If a vehicle strikes you while walking or cycling in Rhode Island, identify the vehicle and driver, preserve collision evidence and gather potentially relevant insurance policies. Being outside a car does not, by itself, answer every coverage question. The policy language and your relationship to the policyholder need review.
Rhode Island’s uninsured-motorist statute protects persons insured under the policy who are legally entitled to recover from covered uninsured or hit-and-run motorists. It does not declare that every pedestrian or cyclist is an insured under every policy. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1 (2026) (verified passage)
Identify the vehicles, drivers and collision sequence
Keep the police report number, investigating agency, driver and owner information, registration details and available insurance information. If several vehicles were involved, list each one and what you know about its role. A vehicle owner, driver and policyholder can be different people.
Note whether a driver was working, making a delivery or using a rideshare platform. Preserve available identifying information without assuming that a work connection automatically establishes employer responsibility or commercial coverage.
For an unidentified vehicle, record the description, direction of travel, witness accounts and any camera locations. Mark facts you personally observed separately from information provided by someone else.
Preserve the scene and injury records
Save original photographs or video of the roadway, crossing area, traffic controls, lighting, sight lines and vehicle positions where available. Record witness contacts and the location of nearby cameras. Conditions can change, so note when each photograph was taken.
Keep the bicycle, helmet, clothing and other damaged items available for discussion about inspection. Photograph their condition and preserve repair estimates. Do not treat a repair estimate alone as a complete record of how the collision occurred.
Organize medical treatment, bills, work restrictions, income records and the course of symptoms. Explain a gap or missing record accurately rather than filling it with an assumption. Coverage review and proof of the injury are related but different tasks.
Gather complete policies and explain household relationships
Bring declarations, policy forms, endorsements, coverage-selection documents and insurer correspondence for policies that may be relevant. Tell counsel where you lived on the collision date and your relationship to the policyholder. Identify your own vehicles and any household vehicles; counsel can assess whether the policy definitions reach your circumstances.
The statute provides UM limits tied to bodily-injury liability limits, with a written lower-limit selection option and a specified circumstance allowing reduction to zero. The declarations and selection documents therefore matter. Do not assume that the maximum listed liability limit is necessarily the available UM limit. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1 (2026) (verified passage)
Keep health-insurance or other benefit information in a separate part of the file so it is clear which insurer is addressing which expense or claim.
Check uninsured and underinsured coverage before a release
The Rhode Island statute includes underinsured motorists within its uninsured-motorist provisions. A driver having liability insurance does not end the inquiry; the definition compares that coverage with the limits or damages the insured person is legally entitled to recover. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1 (2026) (verified passage)
The statute also says a person entitled to recover need not first make a claim or bring an action against the uninsured or underinsured motorist as a prerequisite to insurer recovery. That provision does not decide whether you qualify as an insured or resolve all policy terms. R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-7-2.1 (2026) (verified passage)
Have any offer and complete proposed release reviewed with the policies. Keep insurer notices, responses and coverage positions together. The related UIM settlement and release guide explains that separate review point.
Prepare a focused coverage and liability review
A short file index should identify the crash date and place, every known vehicle and insurer, the policies collected, current treatment and any pending court or offer date. List unanswered questions, such as an unidentified insurer or a missing endorsement.
Coverage does not decide fault. The Rhode Island disputed-fault guide addresses evidence for that separate issue. This guide does not determine right of way or assign responsibility from the fact that someone was walking or cycling.
See pedestrian and bicycle injury representation, or request a consultation with the parties, crash location and relevant dates. Hold private medical and policy documents for the appropriate channel after conflict review.
Source texts
Sources checked October 28, 2026. The passage links above identify the language used for each point. Eligibility, applicable policy terms, procedures, and individual facts still require review.
General legal information; the applicable law, documents, and individual facts control. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.