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Injured in an Auto Accident in Woonsocket? Our Attorneys Can Help
An auto accident in Woonsocket may involve a passenger car, company vehicle, rideshare vehicle, or commercial truck, each presenting different liability and insurance considerations.
A collision involving two privately owned cars generally requires examining the actions of both drivers and their respective insurance policies.
The situation can become more complicated when a vehicle is used for employment or rideshare services, as an employer or rideshare company may also bear liability, depending on the circumstances.
These differences can affect whose insurance applies and which parties may be responsible for the resulting injuries and losses.
A Woonsocket auto accident lawyer at Marasco & Nesselbush can investigate the collision, identify potentially liable parties, determine applicable insurance coverage, and pursue compensation under Rhode Island law.
Marasco & Nesselbush: Representing Rhode Islanders Since 1999
A serious auto accident can leave injury victims with severe injuries, mounting medical bills, and months away from work.
Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injured Rhode Islanders since 1999 and has secured substantial verdicts and settlements in serious motor vehicle cases.
If you have been injured in an auto accident, contact Marasco & Nesselbush for a consultation that is completely free.
Our law firm handles auto accident cases on a contingency fee basis, with no attorney fees unless we recover compensation.
Why Auto Accident Victims in Woonsocket Choose Marasco & Nesselbush
Marasco & Nesselbush has recovered more than $500 million for clients, including multimillion dollar results in serious motor vehicle cases.
Our legal team handles communications with insurance companies and represents injury victims throughout Rhode Island in auto accident claims and other personal injury cases.
Clients choose Marasco & Nesselbush after an auto accident for reasons that include the following:
- Results in Serious Motor Vehicle Cases: Our published results include a $6.2 million auto accident settlement involving distracted driving, as well as a $1 million award to another car accident client.
- Accident Investigation Resources: We gather evidence from vehicle damage, roadway conditions, and event data recorder downloads, working with reconstruction specialists and treating physicians.
- Rhode Island Court Experience: We appear in the Rhode Island Superior and District Courts and know the insurance company tactics used to defend a Woonsocket claim.
- Bilingual Legal Support: Our bilingual team works with clients from the first call through negotiation and any court proceedings that follow.
- Assistance With Liens and Reimbursement Claims: We identify and resolve claims by health insurers, Medicare, Medicaid, and hospitals before any recovery is distributed.
Our Woonsocket Auto Accident Attorneys Get Results
Our track record in motor vehicle cases includes verdicts and settlements involving catastrophic injuries, disputed liability, and substantial financial losses.
Examples of motor vehicle results obtained by Marasco & Nesselbush for injured clients and their families include:
- $6.2 Million: Recovered for a client who sustained serious injuries in a rollover crash caused by a distracted driver.
- $4.5 Million Settlement: Secured for a client who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a car crash.
- $1.4 Million Arbitration Award: Secured for a family whose son passed away due to a brain injury sustained in a high-speed car accident.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and each case is evaluated on its own facts.
Types of Auto Accidents in Woonsocket
Automobile accidents can involve different vehicles and collision circumstances, each raising its own liability and insurance issues.
The type of vehicle involved in an accident can affect which parties may be held liable and what insurance coverage may be available to compensate injured victims.
Common types of auto accidents in Woonsocket, and the legal questions each one can raise, include:
- Car Accidents: A collision between passenger vehicles may involve disputed accounts of how the crash occurred, and a Woonsocket car accident lawyer can address both fault and coverage.
- Truck Accidents: A commercial truck accident may involve the trucking company as well as the driver, and carriers are subject to federal traffic laws governing hours and maintenance.
- Motorcycle Accidents: A motorcycle accident can involve serious injuries and may raise questions about visibility, lane position, speed, or the conduct of another driver.
- Rideshare Accidents: An accident involving an Uber or Lyft vehicle raises insurance questions that depend on the driver status within the application.
- Bus Accidents: A collision involving a bus can raise questions about whether the vehicle was privately or publicly operated and about the conduct of the driver.
- Pedestrian Accidents: A collision involving a pedestrian may raise questions about crosswalks, visibility, right of way, and whether a driver violated traffic laws at the crossing.
