1. IF I'VE BEEN HURT . . . WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT ?

- GET MEDICAL HELP - At the scene of the accident if you feel any pain or numbness call 911 and go to the hospital. The hospital is required to treat you even if you don’t have health insurance. After the accident if you feel any pain, numbness or other symptoms get to the hospital as soon as possible.

- GET LEGAL ADVICE - Before calling your insurance company or talking to the other persons insurance company EMAIL OR CALL JIM DONELAN TODAY AT 401-461-1500. You should not discuss your injury or the way it happened until you have consulted a lawyer. The statements you make might be incomplete or be taken out of context and harmful to your claim at a later date. Do not sign any papers or agree to any settlement, as this may affect your right to pursue your claim. Always seek competent legal advice first.

- GET THE RIGHT DOCTOR - Jim Donelan can assist you in finding the doctor that can best treat your injuries, even if you don’t have medical insurance. Some injuries from a car crash are very subtle and never go away. They have to be diagnosed quickly to protect your rights to compensation and get appropriate treatment. Treatment may last for months or years if the injury is permanent.

- FILE A STATE ACCIDENT REPORT - If someone is injured or the damage to your vehicle exceeds $1000 you are required by law to file a state accident report. Jim Donelan’s office will help you complete the form and file it with DMV. Here’s a link on the RICarCrash.com website to the state accident report that must be completed and filed within 21 days after the accident. 

2. WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE ?

After an accident hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care even if you don’t have health insurance. If you don’t have a doctor Jim Donelan has helped clients get competent medical treatment when they don’t have medical insurance. So if you or someone in your family has been injured, you should seek Jim Donelan’s advice as soon as possible to get the best medical treatment and see if you have a personal injury claim. EMAIL OR CALL JIM DONELAN TODAY AT 401-461-1500.

 3. DO I HAVE A CLAIM ?

Frequently attorney Jim Donelan can determine if you have a valid claim at the initial interview. After reviewing the police report and witness statements he’ll determine who is at fault and advise you whether your claim is valid. In Rhode Island fault is determined on a percentage basis. A person who is 100 percent at fault for your injuries is responsible for 100 percent of your damages. For example, a person who rear ends your vehicle, or crosses the center line and strikes your vehicle is 100% at fault. Their insurance company will pay 100% of your damages.

 4. WHAT ARE MY DAMAGES ?

Generally speaking your damages are dependent upon the extent of your injuries. You are entitled to receive compensation for the following:

- MEDICAL BILLS - Bills for services connected with your accident include: rescue and ambulance bills, hospital treatment, emergency room physicians, cervical collars, canes, crutches, orthopedic doctors, internists, chiropractic care, physical therapy, prothstetic devices. Tests that may include x-ray, MRI scan, “CAT” (CT) or bone scans or blood work. Expenses related to general surgery or arthroscopic operations will be paid if they are accident related.

- LOST WAGES - IMPAIRMENT OF EARNING CAPACITY

If you lose time from work because you’re disabled or going to therapy, you will be entitled to receive the wages you lost. Even if you are unemployed at the time of the accident and can show you have a capacity to earn a wage but were unable to look for work while you were injured Jim Donelan will get you compensated. In Rhode Island most workers are entitled to receive Temporary Disability Benefits from Rhode Island’s Temporary Disability Insurance program if you’ve paid into the fund. Jim Donelan will help you apply for TDI benefits. EMAIL OR CALL JIM DONELAN TODAY AT 401-461-1500. Or apply online. Here’s a link to the program http://www.dlt.ri.gov/tdi/

- PAIN AND SUFFERING - These damages are dependent upon your period of total and partial disability as well as the nature and severity of your injuries.

- PERMANENT INJURY - In addition to the above damages you may be entitled to compensation for the following if you have a permanent injury:

- FUTURE LOST EARNINGS - If you’re permanently disabled and unable to work you are entitled to your future lost earnings. They are calculated with the help of an expert witness.

- FUTURE MEDICAL BILLS - We try to determine the extent and cost of future treatment and request the compensation you will need.

- FUTURE DISABILITY - PAIN AND SUFFERING - This compensation will also depend upon several factors including the severity of the disability and/or pain, as well as future life expectancy.

- PERMANENT SCARRING AND DISFIGUREMENT - Compensation for disfigurement depends upon the nature and location of your scar. If you’ve lost a hand, limb or finger in a car accident that will also be a permanent partial disability that you are entitled to be compensated for.

