East Providence Premises Liability Lawyer

Injured on Someone Else’s Property in East Providence?

A slip on a wet floor, an unmarked step, or a poorly lit stairwell on someone else’s property can result in serious injuries, medical treatment, lost income, and questions about who was responsible for the condition.

Liability may extend to a property owner, business tenant, property manager, maintenance company, contractor, or another party that created the hazard or had responsibility for inspecting, maintaining, or repairing the area.

A premises liability claim may depend on who controlled the property, whether the dangerous condition was created by a responsible party, whether the hazard was known or should have been discovered through reasonable care, and whether the condition caused the injuries claimed.

An East Providence premises liability lawyer can investigate those issues, obtain relevant records, identify potentially responsible parties, and pursue compensation for losses supported by the evidence.

Marasco & Nesselbush represents people injured on unsafe property throughout East Providence and Rhode Island and can explain the legal options available after a premises liability accident.

Marasco & Nesselbush: Representing Injured Rhode Islanders Since 1999

An injury on someone’s property can raise questions about who controlled the area, how the dangerous condition developed, whether it was known or should have been discovered, and what evidence remains available after the accident.

Under Rhode Island premises liability law, responsibility may depend on the circumstances of the property and the hazard, including whether an owner, tenant, property manager, contractor, or another party had a duty to inspect, maintain, repair, or warn about the condition.

Our premises liability attorneys investigate those issues by obtaining available surveillance footage, incident reports, maintenance and inspection records, prior complaints, leases, service agreements, and other evidence relevant to liability.

We also document the medical treatment, lost income, permanent limitations, and other losses caused by the injury and communicate with insurers throughout the claim.

Marasco & Nesselbush has represented injured Rhode Islanders since 1999 and has recovered more than $500 million for clients across our practice areas.

Our bilingual team assists clients in English and Spanish throughout negotiations, litigation, and resolution.

If you or a loved one was injured on unsafe property in East Providence, we can evaluate what happened, explain your legal options, and help you decide what to do next.

We offer free consultations and handle premises liability claims on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Contact our East Providence office today, or use the chat feature on this page to find out if you qualify for a premises liability claim.

Why Premises Liability Victims in East Providence Choose Marasco & Nesselbush

A serious accident on unsafe property can leave injury victims facing surgery, rehabilitation, lost income, and lasting physical limitations.

Premises liability covers injuries caused by unsafe property conditions, including slip-and-fall accidents and, depending on the circumstances, negligent security incidents and some dog attacks involving landlords or other parties responsible for the property.

Under Rhode Island law, a property owner or other party in control is not automatically liable simply because an injury occurred.

Liability generally depends on whether the defendant owed a duty of reasonable care, created or knew about a dangerous condition or should have discovered it through reasonable care, failed to take appropriate action, and caused the resulting injuries.

Marasco & Nesselbush investigates Rhode Island premises liability claims from the initial evidence-preservation stage through settlement negotiations or trial.

We identify who owned, occupied, maintained, or controlled the area, determine what evidence supports negligence, and document the medical and financial consequences of the injury.

Clients choose Marasco & Nesselbush for:

• Prompt evidence preservation: Photographs, witness information, surveillance footage, incident reports, and other evidence can become difficult to recover as time passes. Our attorneys send appropriate preservation requests and gather available records early in the investigation.
• Analysis of ownership and control: We examine deeds, leases, management agreements, snow-removal contracts, maintenance agreements, and other records that may establish which parties had responsibility for the area where the accident occurred.
• Investigation of dangerous conditions and notice: Cleaning schedules, inspection records, prior complaints, work orders, photographs, and witness accounts may help establish how a hazard developed, whether a responsible party created it, and whether it was known or should have been discovered through reasonable care.
• Experience with different premises liability claims: Common premises liability cases include slip-and-fall accidents, structural hazards, and negligent security claims. Some dog attacks can also raise premises-related liability issues when a landlord or other property owner knew about the animal and the circumstances support liability under Rhode Island law.
• Evaluation of security-related claims: Injuries caused by assaults or other third-party conduct can raise questions about security, foreseeability, control of the property, and the duties owed under the particular circumstances.
• Access to appropriate experts: Expert testimony may be needed when a claim involves disputed building-code requirements, engineering issues, security practices, medical causation, future treatment, or reduced earning capacity.
• Documentation of damages: We gather medical records, wage information, and other evidence supporting compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, future care, diminished earning capacity, and other losses caused by the injury.
• Communication with insurance companies: Our attorneys handle communications, requests for information, settlement discussions, and other correspondence with insurers on behalf of our clients.
• Court filings and deadlines: We prepare the documents required to pursue a claim and identify applicable deadlines, including special notice requirements that may apply to certain claims involving defective East Providence streets or public sidewalks.
• Preparation for settlement or trial: We develop the liability and damages evidence with litigation in mind rather than assuming that a claim will resolve through negotiation.
• English- and Spanish-language support: Our bilingual team assists clients in English or Spanish throughout the claim.

