Providence Pedestrian Accident Lawyer

Walking is woven into the fabric of life in Providence, from college students crossing Waterman Street to commuters navigating Kennedy Plaza. Yet recent crash data show that our streets are increasingly dangerous for people on foot. A two–week-old analysis of city crash reports found 61 pedestrian-related crashes in the first quarter of 2024 in just three downtown census tracts, with particularly dense clusters where Interstate 95 meets Westminster Street.

Statewide trends echo that local uptick. The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles recorded 12 pedestrian fatalities in 2023, a figure that, while below the pandemic-era high of 17, still exceeds the pre-2019 average and keeps vulnerable-road-user safety on state-wide priority lists. National groups have noticed, too: the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) ranked Rhode Island among the few states with a relative low fatality rate (0.64 per 100,000 residents) yet warned that the state’s raw numbers are climbing again after modest early-decade declines.

These statistics translate into real-world consequences, lost wages, staggering medical bills, permanent disability, and heartbreak for families who lose loved ones. Understanding how the law protects (and occasionally limits) injured pedestrians is essential to securing full and fair compensation. Our personal injury attorneys understand the seriousness of all pedestrian accident cases and won’t stop working until you recover the damages you’re owed.

Several Providence corridors consistently generate pedestrian collisions:

• Kennedy Plaza and Downtown Core. Heavy bus traffic, rideshare activity, and complex signal timing lead to frequent mid-block and turning-vehicle strikes.
• Broad Street & Elmwood Avenue Split. High vehicle volumes and limited pedestrian refuge space contributed to 27 crashes in 2024.
• North Main Street. A Providence Streets Coalition study counted 46 pedestrian crashes in a recent three-year span, with the greatest danger where side streets and parking lot exits intersect the main artery.
• Olneyville Square. The confluence of five roadways, short signal cycles, and limited sight distance produced another 27 crashes in the latest data set.

Contributing factors our firm sees repeatedly include:

• Failure to yield while turning left or right at green lights
• Speeding and aggressive driving on urban arterials
• Distracted driving, particularly smartphone use
• Low-visibility conditions, such as poorly lit crosswalks or inadequate street lighting
• Impaired driving involving alcohol, cannabis, or prescription medications
• Unsafe pedestrian behavior, e.g., darting between parked cars mid-block or crossing against a “DON’T WALK” symbol

Rhode Island’s Vision Zero plan recognizes that roadway design, lane widths, signal timing, and curb radii can either mitigate or magnify these risks. When design plays a role, liability may extend beyond the at-fault driver, as discussed below.

• Right of Way in Crosswalks. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-18-3, drivers must yield to a pedestrian lawfully within a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. If the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling (or approaching so closely as to create danger), yielding is mandatory.
• Signals and Traffic-Control Devices. Pedestrians are bound by pedestrian-control signals. However, failure to comply does not automatically bar recovery—it is simply evidence of comparative fault (see below). Drivers retain a general duty of care to avoid striking pedestrians, even those who cross illegally.
• Sidewalk Use and Roadway Walking. Where sidewalks are provided and usable, pedestrians must use them; walking in the roadway is prohibited except when no sidewalk exists (§ 31-18-11). Providence’s older neighborhoods often have missing or obstructed sidewalks; when a pedestrian is forced into the roadway, motorists owe an elevated duty of caution.
• Enhanced Penalties for Vulnerable Road Users. The Rhode Island Vulnerable Road User Safety Act allows for license suspension, community service, and additional fines when a motorist’s negligence seriously injures a pedestrian. This can bolster a civil claim by providing strong evidence of negligence per se.

To recover damages, an injured pedestrian must prove:

• Duty. The driver (or other defendant) owed a duty of care.
• Breach. The duty was breached by negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct.
• Causation. The breach was the proximate cause of injury.
• Damages. The pedestrian suffered quantifiable losses.

In practice, multiple defendants may share responsibility:

• Drivers. Negligence in speeding, distraction, intoxication, or failure to yield.
• Employers / Commercial Fleet Owners. Vicarious liability when the at-fault driver was in the scope of employment.
• Vehicle Manufacturers. Defective braking systems or ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) failures.
• Property Owners. Poor lighting spilling onto public ways, obstructed sightlines from hedges or signage.
• State or Municipal Authorities. Dangerous road design, signal malfunction, or inadequate crosswalk markings.