- Bicycle Accidents: A bicycle collision may involve roadway position, traffic signals, right of way, and whether the driver or cyclist violated a traffic rule.
An accident may fall into more than one of these categories, such as a rideshare vehicle struck by a commercial truck.
Injured and not sure what your case is worth? Find out for free.
Who May Be Responsible for a Woonsocket Auto Accident?
A Woonsocket auto accident may involve more than one party, since conduct, ownership, and control over the vehicle can each affect liability.
Negligent drivers may be responsible for careless driving, while a vehicle owner, an employer, or a public entity may share responsibility depending on the circumstances.
Parties that may share legal responsibility for injuries caused by a Woonsocket auto accident include the following:
- The Other Driver: The conduct of another driver may provide the basis for a negligence claim when that conduct contributed to the collision.
- The Vehicle Owner: A vehicle owner may have legal responsibility when another person operates the vehicle with permission, and Rhode Island law provides specific rules governing that liability.
- An Employer: An employer may be responsible for the conduct of an employee who was acting within the scope of employment at the time.
- A Rental or Leasing Company: A rental or leasing company may have legal responsibility depending on the rental arrangement, the applicable coverage, and the statutory requirements governing lessors.
- A Government Entity: A municipality or state entity may become involved when a defective roadway or public vehicle contributed to the accident, subject to separate statutory requirements.
- A Third Party: A repair facility, parts manufacturer, contractor, or similar party may share responsibility when defective work contributed to the crash.
Two or more parties found liable for the same injury may each be held responsible for the entire amount of the damages awarded.
A motor vehicle accident lawyer looks for every party who may share liability for the same injury.
Insurance Coverage After a Woonsocket Auto Accident
The insurance available after a Woonsocket auto accident may depend on whether the vehicle was privately owned or used for work.
Reviewing the applicable policies can help determine available coverage, the maximum compensation each policy allows, and deadlines for notifying insurance companies.
Rhode Island Insurance Coverage Requirements
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-47-2, Rhode Island drivers must carry minimum liability coverage of $25,000 for bodily injury per person and $25,000 for property damage.
The law also requires at least $50,000 in total bodily injury coverage when two or more people are injured in the same accident.
Alternatively, an auto insurance policy may provide a combined single limit of $75,000 for bodily injury and property damage.
The $50,000 bodily injury limit applies collectively to all injured claimants, rather than providing separate coverage for each person.
Consequently, an early settlement with one claimant may reduce the insurance funds available to satisfy other claims arising from the same accident.
Rhode Island does not require personal injury protection coverage.
While an injury claim is pending, medical expenses may be paid through health insurance or available medical payments coverage.
The injured person may then seek compensation for qualifying medical expenses through a claim against the responsible party.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Uninsured motorist coverage responds under your own policy if an at fault driver holds no applicable liability insurance.
Underinsured motorist coverage applies instead when that driver carries some insurance, but not enough to cover the loss.
A claim involving an uninsured or underinsured driver proceeds against your own insurer rather than the other driver’s insurance company.
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1, insurers generally provide uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage equal to the policyholder’s bodily injury liability limits.
Policyholders may select lower limits in writing, and certain minimum-limit policies allow the coverage to be rejected
A hit and run accident falls within the statute mentioned, so a driver who leaves the scene does not defeat the claim.
An injured person is also not required to sue the at fault driver first, since the statute permits a claim against that coverage directly.
What Compensation Can Be Recovered After a Woonsocket Auto Accident
The compensation available after a Woonsocket auto accident depends on the financial losses caused by the collision and the injuries that resulted.
A personal injury attorney documents the damages so that any settlement reflects the full extent of the losses proved.
You may seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, and the other losses the collision caused.
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover financial losses caused by an auto accident, including medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and ongoing medical expenses for future treatment.
Other recoverable losses may include lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and property damage, including vehicle repair or replacement costs.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages compensate for injuries and losses that do not have a specific monetary value or appear on financial records.
These may include pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent impairment, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and qualifying loss of consortium.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages may be awarded in limited circumstances to punish misconduct that goes beyond ordinary negligence.
Rhode Island courts require evidence of willfulness, recklessness, or wickedness amounting to criminality, involving malice or bad faith.
