Jonesboro Motorcycle Accident Lawyers
Reviewed by Larry "Jimmy" Peters, Founder · Arkansas Bar No. 2020103 · Updated August 2026
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This page is for riders — and the families of riders — hurt in a motorcycle crash in Jonesboro or Craighead County: a left-turning driver on Caraway Road or Highland Drive who never saw the bike, a lane-change on I-555, a car pulling out from a side street onto U.S. 49, a rear-end at a Red Wolf Boulevard signal, a crash on the curves of Crowley’s Ridge. It explains the Arkansas rules that decide these cases — the helmet law, the lane-splitting ban, the 50 percent fault bar — how insurers use rider bias, what your own policy can pay, and what a claim is realistically worth. Car and truck crashes have their own Jonesboro pages; the Jonesboro overview covers the courts and hospitals in more detail.
Southern Injury Attorneys does not have a Jonesboro office. Jonesboro motorcycle cases are handled by our Arkansas-licensed attorneys from the firm’s Memphis headquarters, about 70 miles down I-555 and I-55. Consultations are free by phone or video, and we come to Jonesboro when an in-person meeting is needed — including to a hospital room.
Jonesboro motorcycle accident law at a glance
| Fecha límite para el traje de archivo | 3 years from the crash — Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105; wrongful death 3 years from the death — § 16-62-102 |
|---|---|
| Regla por defecto | Modified comparative fault, 50 percent bar — § 16-64-122 |
| Helmet law | Required only for riders and passengers under 21; eye protection required for all — § 27-20-104 |
| Lane splitting / filtering | Prohibited; a motorcycle may not pass in the same lane as the vehicle being overtaken — § 27-51-302 |
| Minimum liability insurance (the other driver) | 25/50/25 — § 27-22-104 — often far less than a serious motorcycle injury costs |
| Uninsured / underinsured motorist | Part of every Arkansas auto and motorcycle policy unless rejected in writing — § 23-89-403, § 23-89-209 |
| Informe policial | Jonesboro PD: online, 870-935-5562, or 1001 S. Caraway Rd. Arkansas State Police: crashreports.ark.org, $10 |
| Donde se presenta la demanda | Craighead County Circuit Court, Civil Division, 511 S. Main St. #200, Jonesboro 72401 |
| Trauma care | St. Bernards and NEA Baptist (Level III); severe injuries transferred to Regional One in Memphis or UAMS in Little Rock |
| Nuestra oficina | 5865 Ridgeway Center Pkwy, Suite 390, Memphis, TN 38120 · (901) 300-5001 |
Get a free Jonesboro motorcycle accident 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 dangerous is riding in Arkansas?
Very. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety counts 76 motorcyclist deaths in Arkansas in 2024, 13 percent of the state’s 603 traffic deaths, in a state whose overall death rate of 19.5 per 100,000 residents is far above the national 11.5. Nationally, NHTSA’s most recent motorcycle data puts the motorcyclist fatality rate at 31.39 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, against 1.13 for passenger-car occupants — roughly 28 times higher per mile. Helmet use is part of the picture: across the country in 2024, 66 percent of fatally injured motorcycle drivers were wearing helmets, but in states without a universal helmet law, like Arkansas, the figure was 40 percent. Arkansas’s own highway safety office has noted that motorcycle deaths tripled in the decade after the state repealed its universal helmet law in 1999. Sources: IIHS, Fatality Facts 2024: State by State and Motorcycles; NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, Motorcycles (2023 data, DOT HS 813 732); Arkansas Highway Safety Office.
Jonesboro combines the two environments where riders get hurt. In the city, Caraway Road, Highland Drive, Red Wolf Boulevard, Johnson Avenue and Southwest Drive are dense with signalized intersections, driveways and parking-lot entrances, and the classic motorcycle crash — a car turning left across the path of an oncoming bike its driver “never saw” — happens at every one of them. Outside the city, U.S. 49, U.S. 63, Highway 18 and the two-lane roads that climb Crowley’s Ridge draw riders for the same reason they produce crashes: curves, elevation, loose gravel at the edges, farm equipment and deer. And I-555 puts riders next to 18-wheelers for the seventy miles to Memphis.
