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If you were injured in Rhode Island — in a crash on I-95, a fall at a Providence business, a dog attack in Warwick, or any accident caused by someone else’s negligence — you have the right to pursue full compensation from those responsible. This page lists every case type our Rhode Island personal injury lawyers handle, and the rules that decide each one.
At the Law Offices of Michael F. Campopiano we have spent nearly two decades fighting for Rhode Island families across every type of personal injury case. Michael answers client calls directly, moves fast to preserve evidence, and does not back down from insurance companies. Call (401) 288-3888 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win — see exactly how personal injury lawyers get paid in Rhode Island.
Get a free consultation3 Years
The deadline to file most Rhode Island injury claims. Government property claims require written notice in just 60 days.
RI Gen. Laws § 9-1-14At-Fault State
The party who caused your accident is financially responsible for your damages through their liability insurance. You claim against their insurer, not your own.
RI Gen. Laws § 31-47-2Pure Comparative
The most victim-friendly fault rule in the country. Partly at fault still recovers — your award is reduced by your percentage, never eliminated.
RI Gen. Laws § 9-20-4Rhode Island Injury Law: The Three Rules Behind Every Case
Before you speak with any insurance company, three legal rules govern virtually every personal injury claim in Rhode Island — whatever the case type. Understanding them is the starting point for protecting your rights.
Rhode Island Is an At-Fault State
Rhode Island is one of 38 at-fault states. The party whose negligence caused your injury is legally responsible for your full damages — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering — through their liability insurance. You file against their insurer, not your own, and you can pursue pain and suffering from day one with no threshold to meet. That is a meaningful advantage over Massachusetts, where a $2,000 tort threshold applies. Read our full explanation of the Rhode Island at-fault insurance system.
Pure Comparative Negligence
Rhode Island follows pure comparative negligence under RI Gen. Laws § 9-20-4. Even if you were partially at fault, you still recover. Your award is reduced by your fault percentage but never wiped out. Only 13 states use this approach; most cut recovery off entirely at 50% or 51%. Insurers know it, and they respond by assigning inflated fault percentages to victims. We counter that with evidence. See our full page on Rhode Island pure comparative negligence.
Worked example. You were 25% at fault and the other driver 75%. Your damages total $200,000. You recover $150,000 — 75% of the full figure — from the at-fault driver’s insurer. In Massachusetts the same facts still pay. At 55% fault, Rhode Island pays and Massachusetts pays nothing.
Three Years to File — With Two Exceptions That Catch People Out
Most Rhode Island injury claims must be filed within three years of the injury under RI Gen. Laws § 9-1-14. Two exceptions run much shorter:
- Government property claims. Injured on city, town or state property, or by a government vehicle? You must serve formal written notice within 60 days or permanently lose the right to sue the entity (§ 45-15-9). See government property falls and the 60-day rule.
- Wrongful death. Two years from the date of death under § 10-7-2 — shorter than the standard injury limit.
A deadline that passes cannot be reopened. Our full page on the Rhode Island statute of limitations covers every deadline and exception.
Every Case We Handle in Rhode Island
MFC Law represents injury victims across eleven practice areas in Rhode Island. Every case runs on a contingency fee — you pay nothing upfront and nothing at all unless we win. Not sure which applies? Find out what your case is worth or just call and describe what happened.
| Practice Area | What We Fight For |
|---|---|
| Car Accident | Claims against at-fault drivers and their insurers, including disputed fault, hit-and-run, and drunk or distracted driving. Rhode Island’s minimum liability limits of $25,000 per person are often far too low for a serious injury, which is where underinsured motorist coverage becomes the real source of recovery. See also hit-and-run claims, drunk driving crashes and distracted driving accidents. |
| Truck Accident | A commercial truck brings federal safety regulations, a carrier, and a corporate insurer into the case at once. Driver hours-of-service records and electronic logging data are routinely overwritten on a fixed cycle, so a preservation letter in the first days often decides what evidence still exists at trial. |
| Slip & Fall | Falls caused by wet floors, ice and snow, broken stairs, and poor lighting. These turn on notice — whether the owner knew or should have known. See proving a slip and fall case, ice and snow falls, wet floor liability and the 8-hour sidewalk clearance rule. |
| Motorcycle Accident | Insurers assign inflated fault to riders as a matter of routine. We counter with reconstruction evidence and full documentation of rider-specific injuries. See how insurers treat motorcycle claims, Rhode Island helmet law and common rider injuries. |
| Bicycle Accident | Cyclists hold the same right to the road as drivers. Fault usually turns on lane position, door-zone collisions, and whether a driver failed to yield. Because Rhode Island uses pure comparative negligence, a cyclist found partly at fault still recovers. |
| Boat Accident | Narragansett Bay and 400 miles of coastline make boating claims a genuine Rhode Island practice area. Operator inexperience, alcohol, excessive speed in a no-wake zone and equipment failure account for most serious injuries on the water. |
| Uber & Lyft Accident | Rideshare coverage runs in three phases and the phase decides the money. App off, personal policy only. App on and waiting, $50,000 per person. Ride accepted or passenger aboard, $1 million. See how rideshare insurance works and whether you can sue Uber or Lyft directly. |
| Pedestrian Accident | Rhode Island recognises unmarked crosswalks at every intersection, and drivers owe a duty of due care on any road. Even a jaywalking pedestrian recovers under pure comparative negligence. See pedestrian rights and traffic laws and jaywalking and comparative fault. |
| Dog Bite | Rhode Island is a strict liability state under RI Gen. Laws § 4-13-16 for bites outside the owner’s enclosure — there is no free first bite, and a repeat offence carries double damages. See leash laws and owner duties, scarring claims and psychological trauma after an attack. |
| Premises Liability | Injuries on someone else’s property, where the duty owed depends on whether you were an invitee, licensee or trespasser. Covers negligent security, swimming pool accidents, elevator and escalator failures and toxic exposure. |
| Product Liability | Strict liability applies: you need not prove the manufacturer was careless, only that the product was defective and it injured you. Preserve the product — it is the evidence. See strict product liability explained, the three defect types, how to check for a recall and defective medical devices. |
Where We Handle These Cases
We represent injury victims across Rhode Island. Each link below goes to a city page with local court knowledge, road and intersection context, and practice-specific detail. Prefer to browse by location? Start at areas we serve.