When negligence is established, an injured person may seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and other losses supported by the evidence.

What Is Premises Liability in Rhode Island?

Premises liability refers to the legal responsibility that property owners, businesses, landlords, and other parties in possession or control of property may have for injuries caused by unsafe conditions.

Rhode Island law generally requires owners and possessors to exercise reasonable care for the safety of people reasonably expected to be on the premises.

This can include taking reasonable steps to discover, correct, or warn about dangerous conditions that they know about or should discover through reasonable care.

A wet retail aisle, untreated icy walkway, broken stair, inadequate lighting, or another unsafe condition may support a premises liability claim when the evidence establishes that a responsible party breached a duty of care and caused the resulting injury.

Property owners are not insurers of every visitor’s safety, and not every injury that occurs on someone else’s property results in liability.

A slip and fall or other premises liability claim must be evaluated based on the condition of the property, who controlled the area, what the responsible party knew or reasonably should have discovered, and whether the unsafe condition caused compensable harm.

What You Must Prove in an East Providence Premises Liability Case

An injured person generally must establish the elements of negligence to recover damages in an East Providence premises liability case.

The analysis depends on who owned, occupied, maintained, or controlled the area and what duty that person or company owed under the circumstances.

To recover damages, an injured person generally must prove:

• Duty of care: The defendant owed a duty of reasonable care under the circumstances to the person injured on the property.
• Breach of duty: The defendant failed to exercise reasonable care in inspecting, maintaining, repairing, or warning about a dangerous condition when the circumstances required action.
• Causation: The unsafe condition and the defendant’s breach caused the plaintiff’s injury, rather than the claimed harm resulting from an unrelated condition or event.
• Damages: The injury caused compensable losses, which may include medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, permanent impairment, and, in fatal cases, damages available through a wrongful death action.

In many premises liability cases, the injured person must also present evidence that the defendant knew about the dangerous condition or, through reasonable inspection and maintenance, should have discovered it in time to take appropriate action.

Rhode Island courts have emphasized that the mere existence of an unsafe condition does not by itself establish negligence.

Our attorneys investigate who controlled the property, how the condition developed, whether there were earlier complaints or inspections, and what surveillance footage, maintenance records, photographs, or witness accounts show about the accident.

Actual Notice and Constructive Notice

Notice can be an important issue when a premises liability claim involves a dangerous condition that the defendant did not create.

Actual notice exists when the property owner, business, or another responsible party actually knew about the hazard before the injury occurred.

Evidence may include an earlier customer complaint, an employee report, a maintenance request, or other documentation showing that the condition had already been identified.

Constructive notice can exist when a dangerous condition remained present long enough, or under circumstances such that a reasonable property owner or business should have discovered it through appropriate inspection and maintenance.

Rhode Island courts consider the particular facts surrounding the condition rather than applying a fixed amount of time that automatically establishes constructive notice.

Factors can include how long the hazard appears to have existed, its location and appearance, the nature of the property, and the defendant’s opportunity to discover it.

When the defendant or its employee created the dangerous condition, the analysis can differ from a case involving a spill or obstruction created by an unknown third party.

