Detailed Answer
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Rhode Island law and is not legal advice. Consult an attorney to address your specific situation.
Under Rhode Island law, a negligence claim requires you to prove four elements by a preponderance of the evidence: duty, breach, causation and damages. Every driver owes a duty to obey traffic-control devices, including stop lights and signal phases, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-12-4 (link). To show another motorist breached that duty and caused a collision at a traffic signal or exit, you will need to collect and preserve key evidence:
- Police and crash reports. The Rhode Island State Police or local department report typically identifies signal violations, timing of events, diagrams of the scene and witness summaries. Request the full file, including attachments and supplementary statements.
- Photographs and video footage. Take clear images of vehicle positions, traffic lights, skid marks, road markings and damage patterns. Secure any traffic-camera, doorbell, surveillance or dashcam recordings that captured the moments before, during or after impact.
- Witness statements. Obtain written or recorded accounts from drivers, passengers and bystanders who saw the other motorist enter the intersection or exit improperly, run a red light or merge unsafely.
- Signal timing and maintenance logs. You may subpoena timing records or maintenance histories from the municipality or Rhode Island Department of Transportation to verify the light cycle or detect malfunctions.
- Accident reconstruction analysis. A qualified engineer can use measurements of skid marks, final rest positions and crush patterns to recreate the speeds and trajectories, demonstrating breach and causation.
- Event Data Recorder (EDR) data. Modern vehicles often record brake application, throttle and speed immediately before a collision. You may retrieve this “black box” data through a qualified technician.
- Physical evidence. Preserve any debris, paint transfers or vehicle parts that corroborate contact points and angles of impact.
By combining these pieces—along with expert testimony tying the breach directly to your injuries and losses—you build a compelling case that the other driver failed to stop or yield, causing the collision and your damages.
Helpful Hints
- Secure the scene: Photograph and document before vehicles move.
- Act quickly: Evidence (like skid marks) can disappear.
- Collect contact details: Get names and phone numbers of all witnesses on site.
- File for public records: Request signal timing logs and maintenance reports from the local city or town.
- Consult specialists: An accident reconstructionist or traffic-signal engineer can strengthen your proof.
- Keep detailed records: Log all medical treatment, repair estimates and lost-wage documents.