeway Center Parkway, Suite 390, about 70 miles away on I-555 and I-55. Consultations are free by phone or video, and we meet clients in Jonesboro when it is needed.
How do I get my Jonesboro crash report?
Jonesboro Police Department reports can be purchased online using your last name, report number and date of loss, by phone at 870-935-5562, or in person at 1001 South Caraway Road, usually one to three business days after the crash. Arkansas State Police reports are ordered at crashreports.ark.org for $10 if you were involved in the crash.
What is the minimum car insurance in Arkansas?
25/50/25 under Ark. Code Ann. § 27-22-104: $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash, and $25,000 for property damage. Serious injuries routinely exceed those limits, which is why uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters.
What does my own insurance pay after an Arkansas crash, even if the wreck was not my fault?
Unless you rejected it in writing, your policy includes first-party benefits under § 23-89-202: up to $5,000 in medical expenses incurred within 24 months, 70 percent of lost income up to $140 a week for up to 52 weeks, and a $5,000 accidental death benefit. They pay regardless of fault.
What if a City of Jonesboro or Craighead County vehicle hit me?
Arkansas cities and counties are immune from tort suits except to the extent of their liability insurance (Ark. Code Ann. § 21-9-301), and they must insure their vehicles at least at 25/50/25 (§ 21-9-303). The claim proceeds against the insurance, and the policy limits define what can be recovered.
What is the average personal injury settlement in Jonesboro?
There is no reliable average, and any figure quoted before a lawyer has reviewed your medical records is a guess. Value depends on the injuries, the medical proof, the available insurance, the fault percentages a jury might assign, and liens against the recovery.
Do I have to talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
No. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and statements given early, in pain or on medication, are used later to argue fault or minimize injuries. You do need to notify your own insurer.
Where are serious crash victims treated in Jonesboro?
St. Bernards Medical Center and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital are both Level III trauma centers. The most severe injuries are often transferred to a Level I center — Regional One Health in Memphis or UAMS in Little Rock. Each facility’s bills and liens must be resolved out of the recovery.
What does it cost to hire a Jonesboro personal injury lawyer?
We work on a contingency fee: no attorney fee unless there is a recovery. Consultations are free and available 24/7 at (901) 300-5001. The fee agreement is provided in writing and explained before you sign anything.
Start your free case review
Tell us what happened and we will call you back — usually within minutes during business hours. Free consultation, no fee unless we win. Phone and video consultations are available for Jonesboro and Craighead County clients; we also meet clients in Jonesboro when an in-person meeting is needed.
Arkansas Bar No. 2020103. Jimmy leads a personal injury firm with attorneys licensed in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky and Georgia. Jonesboro and Craighead County cases are handled by the firm’s Arkansas-licensed attorneys from its Memphis headquarters, about 70 miles down I-555.
This page is legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutes, regulations and case law change; every case turns on its own facts. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Reviewed by Larry “Jimmy” Peters, Founder, Southern Injury Attorneys, Arkansas Bar No. 2020103. Jonesboro and Craighead County matters are handled by our Arkansas-licensed attorneys from the firm’s Memphis, Tennessee headquarters at 5865 Ridgeway Center Parkway, Suite 390, Memphis, TN 38120, about 70 miles from Jonesboro. Southern Injury Attorneys does not maintain an office in Jonesboro.