Evidence showing how the condition originated may therefore be as important as evidence showing how long it remained on the property.

Cleaning schedules, inspection logs, prior complaints, work orders, photographs, surveillance footage, and witness testimony can help establish whether known hazards were addressed and whether a condition should reasonably have been discovered before the injury occurred.

A Rhode Island premises liability claim often depends on obtaining those records and evaluating them alongside the circumstances of the accident.

Common Types of Premises Liability Accidents in East Providence

Premises liability claims in East Providence can arise from slip and fall accidents, structural hazards, inadequate security, and other unsafe property conditions.

The basic negligence principles remain the same, but the evidence needed to establish liability can differ substantially depending on how the accident occurred.

A claim involving a spill, for example, may require evidence concerning who created the condition, how long it was present, and whether reasonable inspections should have identified it.

A case involving a broken stair, defective handrail, or other structural condition may instead require maintenance records, prior complaints, photographs, inspection history, and evidence concerning the building or safety requirements applicable to the property.

Common types of premises liability accidents include:

• Slip and fall accidents: Wet floors, spilled products, freshly mopped surfaces, tracked-in rain, and other slippery conditions can cause falls in stores, restaurants, apartment buildings, and other properties.
• Trip and fall accidents: Uneven flooring, torn carpeting, loose mats, raised thresholds, and unexpected changes in elevation can cause a person to trip and fall.
• Stairway falls: Broken treads, loose or missing handrails, uneven steps, and poor lighting can contribute to serious falls on stairways.
• Falls on uneven ground: Cracked pavement, potholes, damaged walkways, and changes in surface height may create hazards for pedestrians when they are not reasonably addressed or identified.
• Snow and ice falls: Untreated ice, accumulated snow, refrozen meltwater, and runoff can create hazardous walking conditions during and after a Rhode Island winter storm.
• Inadequate security: Depending on the circumstances, a person injured in a foreseeable assault or other criminal incident may have a premises liability claim involving allegedly inadequate security, such as defective locks, inadequate access controls, or other security failures.
• Falling merchandise: Improperly stacked products, unsecured displays, or merchandise stored overhead can cause injuries when items fall onto customers or employees.
• Swimming pool accidents: Swimming pool accidents may involve inadequate barriers, unsafe walking surfaces, defective equipment, insufficient warnings, or other conditions that contribute to drowning, near-drowning, or fall injuries.

Other dangerous conditions may also support a premises liability claim when the evidence establishes that a responsible party owed a duty of care, created or knew about the hazard or reasonably should have discovered it, and failed to take appropriate action before the injury occurred.

Where Premises Liability Accidents Happen in East Providence

Premises liability accidents can occur on commercial, residential, and public property throughout East Providence.

Identifying who may be responsible requires examining who owned, occupied, controlled, maintained, or agreed to service the particular area where the injury occurred.

Leases, property records, maintenance agreements, inspection records, and service contracts may help establish which party had responsibility for the condition that caused the accident.

Premises liability accidents in East Providence may occur at:

• Retail and grocery stores: Falls can occur in aisles, entrances, checkout areas, and other parts of stores along commercial corridors such as Newport Avenue and Warren Avenue. Responsibility depends on who controlled the area and what the evidence shows about the dangerous condition.
• Apartment buildings and rental properties: Claims may involve stairways, hallways, entrances, walkways, lighting, or other areas maintained by a landlord, property manager, tenant, or another responsible party.
• Restaurants and bars: Spills, unsafe flooring, defective stairs, inadequate lighting, and other conditions may cause injuries in dining areas, entrances, patios, and other parts of the premises.
• Parking lots and garages: Responsibility for a parking area may rest with an owner, commercial tenant, property manager, maintenance contractor, or snow-removal company depending on the applicable agreements and actual control of the area.
• Public sidewalks: Falls on municipal sidewalks are governed by different rules from accidents on private property. Rhode Island imposes statutory duties on municipalities to maintain qualifying public highways and sidewalks, subject to specific notice and procedural requirements.
• Parks and recreational property: Accidents on city or state recreational land may involve additional statutory protections and different governmental entities. The East Bay Bike Path, for example, falls under RIDOT’s overall jurisdiction, while DEM performs day-to-day maintenance and management of the path.

