Rhode Island Car Accident Lawyer

A serious traffic collision can upend every part of life in an instant. Medical bills accumulate, paychecks stop, vehicles need repair or replacement, and insurance adjusters begin calling before you have even processed what happened. Because Rhode Island follows its mix of statutes and case law, different from neighboring Massachusetts or Connecticut, anyone who drives, rides, or walks on Ocean State roadways benefits from knowing the local rules. This guide explains those rules in plain English, highlights recent legal updates, and outlines the steps our personal injury attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers can take to protect your rights.

Rhode Island uses the traditional tort system for traffic crashes. After a wreck, the driver who is legally responsible (the “tortfeasor”) and that driver’s insurer must pay for the harm they cause. You therefore file your primary claim against the other motorist’s liability insurance, not your insurer, unless first-party benefits apply.

• Minimum limits. State regulations require every registered vehicle to carry at least $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 per crash for two or more people, and $25,000 for property damage (often written 25/50/25), or a $75,000 combined single limit.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Insurers must automatically offer UM/UIM in the same amount as your liability limits. You can purchase less—or reject it entirely—only when you purchase the minimum bodily-injury limits, and you must do so in writing. UM/UIM is invaluable in Rhode Island, where many drivers still carry only minimum limits, leaving catastrophic injuries undercompensated. Stacking is allowed: your UM/UIM can add on top of the at-fault driver’s policy to increase total available funds.
• Other optional coverages include personal injury protection (PIP), medical-payments (MedPay), collision, comprehensive, and umbrella liability. While not required, they can close financial gaps that often appear during litigation.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14, you have three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for personal injury or vehicle damage. Wrongful-death actions must be filed within three years of the victim’s death, which can differ from the crash date. Failing to meet the deadline almost always bars recovery.

Important evidence—dash-cam footage, 911 recordings, skid-mark measurements, event-data-recorder (EDR) downloads—can vanish long before three years pass. Engaging counsel quickly helps preserve this material and prevents insurance companies from shaping the narrative unchecked.

Rhode Island applies a pure comparative negligence rule: your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover even if you are 99 percent responsible.

Example: A jury values injuries at $400,000 but finds you 25 percent at fault for speeding. Your net award would be $300,000. Because there is no 50-percent threshold, as in many “modified” states, the defense cannot escape liability simply by proving you were mostly, but not entirely, to blame.

Drivers must immediately call the police when a crash involves injury, death, or property damage that prevents safe vehicle operation. Additionally, if injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000 results, the driver must file a written report with the Division of Motor Vehicles within 21 days on DMV forms. Failure to do so can trigger fines and license consequences. R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-26-6.

Law-enforcement agencies have 14 days to transmit electronic crash reports to the Department of Transportation, which maintains a central repository used by attorneys, insurers, and safety analysts.

Although every collision is unique, certain patterns recur on I-95, Route 146, and the winding coastal roads:

• Distracted driving – texting and handheld phone use remain leading factors despite statutory bans.
• Speeding and aggressive maneuvers on Highway 4 and suburban arterials.
• Impaired driving – alcohol-related fatalities increased statewide in recent DOT statistics.
• Poor weather – ocean-effect snow and dense fog reduce visibility on the Newport and Jamestown bridges.
• Intersection design flaws in older city grids, such as Providence’s Olneyville and Pawtucket’s one-way loops.

Establishing the precise cause often requires accident-reconstruction experts, cell-phone records, toxicology results, and municipal engineering data—all tools our firm routinely deploys.

• Call 911 and request police and EMS; never agree to “keep insurance out of it.”
• Seek medical care even if you feel “okay.” Concussion and internal bleeding symptoms may be delayed.
• Document the scene with photos or video of vehicle positions, license plates, debris, skid marks, and weather conditions.
• Exchange information (driver’s license, registration, insurer) but avoid discussing fault.
• Identify witnesses and request their contact data.
• Notify your carrier promptly, but provide only the basics; refer the adjuster to your attorney for recorded statements.
• Consult Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers before signing any release or accepting a quick settlement check.

Compensation in a Rhode Island car accident case can include:

• Past and future medical expenses: hospital bills, rehab, prosthetics, home modifications.
• Lost income and loss of earning capacity: wages, performance bonuses, retirement contributions.
• Property damage: vehicle repair/replacement, electronics, child car seats.
• Pain and suffering: physical pain, mental anguish, PTSD, loss of enjoyment of life.
• Scarring and disfigurement.
• Household services: childcare, housekeeping when the injury prevents routine tasks.
• Punitive damages (rare) where the defendant’s conduct is willful, reckless, or malicious, such as a drunk driver with multiple prior DUIs.

Punitive awards are not capped in Rhode Island; however, they require a higher evidentiary showing than ordinary negligence.

Adjusters are trained to close files quickly and cheaply. Tactics include:

• Arguing pre-existing conditions (e.g., degenerative disc disease) rather than trauma.
• Suggesting gaps in treatment means injuries are healed.
• Pressuring you to provide a blanket medical-records authorization revealing unrelated history.
• Offering a low settlement before the full prognosis is known.
• Recording statements in hopes of inconsistency that can later be used against you.

An attorney buffers you from these practices, compels the carrier to follow fair-claims regulations, and quantifies all categories of loss.

• Pre-suit investigation: demand letter and negotiation
• Pleading stage: complaint, answer, counterclaims
• Written discovery: interrogatories, document requests
• Depositions: drivers, doctors, experts
• Alternative dispute resolution: mediation or arbitration
• Trial: if no agreement is reached. Post-verdict, either side may appeal to the Supreme Court of Rhode Island.

While most cases settle, preparing every claim as if it will reach a jury positions clients for the best offers.

• Municipal or state vehicles: Notice requirements under the Rhode Island Tort Claims Act can shorten deadlines and cap damages.
• Uber/Lyft: Different insurance tiers apply depending on whether the driver’s app is on, waiting for a match, or carrying a passenger.
• Commercial motor carriers: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (hours-of-service, maintenance logs) often provide liability hooks unavailable in private-passenger cases.

Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers maintains databases of FMCSA reports, ride-share policy endorsements, and public-entity claims procedures to navigate these complexities.

• Focused experience: Decades of representing injured people in Providence, Warwick, Cranston, and beyond.
• Resources to match major insurers: Accident-scene drones, biomechanical engineers, forensic accountants.
• Client-centered philosophy: We advance costs, communicate in plain language, and you pay nothing unless we win.
• Regional reach: Licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and federal courts, allowing seamless handling when crashes involve multiple jurisdictions.
• Proven results: Multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts in spine, TBI, and wrongful-death cases (past results do not guarantee future success).

A collision in Rhode Island triggers a maze of statutory duties, insurance provisions, medical decisions, and evidentiary challenges. The sooner you obtain experienced legal guidance, the better your chances of securing full and fair compensation. Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers stands ready to investigate your crash, preserve critical proof, negotiate assertively, and, when necessary, present your story to a Providence County jury.

If you’ve been in a car accident in Boston or anywhere else in Massachusetts, contact the personal injury lawyers and wrongful-death attorneys at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights at (617) 777-7777.