Rhode Island car accident attorney
If you are suffering from serious injuries from a Rhode Island car accident that was not your fault, you will need to consider filing a claim using a Rhode island car accident attorney against the responsible party and their insurance carrier. But exactly how do you determine the value of your claim that far exceeds your total medical costs and money needed to repair your damaged vehicle?
Rhode Island car accident attorney
Determining the value of special damages involved in a Rhode Island car accident is easy. You need to simply add up the bills from healthcare providers, lost wages and auto body shops. However, general intangible damages are a bit trickier to calculate. This might involve your pain, suffering, depression, mental anguish, and the limitations of your abilities to perform many of the normal activities you enjoyed before the accident.
The court system places no quantifiable financial value on your pain and suffering. However, it is important to find an objective way to place a dollar amount on the discomfort and stress you feel as you heal. Because of that, many people choose to hire a personal injury attorney with years of experience in negotiating an adequate settlement for their clients to include tangible and intangible costs.
The Negotiation Process of a motor vehicle crash
A skilled attorney can ensure that you receive the recompense you deserve for being the victim of a car accident you did not cause. A Providence attorney will ensure that you are properly healed, or that you have been properly diagnosed to determine the extent of your injuries and the length of the healing process. A RI Personal Injury attorney will use a variety of factors to negotiate the best settlement. Some of these factors include:
• The total amount of all previous medical expenses caused by the accident
• A calculated amount of all future medical care, including follow-up surgeries, procedures, treatments, rehabilitation and mental health care when necessary
• The limitations of performing your everyday activities including going to work and caring for yourself
• The costs involved in a permanent or temporary disability directly related to the accident
• The extent of damages to your family caused by changes in your abilities to work or perform everyday tasks
• The amount of funds required to repair any damaged property including your vehicle involved in the accident
• Adequate recompense for your pain, suffering, mental anguish and despair
Obtaining a larger settlement
Having a Rhode Island Personal injury Lawyer on your site is often beneficial when seeking a settlement that includes payment for your pain and suffering. Jury awards dealing with general damages that can be highly unpredictable.
A skilled East providence RI attorney can make a claim for your pain, discomfort and suffering by convincing the claims adjuster that:
• You are ready to file suit to go to trial
• The costs involved in putting on a trial will be high to the insurance company
• The facts of the case indicate that the jury will likely be sympathetic to you for the injuries caused by the responsible party
Hiring a skilled car accident lawyer in RI that specializes in Rhode Island car accidents can help you gather evidence to make a convincing case to obtain additional funds for your pain and suffering. Most reputable Rhode Island personal injury law firms take cases on contingency. This means you will not be required to pay the attorney out of pocket.
Auto accident lawyers in RI
If you were injured in a Rhode island Auto accident it is crucial that you take pictures of the automobiles involved. Pictures of the car crash scene should be taken immediately after the accident. If possible also get a video or pictures of the accident before the cars are moved or towed by the police.
Take pics of injury bruises
These pictures may be useful if the person who caused the accident is not truthful about how the RI Accident happened. Also if you have visible bruises or physical conditions take pictures when the injury appears the worst. Make sure that you also notify the local police of the motor vehicle accident. Most importantly, if you were injured in the accident contact a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer.
Pics of the scene of the accident are crucial!
Also make sure that you get pictures of the scene of the accident showing any relevant physical conditions such as ice, snow, stop signs, traffic signals or other signs. If you believe that the other person was using his cell phone, smart phone or gps device, please notify the officer that this was a distracted driving accident. This will help the officer ask the important questions to the other driver and do a proper investigation. Most importantly, if you were injured in the car crash, make sure you receive proper medical treatment for the accident, you will not be compensated by the insurance company for periods of time when you were injured but not under the care of a medical provider.
David Slepkow
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident in Rhode Island or a RI Car accident, it is crucial that you follow these important RI Auto Crash Tips:
- When you stop at the scene of the automobile crash, your first concern should be for the safety of yourself, your family and others involved in the motor vehicle wreck. If it is safe to do so, leave your vehicle at the spot of the collision so the police can adequately reconstruct the RI car accident. In many situations it will be necessary to pull over to the side of the road or highway to protect your safety and the safety of others. Use common sense.
- If staying in your automobile will imperil your safety in any way, then immediately get out of the automobile and move to a safe location. Many serious injuries and deaths in Rhode Island are caused by the second collision after the initial mishap. If you are still in an unsafe location, you could be injured by someone rear ending your motor vehicle.In some motor vehicle crashes and RI Car accident, victims of the collision exit the motor vehicle but congregate too close to vehicular traffic. This can cause a very serious pedestrian accident or fatal vehicular tragedy.
- The first thing you should do after an accident causing personal injury is make sure everyone is ok and determine whether an ambulance is required to bring anyone to the hospital for medical treatment.
- Call the police. Pursuant to Rhode Island law the police must be notified of nearly all motor vehicle accidents.
- Take pictures of all vehicles involved in the crash as well as the scene of the RI car accident. If there are any skid marks or significant signs or traffic signals, take pictures
- If the accident, is a hit and run collision make sure you immediately notify the police of the accident and any identifying information of the motorist or motor vehicle who caused the accident
- Contact a Rhode Island Personal Injury attorney or a Providence car accident lawyer concerning obtaining legal representation. In the event of a hit and run accident or a rear end accident with an uninsured motorist, make sure you retain a Providence Auto accident lawyer with expertise in uninsured motorist claims or underinsured motorist causes of action. Do not attempt to negotiate your claim without retaining a RI personal injury lawyer. If you do not leave the scene of the mishap by ambulance then obtain treatment for your injuries as soon as possible. If you wait too long after the motorcycle, bicycle, truck or car crash then the insurance company will try to discredit your credibility claiming that you fabricated your injury.