East Providence Code § 14-40 requires the owner, occupant, or person caring for property abutting a public sidewalk to remove snow and ice within 24 hours after the snow stops falling.

The ordinance imposes municipal penalties for noncompliance, but Rhode Island courts have held that a snow-removal ordinance does not by itself create a private duty owed by an abutting property owner to a pedestrian using a public sidewalk.

A sidewalk injury should therefore be evaluated based on who controlled the location, what caused the dangerous condition, and which statutory or common-law duties apply.

Who May Be Responsible for Unsafe Property Conditions?

Responsibility for an unsafe property condition depends on who owned, occupied, controlled, maintained, or agreed to service the area where the injury occurred.

More than one person or company may have responsibilities involving the same property, particularly when a landlord, commercial tenant, property manager, or outside contractor divides maintenance duties through leases or service agreements.

Rhode Island premises liability law generally requires owners and possessors to exercise reasonable care for the safety of people reasonably expected to be on the premises.

A party may be held liable when the evidence establishes that the party owed a duty of care, created or knew about a dangerous condition or should have discovered it through a reasonable effort, failed to take appropriate action, and caused the resulting injury.

Parties that may be responsible for unsafe property conditions include:

• Property owners: An owner may be responsible for a dangerous condition on his or her property when the area was under the owner’s control and the evidence establishes a breach of the applicable duty of care.
• Residential landlords: Rhode Island landlords must comply with applicable health and safety codes, make necessary repairs, and keep common areas clean and safe under R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22. The statute also requires landlords to maintain at least $100,000 in general liability insurance covering injuries caused by the landlord’s negligence.
• Business tenants: A store, restaurant, or other commercial tenant may be responsible for hazards in areas it possesses or controls. The lease, maintenance agreements, and actual operation of the property can help establish which areas and duties belonged to the tenant.
• Property management companies: A management company may bear responsibility when its contractual duties or conduct gave it control over inspections, repairs, maintenance, or other conditions related to the injury.
• Maintenance and snow-removal contractors: A contractor may be liable for injuries caused by its own negligent work, depending on the services it agreed to perform and the circumstances surrounding the hazard.
• Security companies: A company retained to provide security may face liability when its own conduct fails to meet an applicable duty and contributes to a foreseeable injury. Whether adequate security was required and what precautions were reasonable depend on the particular property, risks, contractual duties, and surrounding circumstances.
• Municipalities and government entities: East Providence or another government entity may potentially be responsible for certain dangerous conditions on property it owns or maintains, but government claims can be subject to different duties, defenses, notice requirements, and damages limitations.

More than one party may be legally responsible for the same accident.

Deeds, leases, management agreements, maintenance contracts, security agreements, inspection records, and evidence showing who actually controlled the area can help determine which parties owed a duty and whether their conduct contributed to the injury.

Identifying the responsible parties is only one part of the claim.

The injured person must still establish negligence, causation, and compensable damages against each defendant based on the evidence applicable to that party.

Common Injuries Caused by Dangerous Property Conditions

Premises liability accidents can cause injuries ranging from temporary sprains and fractures to permanent neurological or mobility impairments.

The severity of an injury depends on factors such as the type of accident, the force of the impact, the surface involved, the person’s age and health, and the part of the body that was injured.

Falls can be particularly serious for older adults.

Hip fractures are among the most serious fall-related injuries in this population and can result in hospitalization, rehabilitation, reduced mobility, and loss of independence.