Does Arkansas require a motorcycle helmet?
Only for riders and passengers under 21. Ark. Code Ann. § 27-20-104 requires protective headgear for anyone under 21 operating or riding on a motorcycle, and requires eye protection — goggles, glasses or a windscreen — for all riders. Arkansas repealed its universal helmet requirement in 1999. So an adult rider in Jonesboro who chooses not to wear a helmet is riding legally.
That does not stop the insurer from raising it. In a head-injury case the defense will argue that the injury would have been less severe with a helmet and that the rider’s choice should reduce the recovery. Arkansas courts treat the question as one of causation and comparative fault: the defense has to prove, usually through a biomechanical expert, that the helmet would actually have prevented or reduced the specific injury, and the jury then decides whether and how much to reduce damages. A helmet does nothing for a broken pelvis, a crushed leg or a spinal injury below the neck, and it is not fault at all for a rider over 21 who complied with the law. We meet the argument with the medical evidence rather than conceding it.
Is lane splitting legal in Arkansas?
No. Ark. Code Ann. § 27-51-302 provides that a motorcycle is entitled to the full use of a lane, that no vehicle may be driven in a way that deprives a motorcycle of that full use, and that a motorcycle may not be operated between lanes of traffic or between adjacent rows of vehicles, or pass another vehicle in the same lane. Two riders may share a lane side by side; a rider may not filter between stopped cars on Caraway Road or split lanes on I-555. A rider who was lane splitting at the time of a crash will be assigned a share of fault, and under the 50 percent bar that share can be decisive. The same statute cuts the other way, though: a driver who crowds a motorcycle out of its lane, or changes lanes into the space a bike is occupying, has violated the rider’s statutory right to the full lane, and that is evidence of the driver’s negligence.
How does Arkansas’s 50 percent bar work in a motorcycle case?
Arkansas is a falla comparativa modificada state under § 16-64-122. You recover, reduced by your percentage of fault, only if your fault is less than the fault of the defendants; at 50 percent or more you recover nothing. For riders the rule is harder than the words suggest, because of rider bias: adjusters, defense lawyers and some jurors start from an assumption that the motorcyclist was speeding, weaving or showing off. The recorded statement asks how fast you were going, whether you were wearing a helmet, whether you had been drinking, how long you have ridden. The police report may record the driver’s version because the rider was in an ambulance when it was written.
The counter is evidence. Motorcycles leave physical proof — scrape marks, debris fields, the position of the bike and the car — that a reconstruction engineer can turn into speed and sight-line calculations. Intersection and business cameras on Highland and Caraway, dash cameras in the other vehicle, and witness statements gathered while people still remember are what move a fault percentage from 50 to 20. A motorcycle case in Arkansas that skips that investigation usually settles for the police report’s version of events.
What insurance pays after a Jonesboro motorcycle crash?
The at-fault driver’s liability policy pays first, and in Arkansas that policy may carry only the 25/50/25 minimum under § 27-22-104 — $25,000 per person — which a single helicopter flight to Memphis can exceed. The second layer is your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under §§ 23-89-403 and 23-89-209, which is part of every Arkansas policy unless rejected in writing, covers hit-and-run crashes, and pays the gap between the other driver’s limits and your damages up to your UM/UIM limit. For a rider this coverage is the difference between a compensated injury and an uncompensated one, and we ask about it on the first call. Two cautions: many motorcycle policies are sold with UM/UIM limits far below the rider’s auto policy, and the first-party medical benefit under § 23-89-202 is written for private passenger motor vehicle policies and is frequently absent from motorcycle policies. If you are still riding, check your declarations page; if you have already been hurt, bring it to the consultation.
What is a Jonesboro motorcycle accident claim worth?
No one can quote a number before reading the medical records, and any lawyer who does is guessing. What we can say is that motorcycle claims are shaped by three things. The injuries are usually serious, so the daños económicos — trauma care, surgery, rehabilitation, future treatment, lost wages and earning capacity — are large, and Arkansas does not cap them. The daños no económicos — pain, disfigurement from road rash and burns, loss of the ability to ride, a spouse’s loss of consortium — are likewise uncapped; article 5, section 32 of the Arkansas Constitution forbids the legislature from limiting them. And the fault percentage y el available insurance decide how much of that value can actually be collected. Liens from health insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, the hospitals and the air-ambulance provider come out at the end and have to be negotiated.
