Rhode Island § 31-52-6 - Funeral Procession Act

§ 31-52-6. Liability.

(a) Liability for any death, personal injury or property damage suffered by any person in a funeral procession shall not be imposed upon the funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort or their employees or agents if the funeral procession was operating in compliance with this chapter or would have been operating in such compliance but for the operator or operators of one or more vehicles in the funeral procession not exercising due care as required by this chapter.

(b) Liability for any death, personal injury or property damage that results from, is caused by, or arises out of any action or inaction of any operator of a vehicle in a funeral procession under the control of a funeral director funeral establishment, funeral escort or their employees or agents shall not be imposed upon such funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort or their employees or agents if the funeral procession was operating in compliance with this chapter or would have been operating in such compliance but for the operator or operators of one or more vehicles in the funeral procession not exercising due care as required by this chapter.

(c) This section shall not apply if the death, personal injury, or property damage allegedly arose from the negligent acts or omissions in the operation of a vehicle by the funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort, or their employees or agents. The operator of a vehicle in a funeral procession shall not be deemed to be an agent of the funeral director, funeral establishment, or funeral escort unless such operator is an employee of the funeral director, funeral establishment, or funeral escort and is acting in the course of their employment, or unless the operator was retained as an independent contractor of the funeral director, funeral establishment, or funeral escort and is performing services thereto.

(d) This section does not create a new cause of action or substantive legal rights against any funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort, or their employees or agents. This section does not affect any immunities from civil liability or defenses established by another section of the general laws or any immunities from civil liabilities or defenses available at common law to which a funeral director, funeral establishment, funeral escort, or their employees or agents may be entitled.