Maison Law represents people who are hurt in rental car accidents due to another driver’s mistake. Our Hanford personal injury lawyers aggressively seek compensation for our clients from reckless drivers and, in some cases, rental car companies. Please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation for all local injury victims. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold insurance companies fully responsible for recovery costs.
How Do I Know If I Need a Rental Car Accident Lawyer?
If your rental car accident involves only property damage, you should be able to reach a fair agreement with your car insurance company and the rental car company without the help of a lawyer. But when you are seriously injured in a collision and another motorist is to blame, a Hanford rental car accident lawyer may prove to be an important protection.
Insurance companies and insurers who provide protection through rental agreements will look for ways to avoid having to provide support. They can try to blame you for an accident you didn’t cause or question how bad your injuries are. Your lawyer fully investigates your case and uses the evidence to force insurers to accept responsibility. Then your Maison Law representative demands the maximum in support available for you and your family.
Who Is Responsible for an Accident Involving a Rental Car Accident?
After a scary collision on a busy road like Highway 198 or Lacey Boulevard, you can be left in shock and perhaps some real pain. And if a rental car is involved, there may be a lot of confusion over who will a victim’s car repair bills and medical invoices.
Are rental car drivers covered? What if you are struck by someone in a rental car? Do they have to have auto insurance?
In some cases, an accident involving a rental car would be resolved much like an accident involving two personal vehicles. Many people who rent cars are covered by their normal car insurance to protect them if an accident occurs.
But there are other coverage options that may be purchased or that are provided as a perk with certain credit cards that can play a role in how an accident is resolved.
These are just some of the insurance choices that could affect how you receive accident compensation:
Property Damage Only
- Another Driver Responsible – If another driver strikes you while you are behind the wheel of a rental car, the driver’s auto insurance provider should be paying for the damage. Beware! Even when another driver is responsible, you could still have to pay for repairs so the rental company can restore its car and make money off it. You’d then be left to try to get that money reimbursed from the at-fault driver’s insurer.
- Your Car Insurance — If you caused damage to your rental car or someone else’s car, your auto insurance may cover the damages. Many insurance companies cover policyholders when they drive a rental car for personal use. It’s important to check on what your policy will cover before you sign a rental agreement. Unfortunately, the payment would likely come after you’ve had to pay a large deductible.
- Credit Card Coverage – Some credit cards provide accident protection when you charge a rental car. These protections usually repair or replace your rental car up to a certain limit. Credit card coverage usually doesn’t include support for injuries.
- Your Car Rental Coverage – If you purchased additional coverage through your rental car company, you should be covered for some, if not all of the damage. This may also come with a large deductible you must pay before coverage kicks in for the rest. There are also 3rd party car rental insurance providers you can go through to protect yourself before you rent.
Rental Car Accidents Involving Injuries
- Another Driver Responsible – Injured victims would seek help with recovery costs from the at-fault driver’s auto insurance company. It’s important to have a Hanford car accident lawyer protecting your interests in this situation. It’s a safeguard to keep insurance adjusters from trying to stick you with some of your medical bills.
- Your Own Car Insurance Policy — If you are at fault in an accident, it’s possible your own car insurance would cover the damage to the other vehicle and any injury costs for the victims.
- Your Rental Car Coverage – You may have paid for additional coverage documented in your rental car agreement. Depending on the coverage you purchased, the damage to vehicles and recovery costs could be taken care of. One coverage offered, Personal Accident Insurance, would help you with medical costs and support your family if you were killed in a tragic accident. There are also third-party insurance companies that specialize in rental car insurance.
- The Rental Car Company – If a rental car company somehow contributed to your accident, your lawyer would demand full compensation for your damages. A rental car business may have given you a car with faulty tires or worn brakes. They may not have warned you of potential dangers in the area. These and other circumstances might leave a rental car company liable for your damages and injuries.
What Should I Do After an Accident in a Rental Car?
Rental car chains like Hertz are run by giant companies and their reach is sometimes worldwide. If you seek compensation from a rental car company or their insurers, these companies can afford to hire corporate lawyers. These lawyers will be picking apart your case and looking for any way possible to point the finger of blame at anyone else but their bosses.
It’s critical to secure as much evidence as possible to fight back against any attempt by insurance companies to change the facts. An accident can leave you in shock, but if you are physically able, you should act to gather as much evidence as possible on the scene.
Call 911. If you or someone else is hurt, request an ambulance. Then, if it’s safe and you are strong enough try to collect as many details on the scene as possible:
- Allow EMTs to check out every pain you experience. If you must leave for the emergency room, ask someone with you or a witness to gather evidence for you.
- Tell Hanford Police or the California Highway Patrol everything you saw leading up to the accident.
- Take cell phone pictures and video. Show the damage to cars, traffic signs, and debris left behind. Show your injuries if they are visible.
- Get contact information from witnesses.
- Get driver’s license and insurance information from other drivers.
- Alert the Rental Car Company as Soon as Possible. You might find a sticker inside your rental car that contains a phone number to call in an emergency. The rental car company will probably want to fill out an accident report of its own. Do everything the rental car company asks you to do.
- Alert Your Own Car Insurance Provider. Just like if you were in your own car, you’d want to inform your insurer about your accident.
- See your doctor. The shock of being in a car accident can hide the pain from injuries. You may not really know how badly you are hurt until a day later. Have your physician examine all the discomfort you feel. Save your medical invoices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of things can I be compensated for?
The medical bills you have now and the estimates on care you may need in the future should be fully compensated. The paychecks you lose while missing work due to an injury should be reimbursed. You must also seek support for the physical pain and emotional trauma you endure. The repairs for the car you were in should be paid.
How long can I wait to file a car accident claim in California?
Act quickly. You are granted up to two years to file an injury claim, but in that time evidence can disappear, surveillance footage can be erased, and witnesses may end up moving away. Allow a Maison Law lawyer to begin investigating your case as soon as possible.
What if I can’t afford to pay a car accident lawyer?
You can still afford the protection of a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check you receive.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Hanford Rental Car Accident Lawyer
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an actual Hanford rental car accident lawyer. We want to hear what happened to you. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are fully aware of the insurance tactics you’ll face. Avoiding these pitfalls will be key to earning what’s fair for your car accident injury claim.
