A lot of people rent a car when flying into a vacation destination. Sometimes accidents involving rental cars do take place unexpectedly. If you have decided to rent a car rather than use public transport to get around, you have to know what to do if an accident happens.
If someone has crashed into you and the accident wasn’t your fault, the situation is similar to an accident in your own vehicle. You may be entitled to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. In order for the claim to be successful you may need help from a personal injury attorney who can gather all the required information and file a claim on your behalf.
The Process to Follow After an Accident in a Rental Car
The most important thing to do after the accident is to ensure everyone else in the rental car is okay. Following that, if somebody has been injured, or any of the vehicles are likely to burst into flames you should call 911.
If the damage is serious and you can’t drive the rental car you will need to call the rental car office and arrange for a tow truck to remove the rental car. Once it’s safe to move around the accident area you should ask the at-fault driver for his or her name and address, cell phone number and details of the insurance provider.
The last thing to do which is far easier than it used to be and that’s to take photographs of the accident site with the camera feature on your cell phone. Get any witness statements from those who saw the accident occur.
What to Do About Insurance After a Rental Car Accident
You will probably know what the deductible amount is when you signed your rental car agreement. The deductible has to do with the amount of insurance cover you took out at the rental car office.
Depending on who caused the accident you may have to forfeit the entire deductible amount if the damage incurred is higher than that amount. So, for example, if the damage amount is $6,000 and your deductible is $500, you will lose your deductible but pay no more towards the repairs.
However, if you didn’t take out the collision damage waiver insurance at the time of the rental, you will have to contact your own insurance provider who will pay the rental car company the value of the damage. Your insurer won’t cover the cost of the injuries.
If the accident wasn’t your fault, your insurer will pursue the at-fault driver and his or her insurer to get the money back. This won’t cover your injuries so if the rental car accident wasn’t your fault you may need to pursue a personal injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurer.
Consult With a Personal Injury Lawyer
It’s never easy to win a personal injury claim on your own. You may need to talk to a personal injury attorney first who will gather all the information required, including a medical report from your doctor, and file a claim with the insurer of the at-fault driver.
If successful you should get all your treatment paid for, plus an amount to cover your pain and suffering. Complete the Free Case Evaluation to be connected with a lawyer who can help with the success of your claim today!
