Accidents and injuries can happen anywhere and at any time, including East Greenwich, Rhode Island, known for its maritime past and rich history. Life can be unpredictable, and even the most careful person can be injured due to someone else’s negligence.

When another party’s negligent actions (or failure to act) cause you or a loved one to sustain an injury, you may be able to claim financial compensation to help offset the cost of personal injuries sustained.

Rode Island personal injury attorneys in East Greenwich at Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC will defend your rights in personal injury lawsuits and claims. Contact the expert legal team in Rhode Island today for a free consultation.

Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC for Personal Injury and Other Cases

Our Rhode Island personal injury attorneys provide legal representation for personal injury victims in a variety of practice areas, including:

Our attorneys also represent clients in other practice areas, including:

How Your Attorney Helps Prove a Personal Injury Claim

A personal injury lawyer’s foremost obligation is to assist their clients in securing the compensation and justice they rightfully deserve, following any losses or distress they may have encountered. To accomplish this, they provide a range of services, including counseling, advocating, legal advice, and making compelling oral arguments.

Whether you were injured in a car accident, a slip and falls case, or another type of incident, the first step in building a personal injury claim is to establish the negligent party was responsible for a duty of care, and the person or business failed to uphold the duty, which resulted in your harm.

The term “duty” can be a misnomer because the average person might think that the person has a job that relates to the obligation. Duty, in the context of personal injury claims, simply means that the other party acted in a manner that fell outside of a legal obligation.

For example, all drivers must obey traffic laws, so speeding, running a traffic light, or driving while arguing on a cell phone, or driving recklessly are all considered violations of duty, resulting in a potential finding of negligence in a personal injury claim.

Putting together a valid personal injury claim begins by establishing the four elements:

  1. Duty: Did the other party owe a duty of care to you? Driving according to traffic laws, mopping up spills at a business, or warning a guest of known dangers to a property are all examples of duty.
  2. Breach: Did the person (or business) who had a duty breach that duty? In other words, did the person act in a way inconsistent with their duty of care?
  3. Causation: Once it is established that there was a duty that was breached, the next step is to establish the causal link between the other party’s actions and the incident that led to your injury.
  4. Damages: Finally, there must be an actual injury that resulted from the breached duty of care. The injury can be physical, psychological, emotional, or property-based.

Compensation Available to Personal Injury Victims

Once it is determined that the other party should face liability for your injuries, the next step in a personal injury claim is identifying the financial compensation that could be awarded.

Every case is different, but victims in personal injury cases may be eligible for the following compensation:

  • Medical bills
  • Ongoing medical treatment
  • Out-of-pocket expenses related to the injury
  • Lost wages and lost future earning capacity
  • Physical pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish and emotional distress
  • Loss of consortium (not being able to have an intimate relationship with a spouse)
  • Wrongful death
  • Property damage to your vehicle, home, etc.

Avoiding Insurance Company Pitfalls

In personal injury cases, it’s rare for the victim to interact directly with the other party to collect compensation. Instead, an insurance company is usually involved in negotiating your claim and providing the settlement compensation.

However, insurance companies have sneaky tricks to sabotage your case, and they often persuade accident victims to accept less than the claim is worth.

Insurance companies do this by deploying lowball offers, delaying payment, and bending the rules to collect evidence. For example, an insurance company representative may ask if they can record your conversation. This tactic is meant to intimidate you, and the representative is looking for any hint of contradictory testimony that can be used as evidence to deny your claim. For these reasons, you may be well served by seeking legal representation for any claim that involves an injury.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Helps Victims

The headache of negotiating with insurance companies is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to navigating a personal injury claim. Working with an attorney alleviates the need to deal with insurance companies. Instead, all communications are managed by your attorney.

Putting communication in the hands of a law firm provides the following benefits:

  •  You can focus on your healing and recovery, not fighting with an insurance company to get a check
  •  You’ll have an experienced negotiator on your side instead of having to negotiate from an uneven power position
  •  The law firm will gather, fill out, and submit all necessary paperwork so that you don’t have to (although you will need to provide your attorney with relevant paperwork)
  •  You don’t have to worry about missing deadlines to submit paperwork
  •  Your attorney will advise you on who to speak to, what to say, and when to say nothing
  • You may be able to gain access to doctors who do not require payment until after your case is settled
  •  If your case goes to trial because the insurance company denies your claim or refuses to negotiate a fair settlement offer, you will already have a personal injury attorney well-versed on your case

Having a personal injury law firm on your side during a claim provides peace of mind. The East Greenwich, Rhode Island attorneys at Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC will keep you in the loop and aggressively advocate for maximum financial compensation.

Understanding the Statute of Limitations

Each state has different laws about the statute of limitations, which is the amount of time that can pass between the incident and a personal injury lawsuit. If you wait too long, the statute of limitations can expire, and you won’t be able to collect.

For most personal injury cases in Rhode Island, the statute of limitations is three years, but this may vary, depending on the circumstances. It’s also possible for the statute of limitations to be extended in the case of a minor being injured before an 18th birthday or an injury not being reasonably discoverable until a later time.

On the flip side, there may also be requirements that necessitate acting even more quickly than usual. For example, if you are injured on government property, there is a 60-day notice requirement from the date of the injury.

Even if you are unconcerned about the statute of limitations running out, it is a good idea to move forward with a claim as soon as possible. The reason is that delaying a claim can result in evidence becoming stale and witness testimony being difficult to secure. The sooner you act on a personal injury claim, the better.

Why Choose Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC

You have options when choosing the right Rhode Island personal injury attorney. Here are some of the benefits of working with Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC.

  • Decades of experience in the field of personal injury
  • A successful track record
  • Dedicated, personalized service
  • Relentless attention to detail
  • Excellent investigative skills
  • Aggressive negotiation tactics
  • Proactive client communication
  • Willingness to go to trial
  • Capacity for providing mediation

Request a Free Consultation from our Rhode Island Personal Injury Attorneys

Personal injury attorneys are powerful advocates to have in your corner, and the team at Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC will work tirelessly to represent you and protect your rights.

As a personal injury law firm, there is no upfront fee for us to handle your case. Instead, we work on a contingency basis, meaning we collect a portion of your settlement after you win. We invite you to schedule a free case evaluation by contacting us today.

Rhode Island

Messier, Massad, Burdick & Assoc. LLC
1050 Main Street, Suite 8
East Greenwich, RI 02818
Office Phone: 401-385-3877

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