Allan Jumper Killed, Billy Robbins Injured in Arkansas Co., AR, Accident
Arkansas Co., AR -- January 27, 2017, Allan Jumper was killed, Billy Robbins injured, due to an accident where their vehicles crashed head-on.
According to the Arkansas State Police, the accident took place along US Highway 79 around 12:45 p.m.
Their preliminary report indicates that 60-year-old Jumper was driving a Ford F-150 southbound on the highway. Ahead of him was 49-year-old Robbins in a northbound Dodge pickup. For reasons unclear, police say that the Ford crossed over into oncoming traffic, entering the path of the Dodge. The two pickups crashed into each other head-on.
As a result of the collision, Jumper sustained fatal injuries and was later pronounced deceased. Robbins was transported to Baptist Stuttgart for treatment.
At this time, no further details have been released. It's unclear exactly what factors contributed to the accident. Investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
Whenever I read these early accident reports, I can't help but feel that there is a lot of information missing. This report basically just says "V-1 [Jumper] crossed the center line." To a lot of people, this might seem to be the ultimate indicator of liability for the accident. This actually isn't the case. A police report, especially a preliminary one, is rarely ever complete, and they often have mistakes. This particular one, as a matter of fact, even has some inconsistencies as to where exactly the accident even took place. The report say Palestine, AR, while some news outlets are saying Ulm, AR.
Police investigators typically are only looking for some sort of criminal wrong-doing in an accident, such as intoxication or reckless driving. A lot of times, car accidents are caused by much more subtle factors. These factors rarely show up in these early investigations, so instead we get reports that just say a driver crossed the center line with no further information. If a police report can't even specify where an accident happened, how can we be sure there aren't missing details or inaccuracies?
This is a problem for anyone affected by an accident. Let's say a police report is accurate on who was at fault for the accident, and the victim or their family seeks compensation. The defendant's insurance company isn't going to be convinced by a police report alone because they know, same as any experienced attorney, that police reports often have inaccuracies. If the police report is wrong about who was at fault, then victims and their families may find that seeking compensation against a police report is very difficult without the evidence to prove it wrong.
For this reason, I've always advocated the use of 3rd Party Investigators. These are independent professionals with years of experience investigating accidents. They know all of the possible factors that can contribute to an accident, and they ensure all possibilities are explored. A police report doesn't determine their findings; only evidence has relevance. This is the reason our firm has always depended on their expertise: they're effective. Simple as that. The article below is a bit more in-depth on the advantages that 3rd Party Investigators have following an accident.
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No matter what happens in an accident, a police report is far from satisfactory in determining ultimately who is liable for the accident. That requires hard and irrefutable evidence which only a private investigation will thoroughly collect. Whether the investigation confirms police reports or uncovers previously undiscovered details, an independent investigation is a necessary step in moving forward after any accident.
--Grossman Law Offices
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