What injuries do Jonesboro motorcycle accidents cause?
A rider has no cage, no crumple zone and no airbag. The injuries we see from Northeast Arkansas motorcycle crashes are traumatic brain injury, with and without a helmet; lesión en la médula espinal; fractures of the leg, pelvis, wrist, collarbone and ribs, often multiple; road rash that requires debridement and skin grafts and leaves permanent scarring; degloving injuries; crush and amputation injuries of the lower leg and foot; lesiones internas; and death. St. Bernards and NEA Baptist are Level III trauma centers, so the most severe injuries are stabilized in Jonesboro and transferred by ground or air to Regional One in Memphis or UAMS in Little Rock. The medical proof therefore spans several facilities, each with its own records and its own lien, and it has to be assembled while treatment is ongoing.
What types of motorcycle accidents happen around Jonesboro?
Left-turn crashes at unprotected greens and driveways on Caraway, Highland, Red Wolf and Johnson, where a driver turns across the bike’s path. Failure-to-yield crashes where a car pulls out from a side street or parking lot onto U.S. 49 or Southwest Drive. Lane-change and sideswipe crashes on I-555 and the multilane highways. Rear-end crashes at signals, which throw a rider from the bike. Dooring on downtown streets. Road-hazard crashes — gravel, pavement edges, debris, potholes — on Crowley’s Ridge and the county roads, which may involve a government or contractor defendant. Hit-and-run crashes, which become UM claims. Drunk-driving crashes, which can support punitive damages. And truck crashes, where a rider in a tractor-trailer’s blind spot has almost no chance.
How does a Jonesboro motorcycle accident claim proceed?
- Intake and preservation (week 1). Free consultation, often at the hospital; signed agreement; letters to every insurer; requests for the JPD or ASP report; requests to businesses and the other driver to preserve camera footage and vehicle data; UM/UIM claim opened on your own policy.
- Investigation (weeks 1–8). Scene documentation, photographs of the bike and the car, witness statements, and where warranted a reconstruction engineer, before the physical evidence is gone.
- Treatment and documentation. You treat; we gather records from every facility, track wage loss, and manage the lien interplay.
- Demand to each liability and UM/UIM carrier once you reach maximum medical improvement, with the fault evidence presented as carefully as the medical proof.
- Negotiation. Offers are evaluated against the fault risk, the policy limits and the liens.
- Suit if needed (within 3 years) in Craighead County Circuit Court; discovery, depositions, mediation and, if necessary, trial.
- Resolution and disbursement with liens negotiated and a full accounting.
Why hire a Memphis-based firm for a Jonesboro motorcycle case?
Because the case is decided by Arkansas law and a Craighead County jury, and what matters is whether the firm takes rider bias seriously enough to investigate rather than negotiate from the police report, knows the helmet and lane-use statutes and the UM/UIM rules, and will file suit at 511 South Main rather than accept an offer discounted for “motorcycle risk.” Southern Injury Attorneys handles motorcycle 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. Jonesboro riders get the same team, free consultations by phone, video or at the bedside, electronic signing, and in-person meetings in Jonesboro whenever they are needed.
What should you do after a motorcycle accident in Jonesboro?
- Get medical care and keep going. Adrenaline masks injuries; a rider who walks away often finds the fracture the next morning.
- Get the crash report from JPD (online, 870-935-5562, or 1001 S. Caraway Rd.) or the Arkansas State Police (crashreports.ark.org). Read it — if it records only the driver’s version, tell us.
- Preserve the bike, the helmet and the gear exactly as they are. Do not repair or sell the motorcycle; the damage pattern is evidence.
- Fotografía todo — the scene, skid and scrape marks, the car, your injuries as they heal.
- Notificar su propio asegurador to open UM/UIM, but do not give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement. Our Arkansas guide to what not to say explains why.
- Encuentra testigos. In a left-turn case the driver will say you came out of nowhere; the person behind you saw otherwise.
- Keep your own record of missed work, medications, and what you cannot do now that you could do before.