Wrongful Death Damages
When an auto accident results in death, a wrongful death lawsuit may be filed under Chapter 10-7 of the Rhode Island General Laws.
The executor or administrator generally files the lawsuit, while state law determines the recoverable damages and distribution among eligible beneficiaries.
Rhode Island Laws That May Affect Your Woonsocket Auto Accident Claim
Auto accident laws vary significantly by state, and a Woonsocket collision is governed by Rhode Island rules.
Several rules of Rhode Island personal injury law can affect an auto accident claim from the date of the collision.
Insurance companies apply those rules from the first contact with an injured person, and knowing them protects the available options.
Rhode Island Statute of Limitations
Rhode Island has a three year statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims arising from an auto accident.
Most claims brought against another driver fall under that period, counted from the date of the collision.
Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b), that period runs from the date the cause of action accrues, and a personal injury lawsuit filed within it protects your legal rights.
Comparative Negligence Rules
Rhode Island follows a pure comparative negligence rule, which protects a claimant who shares part of the fault.
Partial fault does not bar a recovery under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4, and damages are instead reduced in proportion to the fault assigned to the injured person.
A jury that values damages at $100,000 and assigns the injured person 60% of the fault would still award $40,000.
You can therefore still recover compensation even if you are more than 50% at fault, since no percentage bars a claim outright.
Reporting Your Crash to the Police and the DMV
Rhode Island requires immediate notice to the police after any accident that injures a person or damages an attended vehicle.
The Rhode Island DMV separately requires a state accident form filed with the DMV within 21 days for certain accidents.
Filing that report is required where the crash caused injury or death, or property damage to any one person above $1,000.
What to Do After an Auto Accident in Woonsocket
After an auto accident in Woonsocket, drivers must comply with Rhode Island reporting requirements and take reasonable steps to document the collision and any injuries.
Medical records, accident photographs, and witness information can provide important evidence if questions about fault or compensation arise later.
Steps to take after an auto accident in Woonsocket, in the order they usually arise, include:
- Emergency Response: Call emergency services immediately after an auto accident, and request medical help for anyone who appears injured.
- Treatment: Seek medical attention promptly if you are injured or develop symptoms afterwards, and follow what your provider recommends.
- Photographs and Witnesses: Document the accident scene with photos and witness statements, including vehicle positions, road conditions, and visible injuries.
- Exchange Information: Collect names, contact details, vehicle registration, and insurance details from every driver and passenger involved.
- Policy Notice: Report the accident to your insurance provider promptly, since policy conditions can require notice of an insurance claim within days.
- Legal Advice: Contact a lawyer as soon as possible after the accident, particularly if the injuries required hospital treatment.
Insurance adjusters often try to minimize payouts in auto accident claims, and contact from the other driver’s insurance company usually follows within days.
Evidence That Can Strengthen a Woonsocket Auto Accident Claim
Gathering evidence quickly is crucial to a successful claim after an auto accident, since some records and footage are retained only briefly.
Evidence can help establish how a collision occurred, who was responsible, and the extent of the resulting injuries.
Records that may support a Woonsocket auto accident claim include:
- Police Reports: Officer observations, scene diagrams, statements taken at the time, and any citation issued may establish how the collision occurred.
- Accident Scene Photos: Vehicle positions, damage, skid marks, and traffic signals may record the scene of a car wreck before it is cleared.
- Medical Records: Physical injuries, the date symptoms first appeared, the treatment given, and the expected recovery may establish the extent of the harm.
- Witness Accounts: Statements from passengers, other drivers, and people nearby may describe the collision or its immediate aftermath.
- Vehicle Data: Event data recorder downloads, repair estimates, and inspection findings may show the speed, braking, and force involved in a car crash.
- Video Footage: Dashcam, doorbell, and business surveillance recordings may capture the collision, though they can be overwritten within weeks.
Talk to a lawyer and get a free case evaluation today.
Marasco & Nesselbush: Woonsocket Auto Accident Attorneys
If you have been injured in an auto accident, you may be eligible to file a claim and pursue the compensation you deserve.
Contact Marasco & Nesselbush today for a free case evaluation with a Woonsocket auto accident attorney, or visit our office at 603 Park Ave in Woonsocket.