Injuries caused by dangerous property conditions may include:

• Hip and pelvic fractures: A hard fall can fracture the hip, pelvis, or upper portion of the femur. These injuries may require surgery and extensive rehabilitation, particularly for older adults.
• Traumatic brain injuries: A blow to the head against pavement, flooring, shelving, or a stair can cause a traumatic brain injury. Symptoms of a concussion or other mild brain injury may appear immediately or develop hours or days after the accident.
• Spinal cord injuries: Severe trauma to the spine can damage the spinal cord and may cause chronic pain, weakness, sensory changes, impaired mobility, or paralysis in the most serious cases. A catastrophic injury lawyer can evaluate the long-term medical and financial consequences of these injuries.
• Wrist and arm fractures: A person who instinctively reaches out during a fall may fracture the wrist, forearm, elbow, or another part of the upper extremity. Some fractures require surgery, internal fixation, and extended rehabilitation.
• Knee and shoulder injuries: Falls can cause ligament tears, meniscus injuries, rotator cuff damage, dislocations, and other joint injuries that interfere with work and daily activities.
• Soft tissue injuries: Sprains, strains, contusions, and other injuries to muscles, ligaments, and tendons may cause significant pain and functional limitations even when ordinary X-rays do not show the damaged tissue.
• Lacerations and scarring: Broken glass, exposed metal, sharp edges, and other hazards can cause deep cuts that require sutures or surgery and may leave permanent scars.

A preexisting medical condition does not automatically prevent an injured person from recovering compensation.

Rhode Island law recognizes that a defendant may be responsible for harm caused when negligent conduct aggravates an earlier condition, provided the evidence establishes that the accident caused or worsened the claimed injury.

Medical records from both before and after the accident can become important when distinguishing a preexisting condition from symptoms or limitations caused or aggravated by the incident.

Prompt medical evaluation can also document the injuries, symptoms, and treatment following the accident and help establish their connection to what occurred on the property.

What to Do After a Premises Liability Incident in East Providence

The steps taken after an accident on unsafe property can affect both medical treatment and the evidence available if a premises liability claim is later disputed.

Dangerous conditions can be repaired, spills can be cleaned, surveillance footage can be overwritten, and warning signs may be moved after an incident, making early documentation especially important.

After a premises liability incident in East Providence, consider taking the following steps:

• Seek medical attention: Obtain appropriate medical attention for your injuries, even if symptoms initially appear manageable. Prompt evaluation can identify fractures, head injuries, soft tissue damage, and other conditions while creating medical records documenting the symptoms and treatment following the accident.
• Report the incident: Notify the property owner, store manager, landlord, property manager, or another person responsible for the premises. If an incident report is prepared, ask how you can obtain a copy and keep a record of when and to whom the accident was reported.
• Photograph the dangerous condition: Take photographs or video of the condition that caused the injury before it is repaired or removed. Include the surrounding area, lighting, stairs or walking surfaces, and the presence or absence of cones, warning signs, barriers, or other safety measures.
• Identify witnesses: Obtain names and contact information from people who saw the accident or the condition beforehand. Witnesses may also have information about how long a hazard existed, earlier complaints, or actions taken by employees or property personnel.
• Preserve relevant physical evidence: Keep the shoes, clothing, damaged personal property, photographs, medical paperwork, receipts, and communications related to the accident. Avoid altering or discarding items that could later help document what occurred.
• Ask about surveillance footage: Stores, apartment buildings, parking areas, and other properties may have cameras covering the location of an accident. An attorney can send an appropriate preservation request for relevant footage and other records before they are routinely deleted or overwritten.
• Document the location carefully: Record the exact place where the incident happened and, when possible, who appeared to own, occupy, maintain, or control the area. Those details can become important when responsibility is divided among a property owner, tenant, management company, or contractor.
• Be cautious with insurance communications: A property insurer may request a statement, medical authorization, or other information while investigating the claim. An injured person can speak with an attorney before providing a detailed recorded statement or signing documents that may affect the claim.
• Contact a premises liability lawyer: An attorney can investigate ownership and control, obtain incident and maintenance records, preserve available evidence, evaluate whether a dangerous condition was known or should have been discovered, and identify the Rhode Island laws and deadlines that apply.

Premises liability claims often depend on evidence concerning the condition of the property before it was changed or repaired.

Photographs, witness information, medical records, incident reports, surveillance footage, and maintenance records can help establish what happened and whether a responsible party failed to exercise reasonable care.