 5. I’M UNABLE TO WORK, WHAT DO I DO FOR INCOME ?

In Rhode Island most workers pay into Rhode Island’s Temporary Disability Insurance fund, more commonly known as TDI. Here’s a link to the program http://www.dlt.ri.gov/tdi/ and the online application https://uiclaims.state.ri.us/tdionline/

- PRIVATE DISABILITY INSURANCE - We’ll help you file a claim so you’ll have income while you’re out of work. Many employers and unions have private disability insurance as a benefit for their employees. Check with your human resource department or union to see if you are eligible for benefits while you cannot work.

 6. WHAT IF I’M PARTIALLY AT FAULT ?

Even if you are 10, 20 or 30 percent at fault you are still entitled to collect 70, 80 or 90 percent of your damages. Rhode Island is a pure comparative negligence state and you are entitled to collect the percentage of your damages for the percentage that the other party is at fault.

In complex trucking accident and automobile accident cases, Jim Donelan may engage experts in engineering or accident reconstruction to help in determining the possible merits of a claim. To schedule a consultation regarding your auto accident, car crash

EMAIL OR CALL JIM DONELAN TODAY AT 401-461-1500.

 7. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THE INSURANCE COMPANY CALLS ME ?

If you have been injured, do not discuss your injury or the way it happened until you have consulted a lawyer. The statements you make might be incomplete or taken out of context and be harmful to your claim at a later date. Do not sign any papers or agree to any settlement, as this may affect your right to pursue your claim. Always seek competent legal advice first.

EMAIL OR CALL JIM DONELAN TODAY AT 401-461-1500

 8. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CHARGE ME ?

The first visit (or consultation as other attorneys call it) is FREE OF CHARGE. If you do have a claim and we are successful in obtaining you compensation we charge the standard fee of one-third of what we recover for you plus costs. It’s called a contingent fee. It’s based upon Jim Donelan getting a settlement or award of money damages for you. If he doesn’t get compensation for you he doesn’t charge a fee. He also doesn’t charge a fee in helping you get the damage done to your car fixed or get the fair market value of your car if it’s totaled. WHAT ARE COSTS ? Costs are expenses, such as costs to obtain medical records, court costs, and expert witness fees, involved in bringing a personal injury claim. Once Jim Donelan has evaluated your claim and decided to pursue it, he advances all litigation expenses. You don’t pay these costs until the end of the case.

 9. WILL YOU MAKE HOUSE CALLS ?

Not only will Jim Donelan come to your house if you are unable to get out of bed or get a ride, he’ll even visit you in the hospital at your request.

 10. WHAT IS THE VALUE OF MY CLAIM ?

The value of your claim depends on a wide variety of factors, such as the severity of your injury, the amount of your medical expenses, the liability of the defendant, and whether the case is to tried or settled. It is impossible to estimate the value of your claim until the case has been fully investigated from the day of the accident through your last day of treatment. Occasionally the valuation may depend upon developments during the course of the litigation. You should be wary of anyone who tries to tell you the value of your claim at an early stage. After a thorough investigation of your case and completion of your medical treatment, Jim Donelan is in a better position to offer you his opinion as to the value of your claim. If the insurance company offers to settle your claim, Jim Donelan will discuss the proposed settlement with you, and give you his advice about whether to accept the amount offered. Of course, the ultimate decision to accept an insurance company's offer of settlement or to allow a jury to determine the value of your injuries is always up to you.

 Please call Jim Donelan at (401) 461-1500 for a free initial consultation if you have any questions

 Jim Donelan handles motor vehicle accidents such as car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents in the following Rhode Island areas: Barrington RI, Bristol RI, Burrillville RI, Central Falls RI, Charlestown RI, Coventry RI, Cranston RI, Cumberland RI, East Greenwich RI, East Providence RI, Exeter RI, Foster RI, Glocester RI, Hopkinton RI, Jamestown RI, Johnston RI, Lincoln RI, Little Compton RI, Middletown RI, Narragansett RI, New Shoreham RI and Block Island RI, Newport RI, North Kingstown RI, North Providence RI, North Smithfield RI, Pawtucket RI, Portsmouth RI, Providence RI, Richmond RI, Riverside RI, Scituate RI, South Kingtown RI, Tiverton RI, Wakefield RI, Warren RI, Warwick RI, West Greenwich RI, West Warwick RI, Westerly RI, Woonsocket RI, Kent County, Providence County, Washington County, and through out South County, Newport County, East Bay and West Bay.