A car accident can make it feel as though your entire life has been upended. You might be suffering from serious injuries with no way to pay for them. You are likely wondering how you will be able to support your family while you are unable to work.
If another party caused your accident, you may be able to hold them liable for the costs of your accident. A car accident lawyer serving East Providence, RI can help you after a crash. The team at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD can help you handle the tasks you might face after an accident. These might include:
- Scheduling doctor’s appointments
- Speaking with insurers
- Investigating the accident
- Gathering evidence
- Filing a claim
- Negotiating with insurers
Our attorneys do not get paid until our clients do, so you never have to worry about getting a bill from us until you recover compensation for your accident. Even then, we are paid only a percentage of what you receive. There is no risk. The consultation is always free. Call today for a free consultation: 401-331-6300.
Do I Need to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer for My East Providence Car Accident?
After a car accident, Rhode Island does not require you to retain a lawyer. But having legal representation offers a host of benefits:
Communicating with the Insurance Company
You will likely receive a call from an insurance company within a few days of your accident. The adjuster will likely ask you for a recorded statement. This statement is important and can be helpful to your claim, or it can jeopardize your claim and be used against you. You should speak to an experienced attorney, as soon as you can after the accident, before you give a recorded statement to the insurance company.
Insurance Negotiations
Insurance company negotiations can be difficult and frustrating, but they are a necessary part of collecting compensation after a car accident. Rhode Island requires all drivers to have insurance, so to collect compensation from the at-fault driver, you generally start by making a claim through his or her insurer.
The reason this can be tough is that insurers, as for-profit companies, have a financial incentive to keep their payouts to a minimum. If the insurance company can find a valid reason to reduce or deny your claim, it will probably do so.
Our attorneys handle the negotiation process on your behalf, keeping the pressure on the insurance company to maximize the money that you receive. At Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick, we handle the insurance company for you to take the stress off your shoulders, letting you focus on what is important: recovering from your injuries.
The Other Driver Claimed I Caused the Accident. What Can I Do?
This is not uncommon after an accident. The insurer does not want to pay out for your injuries and might claim you caused or contributed to the accident.
If an investigation finds you did contribute to an accident, you can still recover compensation. However, because Rhode Island follows pure comparative negligence laws, your percentage of fault will decrease the amount of compensation you are entitled to.
Here is an example of how pure comparative fault law works. If your damages are $20,000, but you were 10 percent at fault for the crash, you can still recover $18,000 from the other driver. The remaining $2,000, the amount you do not receive, corresponds with your 10 percent of the blame.
How Much Is My Car Accident Claim Worth?
It is difficult to know the value of a car accident claim before conducting a complete investigation. Once we do that, we can let you know what to expect. Your damages could include:
- Both current and future medical costs (e.g., surgery costs, prescription medications, ambulance costs, hospital bills, etc.)
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity (if your injuries force you to work less, take a lesser-paying job, or retire)
- Miscellaneous accident-related costs (e.g., bills from renovating your home to accommodate a disability, parking fees for doctor’s appointments, etc.)
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Funeral and burial costs, if your loved one died in the accident
Call 401-331-6300 for a Free Consultation With CCK.
At Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD, our attorneys want to help you win the damages you deserve after a Rhode Island car crash. The consultation is always free, and we do not get paid until you do. Call today: 401-331-6300.
