Can I Sue if I’ve Been In a Car Wreck in Rhode Island?

Car accidents are a fact of life. Around five million people experience wrecks every year, and the average person will survive at least four car crashes in their lifetime. In many ways, the average American is well-prepared in the event of a wreck. We’re taught from a young age what to do if we’re ever in an accident, like pull over, notify the police, and exchange insurance information. The truth is that what most Americans have been taught about what to do if they’re ever in a wreck is wrong.

Many Americans make several common mistakes following a car accident. These mistakes can easily cost the average driver tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars down the line. That’s because, while most Americans survive the car crashes they experience, wrecks commonly result in large amounts of debt from hospital bills, medical expenses, lost wages, and more. The actions you take in the minutes, hours, and even days following a wreck can impact your ability to collect compensation from another driver’s insurance company.

In many instances, the actions that Americans believe they are supposed to take following an accident can actually harm their case at a later date. That’s why if you or a loved one are ever in a car accident, you must contact an experienced personal injury attorney—like Lawrence J. Signore, The Rhode Lawyer. With a dedication to his clients so fierce he’ll travel to meet you, Lawrence J. Signore can help you through the process of collecting what you deserve after a wreck.

Do I Need to Go to the Hospital After a Car Accident in Rhode Island?

Following a car accident, many people feel compelled to immediately share insurance information with the other driver or contact the police. Both of these are key actions to perform following a wreck, but they aren’t the most important. If you’re ever in a car accident, it’s vital that you immediately seek medical attention. Even if you don’t feel bad and don’t have any visible injuries, it can be a matter of life and death whether you take immediate precautionary measures.

There are several common, potentially life-threatening injuries a person can sustain in a car wreck that aren’t immediately apparent. Some common injuries that may not necessarily present themselves immediately include, but are not limited to:

• Brain Damage
• Internal Organ Damage
• Internal Bleeding
• Nerve Damage
• Partial or Full Paralysis
• Musculoskeletal Damage
• Ocular (Vision) Damage

In many instances, people who have sustained some or even all of these injuries can walk around, talk, or even drive a car for hours or even days. Depending on the extent and severity of the injury, it may be too late to treat effectively by the time symptoms present. This is why you must seek immediate medical attention. The medical staff in an ER will be aware of the potential injuries you may have sustained and will know how to treat them best.

Even if you aren’t facing life-threatening injuries, car crashes commonly result in severe lacerations, second-degree burns, broken bones, torn muscles, and other severe conditions. While failure to address these injuries may not be life-threatening, you could still suffer lifelong consequences, such as disfigurement or loss of some mobility. That’s why it’s always better to “play it safe” or “err on the side of caution” and go to the hospital after an accident, even if you feel “fine.”

Do I Need to Go to the Hospital After a Wreck Even if There Were No Injuries?

In addition to potentially life-saving measures, there are other important reasons to go to the ER after a car wreck. Even if you didn’t sustain any serious injuries, a medical record will help create a paper trail. It establishes that you were in a car wreck, that the wreck was serious enough that you were either injured or believed you were injured, and that you took your injuries seriously enough to seek treatment. These factors can all become essential elements in a lawsuit should you go to trial.

Should you fail to seek immediate medical attention following a wreck, it may be challenging to establish specific facts of your case at a later date. For example, another driver’s attorney may argue that you didn’t go to the hospital right away because you weren’t really hurt. They may say that you made up or exaggerated your injuries at a later date after you “thought it over” and decided to sue.

If you didn’t go to the hospital and file a police report, a lawyer may even try to argue that you exaggerated how bad the wreck really was. Going to the ER isn’t only a life-saving measure, but, in the event you need to go to court, it helps lay the groundwork for any future case.

Should I Talk to the Police Following an Accident?

Another area where people tend to make a lot of mistakes following a car accident is talking to the police. This is understandable. From a young age, many of us are taught to be polite and courteous to the police and answer all questions they may ask us during the course of an investigation. It is common for young Americans to learn that the first thing they should do at the sign of trouble is call the police.