Evidence in an East Providence Premises Liability Claim

Evidence in a premises liability case can help establish how an accident occurred, who controlled the area, whether a dangerous condition was known or should have been discovered, and what losses resulted from the injury.

An experienced premises liability attorney can gather records that may not be readily available to the injured plaintiff, including surveillance footage, incident reports, inspection records, maintenance logs, leases, service agreements, and prior complaints involving the same condition.

Some claims also require measurements or expert analysis.

Building-code requirements, stair dimensions, lighting levels, slip resistance, structural conditions, and other technical issues must be evaluated under the codes and standards applicable to the particular property and circumstances.

Evidence that may support an East Providence premises liability claim includes:

• Photographs and video: Images of the scene can document a spill, damaged walkway, defective stair, inadequate lighting, warning signs, or other conditions before they are repaired or changed.
• Surveillance footage: Available camera footage may show the accident, the condition of the property beforehand, people entering or leaving the area, or actions taken by employees or maintenance personnel.
• Incident reports: Reports prepared after an accident can document when and where the incident was reported, the people involved, and information recorded by employees or property personnel.
• Maintenance and inspection records: Cleaning schedules, inspection logs, repair records, and work orders may help establish how the property was maintained and whether a dangerous condition had previously been identified.
• Prior complaints: Earlier complaints involving the same or a similar condition may provide evidence concerning notice, depending on when they were made, who received them, and whether they involved the hazard that caused the accident.
• Ownership, lease, and service records: Deeds, leases, property-management agreements, and maintenance contracts can help determine which person or company controlled or had responsibility for the area.
• Expert measurements and analysis: Engineers, building-code specialists, safety professionals, medical experts, or other qualified professionals may be needed to evaluate technical conditions and explain whether they contributed to the accident.
• Medical and wage records: Treatment records, diagnostic testing, medical bills, employment records, and wage information can document the injuries sustained, treatment required, time missed from work, and other damages resulting from the accident.

The evidence required depends on the type of property, the dangerous condition, the parties involved, and the issues being disputed.

Marasco & Nesselbush can investigate the circumstances of an East Providence premises liability accident and determine what records, testimony, or expert analysis may be needed to support the claim.

Rhode Island Laws That May Affect Your East Providence Premises Liability Case

Rhode Island premises liability claims can be affected by statutes governing comparative negligence, residential landlords, municipal property, and recreational land.

Which rules apply depends on who controlled the property, where the accident occurred, and why the injured person was there.

Relevant Rhode Island laws include:

• Comparative negligence: Rhode Island follows a pure comparative negligence rule under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-20-4. An injured party can still recover compensation when partially responsible for an accident, although the award is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned. The statute also provides that an open and obvious danger does not automatically bar recovery.
• Residential landlord duties: Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-22, residential landlords must comply with applicable health and safety requirements, make necessary repairs, and keep common areas clean and safe. Rhode Island also requires landlords to maintain at least $100,000 in general liability insurance for injuries caused by the landlord’s negligence.
• Claims involving municipal streets and sidewalks: Certain Rhode Island accidents involving defects in municipal highways, bridges, or public sidewalks are subject to special notice requirements. R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-15-9 generally requires notice to the municipality within 60 days for qualifying claims, while damages against a city or town are generally subject to statutory limits. The 60-day rule does not apply automatically to every injury occurring on government property.
• Recreational use of land: Rhode Island’s Recreational Use Statute provides broad liability protection when land is made available without charge for qualifying recreational activities. However, R.I. Gen. Laws § 32-6-5 preserves liability in specified circumstances, including certain willful or malicious failures to guard or warn after discovering a user’s peril and certain situations involving a charge for entry. Whether the statute applies depends on the facts of the particular property and accident.

Deadlines for Filing a Premises Liability Lawsuit in Rhode Island

Rhode Island generally requires a personal injury lawsuit to be filed within three years after the cause of action accrues under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-14(b).

In most premises liability cases involving a fall or other identifiable accident, that period begins on the date of the injury.

Reporting the accident, opening an insurance claim, or negotiating with an insurer does not generally stop the limitations period from running.

