Personal injury lawyer help in Rehoboth, MA

If you live in or near Rehoboth (population about 11,486) and you were hurt in an accident that was not your fault, this page is the starting point. It explains Massachusetts's personal injury rules as they apply to Bristol County residents: the three years filing deadline, the modified comparative negligence (51% bar) rule, how auto insurance works here, where cases are filed and what injured people can recover. It also explains how to request a free claim review.

Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Rehoboth may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Massachusetts. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone; partner availability and case acceptance depend on the facts.

From 2020 through 2024, federal crash records list 17 fatal crashes inside Rehoboth, in which 18 people died. Two roads had more than one: I-195 with 7 fatal crashes and Tremont St (State Route 118) with 2.

The yearly count was 5 in 2020, 4 in 2021, 3 in 2022, 2 in 2023 and 3 in 2024; 47% of the crashes happened after dark. 1 involved a pedestrian, cyclist or other person outside a vehicle, and 3 happened at or near an intersection.

Across Bristol County, the same records show 196 fatal crashes and 210 people killed over those five years.

Fatal crashes are the most serious outcome on these roads; many more crashes cause injuries without a death. Whatever the severity, the police crash report, photos of the scene and prompt medical records are the starting evidence for a claim.

In Massachusetts, every driver in a crash that kills or injures anyone, or causes more than $1,000 of damage to any one vehicle or other property, must report it in writing to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles within five days, on the Registrar's form, and send a copy to the local police where it happened (M.G.L. c. 90, § 26).

Who must report

Every driver in a crash that kills or injures anyone or causes more than $1,000 of damage to any one vehicle or other property (if the driver cannot, and is not the owner, the owner reports)

Report to

The Registrar of Motor Vehicles (RMV), with a copy to the police department where the crash happened

Deadline

Within five days after the crash

Driver's form

A written report on the form approved by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles

Sources: Massachusetts General Laws: c. 90, § 26. Checked November 3, 2026. General information, not legal advice; local rules and police practice can add steps.

Different attorneys handle different claims, so identify the type of accident early. Rehoboth shares its court and its Massachusetts rules with the rest of Bristol County; the detailed guides below, apply equally to accidents in Rehoboth.

• Car Accident claimsCar Accidents
• Truck Accident claimsTruck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accident claimsMotorcycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accident claimsPedestrian Accidents
• Slip and Fall claimsSlip & Fall
• Workplace Injury claimsWork Injuries & Workers' Comp
• Medical Malpractice claimsMedical Malpractice
• Wrongful Death claimsWrongful Death

Massachusetts generally gives an injured person three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (M.G.L. c. 260, § 2A); medical malpractice is different (three years). Wrongful death claims follow their own deadline, which can differ from the one above. Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency follow separate and often much shorter deadlines. Once the deadline passes, the Bristol County Superior Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Rehoboth is to get legal advice early.

Massachusetts follows modified comparative negligence (51% bar). In plain terms, you can recover as long as you were not more than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Bristol County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a car accident in Rehoboth, your own personal injury protection (PIP) coverage pays initial medical bills and a portion of lost wages regardless of who caused the crash. A lawsuit against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is available only when injuries meet Massachusetts's serious-injury threshold or costs exceed PIP limits. Minimum required coverage in Massachusetts is 25/50/30.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Rehoboth are typically filed in the Bristol County Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Bristol County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Bristol County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Rehoboth are generally covered by Massachusetts workers' compensation, administered through the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents. Report the injury to your employer as soon as practicable (M.G.L. c. 152, § 41) — a late report can delay or put the claim at risk, and the exceptions vary by state — then file the formal claim within four years. Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

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