A significant car accident injury can put a complete halt on your life. One second your day has been going well and the next second you are seriously injured. Whether you have suffered multiple broken bones, head trauma, a back injury or another serious type of physical trauma, your life has never been the same since. You find yourself unable to work, and even performing simple daily tasks becomes a struggle. Even a low-impact car accident can cause significant injuries. When your vehicle is hit, the impact can jolt your body in all directions, injuring bones, tendons and nerves.
Too often, car accident victims wait to seek help from an attorney. Worse victims may wait too long to seek medical help. This is what insurance companies refer to as "gaps in treatment," and they use this as a reason to deny proper compensation. As time passes, there is a loss of opportunity to investigate the accident scene and obtain witness testimony. Do not let this happen to you. Take action immediately to obtain the compensation you deserve and reach out to our law firm today. Consult with our Car Accident Attorneys in a free consultation to learn how to protect your rights in the Cranston and Providence areas.
We believe that the more informed our clients are, the better we can help them. Below is general information car accident victims should know:
- Who is liable?
- Types of compensation
- Types of car accidents
- Causes of car accidents
- Why hire Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum?
Please take a moment to read about these major guidelines for car accident victims and general answers to some common issues for accident victims.
Who Is Liable?
While in some states, if a plaintiff is found to be at fault to a certain degree, he or she is barred from compensation. However, that is not the case in Rhode Island. No matter how much at fault you may be found for the car accident you were injured in, you are still eligible for seeking compensation.
Rhode Island is a pure "comparative fault" state. Specifically laid out under state statute, the fault of each party in a lawsuit is determined. Whether that is two, three or multiple vehicles that were involved, each one is assigned fault. This could be 0 percent up to 100 percent. However, what is very important for an accident victim to understand from this is the damages awarded to you in a personal injury lawsuit will be diminished by this percentage of fault assigned to you. So you need an attorney who will thoroughly investigate and argue your case so your damages are not taken away by an adjuster who improperly assigns fault to you.
Types of Compensation
The amount of compensation a car accident victim can obtain varies with each client as each case is unique. However, there are various types of compensation that are considered for each car accident case and include:
- Medical bills: Both past and future medical bills are considered, and can include compensation for immediate treatment, future surgeries, ongoing treatment, medication, specialists, rehabilitation and future care needs.
- Lost wages: Many car accident victims are left unable to work either temporarily or permanently. The time a victim could have been working can be compensated for, and in some situations, loss of earning capacity.
- Property damages: Your motor vehicle and other lost property (such as belongings inside your car) can be compensated for.
- Pain and suffering: This is one of the larger pieces of compensation and is also the hardest to place a value on. Our lawyers will work hard to seek a representative amount to how much you have suffered physically and emotionally due to your car accident.
- Loss of consortium: In the worst cases where there has been a wrongful death, immediate family members (spouses, children and parents) of a loved one can seek this type of damage in a wrongful death lawsuit.
- Permanent impairment: Many times victims are treated for their injuries and medicine can only take them so far. This is when a doctor can tell us whether you have suffered what is referred as a "permanent impairment." The attorneys at Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum are experienced with working with doctors in obtaining these reports and maximizing our clients' recovery of compensation for their entire lifetime.
Types of Car Accidents
No matter what type of car accident you were involved in, our team can help you recover compensation for the damages you have incurred. Accidents we have assisted people through include:
- Rear-end collisions
- Drunk driving accidents
- Distracted driving accidents
- T-bone accidents
- Rollovers, commonly SUVs
- Head-on collisions
- Hit-and-run accidents
Rear-end collisions can be especially traumatic due to the stress that is put on your neck. Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum is a team of experienced attorneys that provides results-oriented representation in cases involving whiplash and minor impact soft tissue (MIST) injuries. We work hard to obtain medical evidence of such injuries and to obtain compensation for our clients. Our law firm will seek full compensation for your losses and suffering, including the financial resources that can pay for needed medical care and rehabilitation therapy.
Causes of Car Accidents
There are many activities that drivers participate in on a daily basis that are considered to be negligent under the law. Some of these accident-causing behaviors include:
- Excessive speeding and other reckless driving behaviors
- Distracted driving such as texting and driving, talking on a cellphone, eating and driving as well as adjusting the radio station
- Driving under the influence of drug or alcohol
- Fatigued drivers or drivers falling asleep at the wheel
- Traffic infraction such as running a stoplight or stop sign
- Failure to yield or changing lanes without signaling
Other accidents can be the fault of the city or county for failing to fix potholes or other dangerous road conditions. No matter what caused your car accident, you can feel confident knowing our lawyers have your back and will strive to get the compensation you need to move forward in your life.
Why Hire Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum?
While Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum settles many cases on terms favorable to our clients, we do not hesitate initiating litigation when it is necessary. When representing you, we will investigate the accident, establish the liability of the responsible party and collect medical evidence that supports your case. We will also examine the effect the car accident has had on your life, including the pain you suffer, the income you have lost and the medical costs you bear.
Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum will work diligently to build a strong and successful case for you, seeking maximum compensation for your losses and suffering.
Advocating for Injured People: Call for a Free Consultation with Our Car Accident Attorneys
For answers to your auto accident questions, call our Cranston car accident lawyers at 888-591-9976. Initial consultations are free of charge. Our law firm provides experienced personal injury counsel for victims throughout Rhode Island.
See the success Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum has had with other car accident cases