You should indeed be honest and forthright with the police following a car accident. Like going to the hospital, speaking to the police helps lay the groundwork for any potential future litigation. The police will take photos and interview you, the other driver, and any passengers or witnesses. This will help create a police report that can prove vital to your case. Police reports establish when and where accidents took place, who was involved, and what the general circumstances of the crash were. A police report may contain additional evidence, such as surveillance camera footage or photos.

What Should I Tell the Police After an Accident?

In speaking to the police, you must provide basic, essential information. Answer questions honestly, but don’t provide an excess of detail. Remember that anything you say to the police can and will go into a police report. One wrong word or turn of phrase can be used against you at a later date by insurance companies and their lawyers to make you seem responsible for the wreck.

Never admit fault or say anything that could make it seem like you were even partially responsible for a wreck. Even something like “I didn’t even see him” or “He came out of nowhere” could be used to make you seem distracted or non-observant and therefore responsible for the accident. You also shouldn’t speak negatively of the other driver or use any insulting or vulgar language.

Don’t speculate about the driver’s state of mind, whether they may have been inebriated, or accuse them of any crime or irresponsibility. This can all be used to make you seem aggressive, unreasonable, and already looking for someone to blame. You want the police report to be as neutral and to-the-point as possible. This both provides your lawyer with evidence for a strong case and prevents the other driver from using your own words or actions against you at a later date.

Should I Talk to the Insurance Following an Accident?

What to say to the insurance company following an accident is among the biggest misconceptions drivers have about what happens following a wreck. Many Americans believe there is a simple, straightforward process following an accident. They get in a wreck, notify the police, collect a police report, and file it with the other driver’s insurance. Then, the insurance company makes an offer, and you accept.

This is how many Americans handle car accidents. What most Americans don’t realize is that this is exactly how car insurance companies want you to handle them.

Car insurance companies do not exist to pay out money in the event of a wreck. Car insurance companies exist to protect the people they insure. This means paying out as little as possible. Insurance companies will look for any excuse and do anything in their power to avoid paying you money. This could mean blaming you or one of your passengers for the wreck, trying to blame someone completely unrelated to the accident, or simply claiming the accident was no one person’s fault and therefore no one’s responsibility. If an insurance company has to pay anything at all, it will be the smallest amount they think they can get you to accept.

Should I Accept an Insurance Company’s Settlement After an Accident?

Many insurance companies will appear eager to settle a case. They may seem sympathetic and claim they are speeding along the process so you can get money, put the stress of the accident behind you, and “move on.” This is a standard insurance company tactic. Most people want to put stressful situations behind them and not deal with hospital bills and paperwork. The idea of a quick and easy settlement is deeply appealing to most people. However, once you accept a settlement from an insurance company, your future options are severely limited.

Insurance companies want you to make quick settlements with them because, once you do, you cannot ask for any more money. Most settlements have air-tight clauses preventing you from seeking further payment from the insurance company. That means if you receive any additional bills after the settlement, such as unexpected medical expenses or vehicle repairs, you’re “on your own.”

If you’ve been in a car accident, it’s vital to get the other driver’s insurance information- and then contact an experienced personal injury attorney to handle the case for you.

How Much Can I Sue for After a Car Accident?

The amount of money you’ll be able to collect following a car accident depends on the circumstances of the case. Compensation awarded to people in a lawsuit is called ‘damages.’ There are two types of damages in personal injury cases: economic and non-economic.

Economic damages are compensation for the actual money you spent or will need to pay. Examples of economic damages include hospital bills, medical expenses, the cost of repairing or replacing your car, and lost wages. These are expenses you can easily prove in court with receipts and documentation. Depending on how severe your economic damages are, an attorney will seek to have them multiplied by some number, often between 1.5 and 5. For example, if you had $10,000 in economic damages, an attorney may seek between $15,000 and $50,000 in compensation.

What are Non-Economic and Punitive Damages?

Non-economic damages are compensation for intangible negative consequences of your accident. These include such factors as pain and suffering, PTSD, lost sleep, difficulty maintaining relationships, and more. Non-economic damages are also sometimes called “punitive” damages. Punitive means “punishment,” since non-economic damages are also meant to punish responsible parties.