Rhode Island is a pure comparative negligence state (R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4). Even if a pedestrian is 99 percent at fault, the law allows recovery of the remaining one percent of damages. Insurance adjusters know this and often overemphasize a pedestrian’s alleged missteps, crossing outside a crosswalk, wearing dark clothing, listening to headphones, to drive down the settlement value. A meticulous investigation can counter these tactics by showing:

• Driver speed or phone records
• Vehicle event data recorder (EDR) downloads
• Surveillance or bus-cam footage
• Light-cycle timing that still gave the pedestrian a “reasonable crossing interval”

Suing the State of Rhode Island, the City of Providence, or the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is possible but requires strict compliance with the Rhode Island Tort Claims Act (§ 9-31-1 et seq.). Key points:

• Notice. Written notice to the relevant agency within three years of the incident.
• Damages Cap. $100,000 per claimant, unless the state has purchased higher coverage.
• Design Immunity Defense. The government may invoke statutory immunity for approved roadway designs; countering this often requires expert testimony that later-discovered hazards made the design unreasonable.

Timely, detailed notice letters, supported by crash-scene photos and expert affidavits, can preserve your claim and pressure the state into early negotiations.

Compensatory damages typically include:

• Economic Losses. Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, prosthetics, future medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, home-modification costs.
• Non-Economic Losses. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disfigurement.
• Wrongful Death Damages. Funeral costs, loss of companionship, and loss of future income for eligible heirs under § 10-7-1.

Punitive damages are rare but may be available in drunk-driving or hit-and-run cases demonstrating reckless indifference to human life.

• Seek immediate medical attention, adrenaline masks pain, and prompt documentation connects injuries to the crash.
• Call 911 and insist on a police report, even if injuries appear minor. Providence police crash reports capture witness names and diagram vehicle paths.
• Gather evidence on the scene if safe: photographs, license plate numbers, driver statements, and nearby business cameras.
• Avoid recorded statements to the driver’s insurer before consulting counsel.
• Follow up with specialists, orthopedists, neurologists, or physical therapists to establish ongoing treatment records.
• Contact an attorney experienced in Rhode Island pedestrian claims as soon as practical.

• Personal Injury and Wrongful Death: Three years from the date of injury or death to file suit (§ 9-1-14).
• Claims Against the State, City, or RIDOT: Written notice within the same three-year window, but earlier notice is advisable to secure roadway-design evidence before alterations.
  Missing these deadlines typically extinguishes your claim, no matter how strong the liability facts.

At Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers, we employ a multidisciplinary team that may include:

• Accident Reconstruction Engineers: Analyze skid marks, impact points, and vehicle data to determine speed and driver reaction time.
• Human Factors Experts: Explain perception-response times and visibility issues at specific intersections.
• Life-Care Planners and Economists: Project future medical and financial needs, ensuring settlement offers reflect lifetime costs.
• Urban Planners: Assess whether roadway design violated industry standards (MUTCD, AASHTO Green Book).

We also preserve digital evidence, dash-cam data, cellphone usage logs, and ride-hail route histories through litigation holds and subpoenas.

Our firm has represented injured pedestrians across Rhode Island and Massachusetts for more than two decades. We advance all case costs, work on a contingency-fee basis, and leverage cutting-edge technology, including 3-D scene modeling and drone mapping, to portray crashes vividly to juries and insurers alike. Whether your injuries occurred on Smith Street outside Providence College or on the Washington Bridge pedestrian path, we stand ready to:

• Investigate quickly to secure traffic-camera footage before automatic deletion cycles
• Identify all available insurance, including commercial policies, excess liability, and your underinsured-motorist benefits
• Negotiate assertively with adjusters who undervalue pedestrian claims
• Litigate through trial when necessary, using focus groups to fine-tune case themes

Providence’s Vision Zero goals aim to eliminate traffic deaths by 2030, yet each week, new crash data remind us that engineering and enforcement still fall short. If you or someone you love has been hurt while walking in Providence, you do not have to shoulder the burdens alone. The law provides powerful remedies, but strict deadlines and sophisticated defense tactics make experienced legal counsel essential.

Contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We will listen to your story, explain your rights in plain English, and chart a strategic path toward the compensation you deserve—while you focus on healing.