The one thing the city is hoping you never find out is that a government injury claim can have a much shorter notice deadline than the usual 3 years.

What should have happened at the scene: call 911, get to a trauma hospital, and make sure the incident is documented as happening on City of Providence property or at a city-run project. If Providence Fire, Providence Police, or an inspector showed up, their reports matter. Get the exact address, photos of the site, the name of the demolition contractor, and names of any witnesses before the debris gets cleared.

What to do right now: if you have a spinal injury, wrist fracture, crush trauma, or signs of internal injury, keep every ER and follow-up record from Rhode Island Hospital or wherever you were treated. Ask for the run sheet, imaging, and discharge papers. If you're a veteran, you can use VA health care, but a VA claim and a civilian injury claim are two separate systems. The VA will not give Providence legal notice for you.

In the next few days: identify who controlled the site. If it was the City of Providence, a city agency, or a state agency like RIDOT, the notice rules can change fast. For some Rhode Island government-related injury claims, especially road or public-way defect claims, written notice can be required in as little as 60 days. The general lawsuit deadline for most injury claims is still 3 years, but waiting for that can wreck a government claim.

What comes next: the city or state may point at a private contractor and the contractor may point right back. Rhode Island is a pure comparative fault state, so being partly blamed does not automatically bar recovery. Government claims also run into Rhode Island's tort damages cap, often $100,000 against a public entity unless a higher amount is authorized.

Keep a simple file with:

• incident reports, photos, witness names, contractor names, medical records, VA records, and every letter from the city, state, or insurer

If this happened over a holiday weekend in Providence, move fast. Those sites get cleaned up, traffic cameras overwrite, and public agencies do not preserve evidence for you automatically.