Maison Law represents people who are hurt in rental car accidents due to another driver’s mistake. Our San Luis Obispo car accident 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 San Luis Obispo Rental Car accident lawyer may prove an important protection.
Car 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. can also afford corporate lawyers to attack your claim and withhold compensation.
Your lawyer fully investigates your case and uses the evidence to force insurers to accept responsibility. Then your Maison Law representative fights to get the most out of your injury claim for you and your family.
Who Is Responsible for an Accident Involving a Rental Car?
San Luis Obispo traffic is often made up of motorists from the area and drivers passing through. They may be on vacation and in rental cars zipping up or down the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 101.
Anyone traveling on California streets and highways can be placed at risk by a reckless driver. Some of those drivers who cause collisions may be in a rental SUV. Others may be in rental cars obeying all local traffic laws when they are struck by a local driver.
After a scary collision involving a rental car from businesses like Enterprise or Avis, victims may wonder whose insurance would be liable for damages and injuries.
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 rely on their normal car insurance to cover them if an accident occurs. Some car insurers fully cover drivers when they rent a car for personal use.
But there are other insurance options that may be purchased or that are included 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:
- Another Driver’s Insurance Policy — 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. This would also be true if the other driver is in a rental car and hits your family vehicle. The at-fault driver’s insurance should apply. The other driver’s insurance must cover the cost of repairing or replacing a rental car. The policy should also help you pay your medical bills and replace the income you lose while healing.
- Your Car Insurance — If you caused damage to your rental car, your car insurance may cover the damages. The rental car company would want to repair or replace the car before they lost a lot of profit while the car was unable to be rented out. Many car insurance companies cover policyholders when they drive a rental car for personal use. It’s important to ask what your policy will cover before you sign a rental agreement. This gives you the chance to purchase additional coverage if necessary. Unfortunately, the support 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. They might also cover vehicles that have been stolen or vandalized. Credit card protection may not cover the damage to another vehicle or the cost of injury support.
- Your Car Rental Car Coverage – Rental car companies like Budget offer many levels of insurance you can add on when you rent your car. There are also 3rd party rental car insurance providers who offer policies. Some cover any damage to a rental car and the damage to another vehicle. Other policies provide compensation to you and any other injured victims. Beware: This coverage may also come with a large deductible you must pay before coverage kicks in for the rest.
- 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.
When figuring out who to hold accountable, you’ll want to bring as much evidence as possible to the table. You should always call 911 after a collision and request an ambulance if you are hurt or someone else is hurt in any way.
If it’s safe and you feel okay, take photos of the vehicles involved and show any visible injuries. Get contact information from witnesses. Get information from the drivers involved unless an officer provides it to you.
Also…
Alert the Rental Car Company as Soon as Possible.
Alert Your Own Car Insurance Provider.
Compensation Available for Victims After a Rental Car Accident
Your San Luis Obispo car accident lawyer assembles the evidence to submit a strong injury claim and includes a complete list of every hardship you and your family endured after the accident.
Your Maison Law attorney would demand support for a few things you may not have known could earn you additional support on a car accident settlement check:
- Hospital and medical expenses.
- Estimates for the support you could need over a lifetime after suffering a permanent physical disability.
- Travel costs as you may have to visit doctors out of the area and travel to appointments while you are on crutches or in a wheelchair.
- Support for the emotional trauma you are left with. Anxiety and PTSD symptoms you experience due to the trauma of a car crash. The depression you face during a long and difficult injury rehabilitation also factors in.
- Support for the physical pain you endure and the chronic pain that may be present in the years to come.
- Past and future lost income while you miss work.
- Damage or destruction of personal property.
Contact a San Luis Obispo Rental Car Accident Attorney
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an actual San Luis Obispo 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. These shady practices are meant to limit the money you receive. Avoiding these pitfalls will be key to earning what’s fair for your car accident injury claim.
If you feel we can help you earn more for your injury, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll pay us. Maison Law works on a contingency basis. That means we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our legal fees come out of a settlement an insurance company must pay you.
