Anyone that has experienced one or more personal injuries in Rhode Island might qualify for compensation by filing a Rhode Island personal injury claim. The types of injuries that can be attributed to the negligence of another party include vehicle accidents, slip and falls, and product malfunctions.
Getting Rhode Island personal injury help may require you to speak with a lawyer who handles similar cases. A personal injury attorney can help you organize convincing medical evidence, as well as negotiate a settlement that saves you time, but does not reduce the compensation that you deserve.
How Do I File a Claim in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island has not established a formal legal procedure for filing a personal injury claim. If you suffer from the aftermath of an incident that caused you one or more injuries, the primary goal should be to prove negligence on the part of the other party.
Follow these steps for getting personal injury help in Rhode Island:
- Seek medical attention
- Contact a lawyer
- Gather and collect evidence
- Try to negotiate a settlement
- Take your case to trial if a settlement cannot be reached
Receiving just compensation for your injuries is all about gathering and organizing persuasive evidence. Copies of every medical bill let the judge overseeing your lawsuit to calculate the total amount of just compensation.
Medical expenses include an ambulance bill, costs associated with prescription medications, and a prognosis from your doctor that estimates future medical expenses. The judge ruling on your lawsuit also wants to review photos that were taken at the scene of the incident, as well as review the incident report. An incident report can come from a business or the responding law enforcement agency.
What is the Statute of Limitations in Rhode Island?
You have to file a Rhode Island personal injury claim before the deadline established by the state. Rhode Island gives you three years to file a personal injury claim, with the clock starting to tick for your claim on the day of the incident that caused you harm.
A document that confirms when you suffered personal injuries due to negligence can establish the date when the statute of limitations started on your claim. If you do not file your personal injury claim before the deadline, you can expect the state to deny your claim.
The best strategy is to file a Rhode Island personal injury claim as soon as possible after the incident that produced your injuries.
How Do I Prove Negligence in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island operates on the legal principle of comparative fault when litigating personal injury cases. This means the judge presiding over your lawsuit must assign a percentage of blame to each party involved in a personal injury incident.
For example, if you slipped and fell at a home improvement store, you might have to assume some of the legal liability for causing the incident. Comparative fault reduces the amount of money a plaintiff receives by the percentage of legal liability assigned to the plaintiff. A $10,000 monetary award for a claim that assigns you 20 percent of the blame means you earn $8,000 in monetary damages.
What Kind of Compensation Can I Receive in Rhode Island?
The primary goal of filing a personal injury claim in Rhode Island is to receive just compensation for your injuries. Some of the expenses that are typically covered by a personal injury claim include medical bills, property damage, and the wages lost because of the time missed from work.
You also have the right to seek monetary damages for non-economic reasons, such as for pain and suffering. Demonstrating that you deserve just compensation for pain and suffering requires the legal support of a personal injury lawyer.
Many states have placed limits on the amount of non-economic damages that are awarded for personal injury claims. However, Rhode Island does not cap monetary damages for non-economic reasons. The state also does not place a maximum amount of money awarded for punitive damages.
How Do I Get Personal Injury Help in Rhode Island?
Getting personal injury help in Rhode Island starts by contacting an attorney who handles similar cases. After conducting a thorough investigation, your personal injury attorney may be able to help obtain the persuasive evidence you need to prevail during a civil trial.
Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, which means they do not receive compensation until their clients get paid. Complete the Free Case Evaluation on this page to get in contact with an independent, participating attorney who subscribes to the website.
