Personal Injury Practice

Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates is committed to representing clients concerning their personal injury, auto accident, slip and fall claims in Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA). We will represent you through the entire process from submitting the claim to the insurance company and helping you to obtain full value for your automobile, to settling your claim and, if necessary, filing a lawsuit on your behalf. We do everything in our power to help you get the best settlement possible to compensate you for your injuries. As with all of our practice areas, an attorney, not a paralegal, will guide you through the personal injury settlement process and the potential lawsuit. We offer contingent fee arrangements where no legal fee is collected unless we are successful in obtaining a legal settlement or judgment for you. We settle and aggressively litigate the following types of personal injury matters:

• automobile (car/auto) accidents
  
• motorcycle and truck accidents
  
• dog bite injuries
  
• slip and fall
  
• insured motorists
  
• uninsured motorists
  
• accidental deaths
  
• hit and run
  
• property damage claims
  
• pain and suffering
  
• lost wages
  
• bicycle accidents
  
• whiplash injury
  
• premises liability
  
• serious injury
  
• whiplash injuries

Please email us with your personal injury questions and inquiries and a lawyer will respond as soon as possible. The email will go directly to one of the lawyers at our firm.

Please Call : 401-437-1100 

Personal Injury Frequently Asked Questions

Article by Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates, Inc., 401-437-1100, Contact Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates.

1. If I am injured in an automobile accident, what do I do?
   
2. How do I determine how much money I am entitled to as a result of
   the auto accident or which another person is at fault?
   
3. Does Rhode Island have a statute of limitations for personal injury cases?
   
4. What if I am injured and the other party is at fault but has no insurance?
   
5. How do I recover if I am hit by a hit and run motorist?

1) If I am injured in an automobile accident, what do I do?

Make sure you stop at the scene of the car accident and notify the police department immediately about the accident. If possible, please get all of the information about the other parties involved in the accident, including their name, address, telephone number and insurance information. Make sure you receive treatment for your injuries with a medical provider as soon as possible.

At the time of the accident, please get the names, addresses and phone numbers of any witnesses to the accident. If you have a camera or a cell phone with a camera, please take pictures of your automobile, the other automobile and the scene of the accident. If you have any bruises or physical conditions that are noticeable, please take pictures of the physical condition as soon as possible. Please do not give any statement to the insurance adjuster until you have had the opportunity to speak with an attorney. Please call Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates, Inc.
at 401-437-1100.

> Back to Top

2) How do I determine how much money I am entitled to as a result of the accident?

In order to determine the value of the case, the attorneys must look at a combination of factors, including lost wages, pain and suffering, permanency of the injury, any scarring or disfigurement, loss of consortium, periods of disability, etc. Determining the value of a case is an art rather than a science. The amount of the medical bills incurred will be one important factor in determining the value of the case.

> Back to Top

3) Does Rhode Island have a statute of limitations for personal injury cases?

There is a three year statute of limitations to file a lawsuit for negligence in Rhode Island. If you do not file a lawsuit within three years from the date of the accident, you will be forever barred from filing a claim as a result of the accident. In the event that the claim is for personal injuries against a city or a town, there are very strict notice requirements.

> Back to Top

4) What if I am injured and the other party is at fault but has no insurance?

You have the legal right to file a claim against the person or corporation whose negligence caused your injury. However, in many cases the negligent party does not have the assets or funds to be able to pay your damages. So long as you have uninsured or under-insured motorist protection, you will be able to file a claim against your own insurance company for uninsured or under-insured claims.

> Back to Top

5) How do I recover if I am hit by a hit and run motorist?

If you have uninsured motorist protection with your own insurance carrier, you may be entitled to make a claim against your own insurance carrier.

> Back to Top

Personal Injury Links:

• Rhode Island Bar Association publication "An Accident!
  What do I do now?"
  
• Whiplash information from American Academy of orthopedic Surgeons
  Information concerning stiffness, low back pain, dizziness, shoulder pain, headaches, neck pain concerning the diagnosis and treatment of whiplash injuries from auto accidents and rear end collisions from accidents.

Please Call : 401-437-1100 

General Litigation

Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates will handle all of your litigation needs. In addition to personal injury cases, we handle all types of civil litigation. Our firm will strongly advocate your position as either a plaintiff or a defendant.

• Breach of contract
  
• Debt collection
  
• Real estate litigation
  
• Commercial litigation
  
• Condemnation, adverse possession, partition, title disputes
  
• Personal injury
  
• Divorce and Family Law

Please e-mail or call us with your general litigation questions, and an attorney will personally respond to your call promptly.

General Litigation Frequently Asked Questions

1. I believe that I have been wronged by another individual or entity, what should I
   do next?
   
2. How do I commence a civil lawsuit?
   
3. What should I do if I am served with a Summons and Complaint?
   
4. How much will it cost to hire an attorney?
   
5. How long before the lawsuit will be finished?

1) I believe that I have been wronged by another individual or entity, what should I do next?

You should contact an attorney promptly. One reason is that you will not run the risk of having your claim barred by the statute of limitations. Also, your recollection of the events is crucial and as time goes by your memory may fade.

> Back to Top

2) How do I commence a civil lawsuit?

A civil lawsuit is commenced when a plaintiff serves a Complaint and a Summons upon the defendant. The complaint is the legal document that sets forth the alleged misconduct by the defendant. The summons is the legal document that directs the defendant to appear before
the court.

> Back to Top

3) What should I do if I am served with a Summons and Complaint?

You should seek the advice of an attorney immediately. As the summons instructs, you only have twenty (20) days in which to respond to the Complaint. If the 20 days period passes, the defendant will be in default and lose the case. The response to the Complaint is called an Answer. This legal document sets forth the defendants defenses and counterclaims against
the plaintiff.

> Back to Top

4) How much will it cost to hire an attorney?

Every lawyer is free to set his own billing method. There are many different types of billing methods: An attorney might choose a contingent fee, where you only pay the attorney if you win the case, or may offer a flat one time fee or may simply bill hourly. Usually the attorney will determine which method is best by the type of litigation in question. Slepkow, Slepkow & Associates never charges any fee in a personal injury case unless successful.

> Back to Top

5) How long before the lawsuit will be finished?

It depends. After the pleadings (Complaint and Answer) have been served, there is a discovery process. This is the period when the parties obtain all of the facts of the case. The length of this process depends on the complexity of the case. The overwhelming majority of cases are settled long before trial.

> Back to Top