When you drive a rental car, many of the legal statutes governing liability may be the same as if you were driving your own vehicle. However, you may be held liable for any damage that comes to the vehicle while you are driving it, and it is possible that your liability for damage to the rental car may exist even if somebody else causes the accident.
If you were injured in a rental car, though, the person who is at fault for your accident may be responsible for covering your losses – this may be the case if you are not driving a rental car, too. A Savannah rental car accident lawyer may walk you through what you need to know following an accident in a rental car.
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Give Us A Call »Insurance May Cover Damage to Your Rental Car
If you are driving a rental car legally, it may be likely that you:
- Are covered by your own personal auto insurance policy
- Are covered by any amount of rental car insurance that you purchased
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes that these forms of insurance may be intended to reduce your total amount of liability in the case that:
- You cause an accident
- Somebody else causes an accident involving your vehicle
- The rental car is damaged for any reason
Your own insurance may also cover some amount of injury to yourself and any passengers in your vehicle at the time of the accident. If your accident results in serious injury or death, however, any other party who contributed to the accident may be financially liable for some or all of your losses.
Negligence May Be Cause for a Lawsuit
Drivers who act in a negligent fashion and cause one or more injuries could be liable, even if the vehicle they are driving is a rental car.
After an accident, you may first choose to explore whether an at-fault party’s insurance policy will be sufficient to cover your losses. This is not always possible, however, as reasons why insurance may not be a feasible option for compensating your losses may include:
- The at-fault party in your accident does not have insurance at all
- The at-fault party’s insurance policy was not active at the time of your collision
- The at-fault party in your accident does not have an insurance policy that provides a sufficient amount of coverage to cover all of your losses
- There is a dispute about the facts of the accident, or the extent of harm that you have suffered, between you and the at-fault party or their insurance company
- The at-fault party did something that precludes them from receiving the insurance coverage that they paid for
If insurance is not fruitful in netting you the compensation that you believe you are entitled to, then you may choose to consider or pursue a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, possibly with the assistance of a Savannah rental car accident lawyer.
You can call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation about the steps you may take to protect your rights after a rental car accident.
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A Lawyer Will Aim to Prove the Negligence of At-Fault Parties
You may be seeking compensation for harm that extends beyond what insurance covers, in which case you or a loved one may have suffered a serious injury – and possibly a fatal injury – during a rental car accident.
The American Bar Association (ABA) notes that, in order to secure compensation for your losses, your lawyer may need to:
- Prove that defendants named in your lawsuit have some liability for the accident in which your injuries occurred
- Show that you have suffered damages as the result of your rental car accident
More specifically, your lawyer may need to show that the defendants named in your lawsuit were negligent in one or more ways, and that their negligence contributed to the onset of your accident.
Some of the actions that your lawyer may cite as forms of negligence include:
- Driving while intoxicated
- Engaging in distracted driving behaviors
- Driving while under the influence of drugs
- Driving aggressively, which could include behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, or weaving in and out of lanes in an unpredictable manner
- Driving at night without headlights engaged
- Failing to obey traffic signals such as stop signs, red lights, and yield signs
- Failing to abide by the rules of right-of-way
- Engaging in any behavior that would foreseeably put others at an unreasonable risk of being harmed
Drivers who engage in these sorts of actions may be negligent, and could open themselves up to liability if they cause an accident resulting in harm to others, such as yourself or your loved one.
Potential Compensation for a Rental Car Accident
The compensation that you seek, and the compensation that you may ultimately be awarded, in your lawsuit may depend on the specific types of losses you have suffered because of your rental car accident.
Possible losses from such an accident may include:
- Healthcare costs, emergency or otherwise
- The cost of rehabilitation for your accident-related injuries
- Costs resulting from your loved one’s passing, which may be both economic and non-economic in nature
- Pain and suffering caused by the accident and your injuries
- Lost income and harm to your earning capacity
- Any other accident-related harm that you or your loved one has suffered
A lawyer may help you pursue compensation for these losses by making court appearances, drafting all necessary paperwork, and aiming to prove the negligence of those responsible for your accident.
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Call George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation about the services a Savannah rental car accident lawyer could provide. Just focus on getting better and leave the rest to us.
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