A much shorter notice deadline applies to certain claims involving defects in municipal highways and public sidewalks.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-15-9, an injured person generally must provide the responsible municipality with notice of the time, place, and cause of the injury within 60 days.

The statute still provides a three-year period for filing the lawsuit and directs a qualifying action against the municipal treasurer.

Different timing rules can apply to claims belonging to children.

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-19, the limitations period is generally postponed when the injured person was under age 18 when the cause of action accrued.

Because shorter notice requirements and other procedural rules can apply depending on the property and defendant involved, the deadline for a particular premises liability claim should be determined from the specific facts of the accident.

Damages You Can Recover in an East Providence Premises Liability Case

When an injury is caused by a property owner’s negligence or the negligence of another responsible party, Rhode Island law may allow the injured person to recover compensatory damages for the resulting losses.

Economic damages address financial losses that can be documented or reasonably calculated, while non-economic damages compensate for physical, emotional, and personal consequences that do not have a fixed dollar value.

The amount available depends on the injuries, medical treatment, effect on employment and daily life, permanence of the harm, and other evidence specific to the case.

Damages in an East Providence premises liability claim may include:

• Medical expenses: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, physician visits, diagnostic testing, medication, and other necessary treatment related to the injury.
• Future medical care: Reasonably anticipated costs of additional surgery, rehabilitation, assistive equipment, home modifications, or long-term care required because of the injury.
• Rehabilitation and therapy: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other treatment needed to restore function or adapt to lasting limitations.
• Lost income: Wages and other earnings lost while the injured person is unable to work because of the accident.
• Reduced earning capacity: Financial losses caused when a permanent injury limits the person’s ability to work or earn income in the future.
• Out-of-pocket expenses: Reasonable expenses resulting from the injury, such as medical supplies, necessary equipment, and transportation related to treatment.
• Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain, discomfort, limitations, and other effects of the injury.
• Emotional harm and loss of enjoyment of life: Compensation may address anxiety, emotional distress, and the loss of hobbies, family activities, recreation, and other parts of life the person previously enjoyed.
• Permanent disability, scarring, or disfigurement: Lasting changes in mobility, physical function, independence, or appearance may increase the non-economic losses associated with an injury.
• Loss of consortium: In qualifying cases, a spouse may have a separate claim for losses to the marital relationship caused by the injury.

Medical records, wage documentation, testimony, expert opinions, and other evidence can help establish these losses.

Insurance adjusters may dispute the cause, extent, permanence, or value of particular damages, making careful documentation important when accident victims seek rightful compensation through Rhode Island’s legal system.

Punitive damages are different from the compensatory damages listed above because their purpose is to punish exceptionally wrongful conduct rather than reimburse an injured person for a loss.

Rhode Island applies a demanding standard, requiring evidence of willfulness, recklessness, or wickedness amounting to criminality, together with malice or bad faith, before punitive damages may be considered.

Ordinary negligence, even when it results in a severe injury, does not by itself satisfy that standard.

Punitive damages are therefore uncommon in premises liability cases and depend on the defendant’s conduct rather than simply on the seriousness of the injury.

Most premises liability claims focus on proving the economic and non-economic losses caused by the accident.

Marasco & Nesselbush: Talk to an East Providence Premises Liability Lawyer Today

Marasco & Nesselbush represents people who have suffered injuries because of dangerous conditions on commercial, residential, and other properties throughout East Providence and Rhode Island.

Our attorneys investigate who controlled the property, how the hazardous condition developed, what evidence remains available, and whether the facts support a premises liability claim.

For clients injured in falls and other property-related accidents, we can obtain surveillance footage and records, evaluate applicable Rhode Island law, document medical and financial losses, communicate with insurance companies, and provide skilled legal representation through settlement negotiations or litigation when necessary.

An experienced attorney can also explain the factors that may affect liability and potential compensation, including the severity of the injuries, available evidence, comparative negligence, and the damages supported by the claim.

If you were injured because of an unsafe property condition in East Providence, contact Marasco & Nesselbush for a free consultation.

We handle qualifying premises liability cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Contact our East Providence office today, or use the chat feature on this page to speak with our team.