Abogados de Lesiones del Sur
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
Obtener direcciones · About our Memphis office
What clients say about Southern Injury Attorneys
Real Google reviews from our clients. Individual results vary.
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Related Jonesboro and Arkansas pages
Jonesboro: personal injury overview, accidentes de coche y accidentes de camiones. Elsewhere in Arkansas: Little Rock motorcycle accidents. Statewide: Arkansas motorcycle accident lawyers, Arkansas personal injury, our national motorcycle accident page, uninsured motorist claims y what not to say after an Arkansas crash.
Jonesboro motorcycle accident FAQs
Do I have to wear a motorcycle helmet in Arkansas?
Only if you are under 21. Ark. Code Ann. § 27-20-104 requires protective headgear for riders and passengers under 21 and eye protection for everyone. An adult riding without a helmet is riding legally, though an insurer may still argue that a helmet would have reduced a head injury.
Can not wearing a helmet reduce my recovery in a Jonesboro motorcycle case?
Possibly, but only if the defense proves the helmet would have prevented or reduced the specific injury, usually through expert testimony, and only for head injuries. It is not negligence for a rider over 21, and it has no bearing on fractures, spinal injuries or road rash.
Is lane splitting legal in Arkansas?
No. Ark. Code Ann. § 27-51-302 prohibits operating a motorcycle between lanes or rows of vehicles and passing in the same lane. Two motorcycles may ride side by side in one lane. The same statute gives a motorcycle full use of its lane, so a driver who crowds a rider out of the lane has violated it.
How long do I have to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit in Jonesboro?
Three years from the crash under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105, or three years from the date of death for wrongful death under § 16-62-102. Evidence such as camera footage and vehicle data disappears much sooner, so the investigation should begin within days.
Can I recover if I was partly at fault for a motorcycle 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. At 50 percent or more you recover nothing under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-64-122. Because of rider bias, the fault evidence in a motorcycle case has to be developed rather than assumed.
What if the driver who hit my motorcycle had only minimum insurance?
Arkansas minimums are 25/50/25, and $25,000 rarely covers a serious motorcycle injury. Your own underinsured motorist coverage under § 23-89-209 pays the gap up to your UIM limit, and your uninsured motorist coverage under § 23-89-403 applies if the driver had no insurance or fled. Both are part of your policy unless rejected in writing.
How do I get the police report for a motorcycle crash in Jonesboro?
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, usually one to three business days after the crash. Arkansas State Police reports are ordered at crashreports.ark.org for $10.
What if the police report blames me?
The report is the officer’s initial view, often recorded from the driver’s account while the rider was being treated. It is not binding on a jury. Physical evidence, camera footage, witness statements and reconstruction routinely contradict a report’s initial fault assessment in motorcycle cases.
Where would a Jonesboro motorcycle accident lawsuit be filed?
In the Craighead County Circuit Court, Civil Division, at 511 South Main Street, Suite 200, Jonesboro. A case against an out-of-state defendant may be removed to the Eastern District of Arkansas, Northern Division, at 615 South Main Street.
Where are injured riders from Jonesboro treated?
St. Bernards Medical Center and NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital are Level III trauma centers. Severe injuries are often transferred to a Level I center, usually Regional One Health in Memphis or UAMS in Little Rock. Each facility and the air ambulance will assert its own bill or lien against the recovery.
What is the average motorcycle accident settlement in Jonesboro?
There is no reliable average. Motorcycle claims usually involve serious injuries and therefore significant damages, but the amount actually recovered depends on the fault percentage, the insurance available including your own UM/UIM, and the liens. Any figure quoted before reviewing the records is a guess.
Does Southern Injury Attorneys have an office in Jonesboro?
No. Jonesboro motorcycle cases are handled by our Arkansas-licensed attorneys from our Memphis headquarters at 5865 Ridgeway Center Parkway, Suite 390, about 70 miles down I-555. Consultations are free by phone, video or at the hospital, and we meet clients in Jonesboro when needed.
What does it cost to hire a Jonesboro motorcycle accident lawyer?
Nothing up front. 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, and the fee agreement is provided in writing before you sign.
Iniciar su revisión de caso gratis
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 motorcycle accident 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.
