According to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation in 2017, a drunk driving-related fatality occurs on average once every 48 minutes. The northeast United States and Rhode Island, in particular, have an extremely high rate among the nation for car accidents involving alcohol impairment.
If you’ve been hit by a drunk driver in Fall River, the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd.‘s car accident attorneys will fight aggressively for your right to compensation from the reckless party responsible for your injuries. We have more than five decades of experience that we’ll use with rigor as we help you compensate for all medical expenses, lost time from work, and your pain and suffering. Call us at (401) 444-4444 for a free consultation with one of our knowledgeable Fall River drunk driving accident lawyers.
Cases We Handle
Accidents caused by drunk driving can be very traumatic. Drivers who are wholly incapacitated might cause completely unexpected and uninhibited accidents, such as t-boning, rear-ending, or side-swiping your vehicle without any warning or any attempt to curtail the collision.
Some of the most common injuries that the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. handles include, but are not limited to:
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Lesions and burns
- Neck, shoulder, and back injuries
- Whiplash
If you or a loved one suffered any of these injuries in a drunk driving accident, the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. could help you heal. We take pride in bringing justice to our Fall River community members by taking aggressive legal action against drunk drivers, and we can help you begin to pursue the maximum possible compensation for your injuries today.
Why do I need an attorney?
To build a strong drunk driving case, any victim must prove three vital elements concerning the event of the accident:
- The perpetrator must be shown to have exceeded legal limits for intoxication at the time of the accident.
- The perpetrator must be proven to have been operating a motor vehicle at the time of the accident while intoxicated.
- The victim’s injuries must attribute to the event of the accident that took place as a result of the perpetrator’s intoxicated driving.
Though a drunk driving accident case may seem clear cut, piecing together the circumstances of these events takes a skilled attorney with an intimate knowledge of Rhode Island traffic laws. An attorney will be able to reconstruct the situation by calling on witnesses, utilizing insurance and medical records, and working with law enforcement teams.
Why should I choose the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd.?
In 2015, Rhode Island had the third-highest percentage of drunk-driving related crashes in the nation, followed by Washington, D.C., according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) National Center for Statistics and Analysis. This high percentage puts drunk driving accident attorneys in high demand. Yet the high supply of Fall River law firms handling drunk driving cases belies a simple truth: not all law firms have the resources or legal insight needed to create a strong case in your favor.
The attorneys with the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. are highly qualified, highly experienced lawyers who know how to handle your drunk driving accident, whether it’s settled at the negotiating table or goes to court. Unlike other law firms, the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. will treat you as a person in need of help, not a case that needs to be solved.
We are a family-run firm that that has served the needs of Rhode Island, Washington D.C., and parts of Massachusetts for more than 50 years. We have generations of experience in dealing with these cases that we couple with deep empathy for our clients’ emotional distress in the wake of a terrifying accident.
Our investigative power dominates throughout these areas. If you or your loved one has been injured or killed in a drunk driving accident, you have every right to open a case and pursue the compensation you deserve. Call our firm today at (401) 444-4444 to schedule a free consultation so we can evaluate your claim.
Drunk Driving Accident Statistics
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compiled statistics between 2014 and 2017 related to car accidents and reports of drunk driving that illustrate the severity of the state of Rhode Island’s fatalities and crashes concerning alcohol impairment. Some of the statistics include that:
- In 2016, almost 300,000 people were injured in drunk driving crashes across the nation, according to the NHTSA. The Rhode Island Strategic Highway Safety Plan noted that between 2011 and 2015, that alcohol impairment translated in our state to 39 percent of car crash fatalities.
- Twenty-four percent of those deaths in the state of Rhode Island in 2017 concerned a driver impaired with a BAC level higher than .15, almost more than twice the legal limit, according to the NHTSA. This study demonstrates that the greater the BAC, the higher the likelihood of an accident that proves fatal for at least one party.
- Forty-one percent of car crashes in the state of Rhode Island was caused by alcohol impairment in 2015, according to the NHTSA. This was the third-highest percentage of the nation, followed by Rhode Island’s close neighbor, Washington, D.C., at 51 percent.
- Between the years of 2011 and 2015, drivers between the ages of 25 and 34 represented 27 percent of fatal drunk driving crashes in Rhode Island. These cases are some of the most frightening, as they concern people who should have had their whole lives ahead of them, but were cut short by driving while intoxicated.
- In the state of Rhode Island, nearly 700,000 people will be affected by drunk driving within their lifetimes. Across the nation, 2 in every three people are directly involved or impacted by the effects of a drunk driving car accident.
These statistics point to the prevalence of drunk driving across America, and especially in Rhode Island. The Fall River area is no different, and our drivers experience a surplus of incidents related to alcohol impairment.
What should I do in the wake of a drunk driving accident?
In the aftermath of a drunk driving accident, there are several essential steps you should take.
Seek medical attention
First and foremost, you must seek medical care in the wake of a serious drunk driving accident. Even if you feel fine or uninjured, you should go to the hospital or schedule an urgent meeting with a doctor to ensure that you are looked over for internal injuries or trauma.
Many people, often in a state of shock, believe that they are fine, only to find later that they have sustained internal injuries that could have been taken care of at the scene of the accident. Frequently these injuries turn out to be more painful than need be had they been treated at the scene.
Furthermore, seeking medical attention will create a record that will hold up in court, confirming that the event of the accident caused your injuries. All insurance records and medical documents may prove to be useful at a later date, so try to keep these organized and intact.
Document the scene
Taking photos of the accident and gathering witness testimony after you have experienced a collision with a drunk driver can be taxing or even impossible when you are being treated for injuries or caring for your loved ones.
If you cannot undertake this task yourself, ask a friend or relative, if possible, to compile the contact information of witnesses to the accident and to document the scene from multiple angles.
Documentation can help attorneys piece together the event of the accident at a later date, track down people who may be able to testify to facts of the accident, and prove your case in court.
Hire an attorney
After seeking medical attention and documenting the scene, hiring an experienced, skilled attorney is the most important thing you can do in the wake of a drunk driving accident. The lawyers with the Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. will work with you every step of the way to take the burden of the case off your shoulders so that you can begin to heal.
Securing legal advice as soon as possible in the wake of a drunk driving accident will ensure that you do not pass the statute of limitations for personal injury cases, miss any deadlines, or lose track of any information pertinent to your case.
Contact Us
If you have been affected by a drunk driving accident, the most crucial step is to secure an established attorney to fight on your side. The Law Offices of Ronald J. Resmini, Accident & Injury Lawyers, Ltd. brings decades of experience, compassion, and dedication to each of our cases. Call us today at (401) 444-4444 to begin to discuss your case and let us take the weight of the case off your shoulders. Our consultations are free of charge and can be scheduled online through our live chat or over the phone.
