Arkansas injury rights, deadlines, and help

This page covers Arkansas injury deadlines and what to do right now.

Are you in an emergency right now?
Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is not safe.
Move away from traffic if you can do it safely.
Get medical care even if you feel fine. Some injuries hide for days.
This page is for after you are safe.

We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

The deadline box: Arkansas's key time limits

Arkansas gives you more time than many states for a lawsuit, but the workers compensation rules and the government claim rules have their own traps.

Personal injury lawsuit: 3 years. Arkansas courts apply the 3-year statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit) in Ark. Code Ann. § 16-56-105 to personal injury cases based on negligence. (Source)
Work injury, report to your employer: right away. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-701(a), you report the injury promptly on your employer's form, and benefits are not owed for any time before the injury is reported. There is no fixed day count, but every day you wait is a day the system can refuse to pay for. (Source)
Work injury, file the claim: 2 years. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 11-9-702, a workers compensation claim (the state system that pays for work injuries) must be filed within 2 years of the compensable injury. Death claims: 2 years from the death. Claims for additional compensation: 1 year from the last payment or 2 years from the injury, whichever is greater. (Source)
Injury involving the government: a different door entirely. Arkansas is unusual. You generally cannot sue the state in court at all. Claims against the state go to the Arkansas State Claims Commission. Cities and counties are immune from tort damages except to the extent they carry liability insurance, under Ark. Code Ann. § 21-9-301. (Source)

Warning: don't wait! Arkansas's 3-year injury clock is a trap because the workers comp and government-claim rules run much shorter underneath it, so people wait, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and documents get lost. Collect and save what you can, then talk to an advocate immediately. And important: medical claims against doctors or hospitals can have different, often shorter deadlines. Do not assume the standard rule covers a hospital or doctor case.

Protect your case

Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
If it happened at work, report it today, and ask for the employer's injury form. In Arkansas, benefits do not start until the injury is reported.
Write down what happened while it is fresh: date, time, place, people, and conditions.
Take photos of the scene, your injuries, and anything involved (a vehicle, a wet floor, a machine, a dog).
Get names and contact information for witnesses.
Note who owns the place where you were hurt. If it is government property, the path forward is different and worth checking early.

Never do these

Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
Never sign a release or accept a first settlement offer before you talk to an advocate. Once you sign, you may not be able to undo it.
Never admit fault at the scene. Stick to facts only.
Never post about your injury or recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in Arkansas

Hurt at work. The two-clock trap is real here: reporting and filing are separate steps. Report on your employer's form right away, then make sure the formal claim is filed within 2 years. Do not assume that telling a coworker or a supervisor in passing counts as a report. Use the form, keep a copy.

Hurt on the road. Arkansas uses modified comparative fault. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-64-122, you can recover if your share of fault is less than 50 percent, and your recovery is reduced by your share. At 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. (Source)

That makes early evidence important, because the difference between 45 percent fault and 50 percent fault is the difference between a reduced recovery and zero.

Hurt on someone's property. Falls and dog bites follow the same 3-year lawsuit clock. Arkansas has no statewide dog bite statute. Courts use older judge-made rules, sometimes called the one-bite rule, which ask whether the owner knew or should have known the dog was dangerous, plus ordinary negligence.

Evidence about the dog's history matters a lot, and it is hard to gather on your own.

What we can help with

We are on your side, and our help is free to injured people. We can help you:

Understand which Arkansas deadlines apply to your situation
Understand why reporting your work injury today matters
Know what records, photos, and timeline details to keep
Understand what a fair settlement conversation looks like before you take any call
Connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves

We do not give legal advice, and we never take money from injured people. We explain your rights in plain language and help you connect with a lawyer who handles cases like yours.

Talk to an advocate

If you or someone you love was hurt in Arkansas, you do not have to sort this out alone. Start the form or open the chat. Talk to an advocate. It is free and private.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-08-17

This is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines can change or vary with the facts. A licensed attorney can confirm the rule for your situation.

Injury types we cover in Arkansas

Pick what happened to see what applies.