Non-economic damages are often harder to prove. Because of this, they may not be awarded as frequently as economic damages. Though challenging to establish in court, an experienced and dedicated personal injury attorney can present evidence to support your claim to non-economic damages. This is especially true if the other driver was particularly reckless or was engaging in especially dangerous behavior. Because non-economic damages are meant to be punitive, demonstrating the other driver’s recklessness can establish your right to compensation.

How Do I Prove Fault in a Rhode Island Car Accident Case?

Some people are worried that they won’t be able to prove the other driver was responsible. You may worry that the other driver’s insurance company has more resources or is more “powerful,” or that you have insufficient evidence to prove your case. These are all common concerns. An attorney with a background in personal injury and car wreck cases will be able to review the circumstances of your case and determine the best route forward.

Police reports often contain valuable information for proving another driver’s fault. Police reports can often establish whether another driver was inebriated, distracted, or driving dangerously. Additionally, police reports may contain information about further evidence, such as security camera footage. Especially in 2020s America, it is easy to come by video evidence taken by bystanders. Many businesses and even private residences are equipped with security devices such as CCTV or Ring Cameras.

An attorney will be able to review all available evidence and determine the best way to move forward. In many instances, simply hiring an attorney and allowing them to deal with the other driver’s insurance company will be enough. Insurance companies know that once a lawyer gets involved, things have gotten “serious.” Often, insurance companies will quickly raise their settlement, offer further concessions, or otherwise act to settle in your favor quickly. Even if an insurance company tries to fight your attorney, lawyers are in the best position to prove your case. That’s why, if you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident, you must contact our fierce and dedicated personal injury attorney—The Rhode Lawyer.

What if I Was Partially Responsible for My Accident?

Even if you were partially responsible for your accident, you may still be entitled to claim damages if the wreck was mostly the other party’s fault.

Rhode Island is a comparative negligence state. This means that, in the event of an accident, the law considers the responsibility of all parties involved. For example, say that two drivers get into an accident. One of them ran a red light, while the other driver was distracted because they were changing the radio station.

While the driver changing the radio station should have been paying attention to the road, they may not have been in an accident had the other driver obeyed the law and not run the red light. Under circumstances such as these, the court may assign a percentage of liability. In this case, they may assign 75% liability to the driver who ran the red light. This means the other driver could collect 75% of damages, since the court holds them 25% responsible for their own accident. In this case, if the driver were normally entitled to $10,000, they would receive $7,500 instead.

However, the court may also determine that, because the other driver broke the law in such a way that resulted in a serious wreck, the other driver is not liable at all. Determining liability can be complex and often requires the involvement of an experienced attorney who knows how to prove some aspects of a case.

This is only one example of how comparative negligence may apply in a car accident case. Our experienced personal injury attorney can review the circumstances of your case, determine if you may be held liable at all for your own accident, and what that might mean for the outcome of your case.

What Should I Do if I’ve Been in an Accident in Providence, Rhode Island?

Most people will experience a car wreck at some point in their lives. Despite this, most people don’t know what to do next. Every year, countless Americans make quick settlements with insurance companies following wrecks. Because of this, people find themselves stuck with medical debt and expensive hospital and car repair bills. Don’t let yourself become another car accident victim who didn’t get their just compensation. If you or a loved one has been hurt or killed in a car wreck in Rhode Island, don’t hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Lawrence J. Signore today.

Lawrence J. Signore isn’t just another car accident attorney—he’s The Rhode Lawyer. That means he hits the road to visit you during your time of need. While other lawyers make car accident victims come to them, Lawrence J. Signore understands that travel is the last thing most people want to—or can—do after a wreck. Whether it’s your house, hospital, rehab facility, or friend’s place, Lawrence J. Signore will come to you to consult on your case. He’ll review all the available evidence in the comfort of your own surroundings and develop an effective strategy based on it. In many instances, he’s able to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company rather than have to go to court. In the event your case goes to trial, our firm has years’ worth of courtroom experience and an established and proven track record of winning cases for our clients.

Car wrecks are a fact of life, but they can still be intimidating. That’s especially true if you or a loved one were seriously hurt. Just because you were in a wreck doesn’t mean you have to accept the insurance company’s first offer- or any offers at all. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident, don’t settle with the insurance. Contact the Law Offices of Lawrence J. Signore, The Rhode Lawyer, today at (401) 273-3000 to schedule your free consultation.