Yes - especially right now, when Rhode Island's holiday-weekend DUI enforcement ramps up on I-95, Route 37, and Post Road, and insurers move fast to close child-injury claims cheap.

Picture a Memorial Day crash near the Route 2 shopping corridor in Warwick. A drunk driver rear-ends an SUV, and a child in a car seat ends up at Hasbro Children's with a concussion. The parent is a veteran dealing with the child's treatment, their own VA appointments, and an insurer offering a quick check. It can feel like too much trouble for "just" a kid's concussion. But if symptoms linger, school problems show up months later, or future care is needed, a fast settlement can be a bad trade.

The general Rhode Island rules make these claims more worth pursuing than many parents think.

A minor usually does not file the claim personally. A parent or guardian handles it.

For most injury claims in Rhode Island, the normal filing deadline is 3 years. For a child, that deadline is often tolled until age 18, so the child may have much longer to sue under R.I. Gen. Laws § 9-1-19. That does not mean wait. Evidence from Warwick Police, nearby cameras, skid marks, and witnesses on a holiday weekend disappears fast in a state where one bad crash can jam traffic statewide.

If the case settles, court approval is often required for a minor's settlement before the money is finalized and protected for the child.

If a school or daycare was involved - bad supervision, unsafe pickup area, bus loading, playground injury - the case can get more complicated, especially if it involves a public entity.

And the VA system and civilian injury claim are separate. Using VA benefits for a parent's care does not wipe out a child's claim against the at-fault driver, school, daycare, or product maker.