Car Accident
Slip & Fall
Motorcycle Accident
Bicycle Accident
Uber & Lyft Accident
Pedestrian Accident
Boat Accident
Premises Liability
What Compensation Is Available
The at-fault system and pure comparative negligence together let Rhode Island victims pursue the full scope of their losses. Damages fall into two categories.
Economic Damages
- Medical expenses — emergency care, surgery, specialists and rehabilitation
- Future medical costs — recoverable, but they must be proven. See future medical expenses
- Lost wages — including self-employment income and time off for appointments
- Reduced earning capacity — long-term loss of your ability to earn
- Property damage — vehicle repair or replacement
- See also who pays your medical bills
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering — no fixed formula in Rhode Island. See how it is calculated
- Scarring and disfigurement — often badly undervalued in first offers. See disfigurement claims
- Emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium for a spouse or family member
- Injury-specific value: brain injury, spinal injury, fractures
Curious what a realistic range looks like? See average Rhode Island settlement amounts and how long a settlement takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the driver who hit me had no insurance?
Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is often the best source of recovery, and using it does not make you the wrongdoer. Rhode Island’s minimum liability limits are low enough that UM/UIM matters in most serious cases. See UM and UIM coverage in Rhode Island and state insurance requirements.
I think I was partly to blame. Do I still have a claim?
Almost certainly yes. Rhode Island is a pure comparative negligence state, so partial fault reduces your recovery rather than ending it. Do not let an adjuster talk you out of a claim on this basis — assigning you inflated fault is a standard tactic.
Do I have to give the other insurer a recorded statement?
No. You are not required to, and you should not agree to one before speaking with a lawyer. The adjuster who calls in the first week is friendly and is paid to close your claim cheaply.
What does it cost to hire MFC Law?
Nothing upfront, and nothing at all unless we win. We work on contingency across every practice area on this page. See how our no-fee promise works.
How soon should I call?
Sooner than feels necessary. Surveillance footage is often overwritten within days, a repaired hazard cannot be photographed after the fact, and truck logging data runs on a fixed retention cycle. The 60-day government notice rule can also expire long before people realise it applies.
Do you handle Massachusetts cases too?
Yes. See our Massachusetts practice areas. The rules differ significantly — Massachusetts uses a 51% fault bar and a no-fault PIP system — and working out which state’s law governs is the first thing we do on a border case.
More answers: Rhode Island personal injury FAQ and our directory of official Rhode Island legal and insurance resources, including the Rhode Island Judiciary.
Why Choose the Law Offices of Michael F. Campopiano
Every case type, one firm. Eleven practice areas in Rhode Island means you are not passed to someone else when your case turns out to involve a truck rather than a car, or a defective part rather than a careless driver.
The attorney answers the phone. Michael takes client calls directly. You are not handed to a case manager and left there.
We move before the evidence does. Surveillance footage gets overwritten, hazards get repaired, and commercial truck logs get purged on a schedule. Speed is not a sales pitch here; it is the difference between a provable claim and a disputed one.
Nearly two decades and tens of millions recovered. See our case results and what clients say. Learn more about Michael F. Campopiano and the recognition behind the firm.
English, Spanish and Portuguese. Attorney on call 24 hours a day, and no fee unless we win.
Where Your Voice Finds Strength.
Whatever happened, you do not have to work out which category it falls into before you call. Describe it. We will tell you whether you have a claim, which state’s law governs it, and what it is realistically worth — in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Read our case results or what clients say.
Attorney on call 24 hours a day. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.
Call (401) 288-3888Related: Rhode Island personal injury overview · Massachusetts practice areas · cities we serve · all case types · what to do after a crash · about Michael F. Campopiano