- Do not miss or cancel medical appointments. This will cause you to lose credibility with the insurance adjuster and may decrease the settlement value of your claim.
- Do not post online concerning your case. RI Personal Injury defense lawyers and insurance adjusters are well known for scouring online posts to seek damaging information about negligence claimants.
- Carefully, Document all medical treatment, hospital visits, urgent care visits, physical therapy, massage therapy and chiropractor visits as well as prescription medication and medical devices obtained.
- Take pictures of any bruises, marks or physical conditions related to the accident when the condition looks the worst.
According to the State of Rhode island State Police Department of Public Safety “Stop your car – Never leave the scene of an accident in which you or your car was involved. No matter how slight the collision, if your fail to stop, you could be convicted of “hit and run” and be subject to criminal prosecution even if the accident was not your fault. If you are blocking a lane of travel and your car is still operable, move your vehicle to the side of the road.” RISP
- According to dmv.com “Accidents can range from little fender benders to more serious collisions, so knowing what to do if you have an accident can relieve some of the stress. Try to move the accident off the road, especially if you’re in an area where there’s a chance to cause other accidents. Make sure everyone is okay, and if someone is injured, aid them the best you can and call an ambulance.”
“If everyone is fine, you’ll want to exchange information for your insurance companies: name, telephone number, driver’s license and insurance policy number.” http://www.dmv.org/ri-rhode-island/accident-guide/
If you are involved in a Rhode Island car accident, there are several important steps you can take to insure you get the best Personal Injury settlement . You should contact a Rhode Island automobile accident lawyer immediately after a Rhode Island auto wreck
Steps to take after a Providence car accident
1. Notify the police of the motor vehicle accident. Pursuant to Rhode Island and Providence Plantation law, the police must be informed of almost all accidents.
2. If you were injured in an accident in RI, obtain medical treatment as soon as possible. If you did not leave the scene of the car accident by an ambulance than either go see your primary care doctor or visit an urgent care center. Your primary care Physician may refer you to a specialist. Some specialists will not see patients without a referral from a primary care physician.
3. Do not cancel your scheduled medical appointments! Make sure your medical providers are informed of all areas where you are in pain. Keep your doctor informed of all symptoms. Do not exaggerate but also don’t minimize the pain and suffering. An Insurance Adjuster will be reviewing your medical records seeking to find inconsistencies, or discredit your allegations. The Insurance Adjuster will attempt to minimize your pain and suffering.
4. As far as the insurance company is concerned, if you are not treating you are not suffering. Do not expect to receive damages for periods of time when you are not treating but you claim that you are still in pain.
5. Keep your RI Personal Injury Attorneys informed of all chiropractors, massage therapists, hospitals,physical therapist and urgent care centers that you have treated with. Keep track of dates of treatment and what occurred during the treatment. Keep records of all medication. Save receipts for all medication that you take as a result of the Car Accident.
6. Retain a Rhode Island Personal Injury Lawyer before you give a statement to the insurance company. The Insurance Company is not the enemy but they certainly are not your friend. They are trying to give you the least amount of money as possible or even potentially deny you’re the claim.
7. Do not sign medical releases for the insurance company. The RI Personal Injury Lawyer will collect your medical records for you and submit them to the insurance company. You do not want to give the Insurance Company unfettered and uncontrolled access to your medical records!
8. Take pictures immediately after the accident of your vehicle, the other vehicles and the scene of the car / auto crash. Take pictures of any visible injury, scarring or bruising. With a bruise you want to get a picture when it looks the worst. Do not have your automobile repaired until you have taken pictures of the damages.
9. Do not sign medical releases for the insurance company. The Rhode Island personal Injury Lawyer will collect your medical records for you and submit them to the insurance company. You do not want to give the Insurance Company uncontrolled access to your medical records!.
10. If you get cited for a motor vehicle violation, hire a RI lawyer to represent you. If you are found guilty or responsible for the Motor Vehicle accident then your case may be severely impaired. The implications of not contesting a citation or pleading guilty could be detrimental to your Personal Injury Claim.
11. Do not let the insurance adjuster influence you to settle the car accident prior to retaining a Rhode Island Personal injury Lawyer. The Insurance Adjuster wants you to take as little money as possible and they want to keep you away from a Rhode Island Automobile Accident Lawyer who can explain your legal rights to you.
If you were injured in a Rhode Island car accident then contact a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer. An injured victim needs to contact one of the best Rhode Island personal injury lawyers.
Question: How do I determine if the Insurance Company’s Settlement offer for my RI Personal Injury claim is fair?
In order for your RI Car Accident Lawyer to properly estimate the value of your tort case, the Rhode Island personal injury Attorney must evaluate many factors, including amount of medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages or lost business, permanency of the injury, any disfigurement or scarring, loss of consortium, periods of partial and or permanent disability, etc.
Determining the real value of an accident claim is a subjective determination. The amount of the medical, hospital, chiropractor and physical therapy medical bills incurred will be an important factor in determining the value of the Rhode Island Car Crash. The period of time of disability may play an important role in setting the value of the Motor Vehicle Crash Case.
Legal Notice per Rules of Professional Responsibility: The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer / attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type such as Rhode Island car accident are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.