People don’t usually rent a car on a
regular basis. However, the risk of an accident is often greater when you drive
a rented car. This is because you are not familiar with the car as well and
possibly the locality where you are driving. If you happen to be involved in an
accident while driving a rented car, you have to be aware of a few unique
issues, according New Haven, CT accident lawyers.
To begin with, it is essential to obtain
medical attention for any individuals who have suffered even minor injuries.
Call the police to report the accident, exchange insurance as well as contact
information with all persons involved, and note the names and contact
information of any witnesses to the accident.
However, the car you are driving belongs
to a rental car company, so you must inform them of the accident as well. Go
through the rental documents for any instructions on reporting an accident and
obtaining roadside help. Follow all the instructions you get from your rental
car company, and ensure that you do so strictly or else you may find yourself
liable for any damage to the car. This helps in any compensation claim for the accident as
well.
Insurance
and a Rental Car Accident
Connecticut accident attorneys point out
that drivers in general naturally assume that their vehicle insurance policy
can offer coverage if they are involved an accident. However, that is not
always the case. Go through the details of your insurance policy and make
certain that rental car coverage isn’t specifically excluded and that you have
sufficient coverage.
New Haven, CT accident lawyers know that you should use your turn signal when turning or changing lanes. |
For the most part, there are two types
of vehicle insurance coverage. One is liability coverage that pays for any
injuries that you cause to others in a vehicle accident, and any car damage
caused due to the crash. The other is collision coverage that applies to any
damage that you cause to your car. This will cover the cost to get your car
repaired or replaced.
When people rent cars they generally do
not drive them as good as they would their own. They tend or can be a little
more careless since they do not own it. They also do not care that much about
the interior, taking food and drink risks they would not take in their own
vehicles.
You can sort of see this behavior in the
movie Superbad with Officer Slater and Officer Michaels played by Bill Hader
and Seth Rogan, respectively. Now they were police officers but the way they
treated that police car was ridiculous. Would they really drive their own car
like that? No way.
Officer Slater and Michaels were not fit
to be police officers, but this site Accident.USAttorneys.com is fit to be one of
the most useful and vital websites on the Internet today. Unlike Officers
Slater and Michaels, this website does not shirk from its
responsibilities.
“Collision
Damage Waiver”
The rental car company will ask you
whether you have car insurance of your own. Irrespective of your reply the
company will provide you with a “collision damage waiver”, an additional coverage
at an extra cost. This type of waiver applies only to any damage occurred to
the rental car. This means that the cost of fixing or replacing the car will be
borne by the rental car company although it doesn’t apply to any injuries
caused, as per New Haven, CT accident lawyers.
The
Rental Car Company becomes Liable
It is critical to remember that in most
of rental car accidents, the rental car company cannot be held liable. However,
there can be a few exceptions to this rule. In fact, the company has to bear
some/all liability for the accident in case they failed to maintain the car
properly or was aware of some risky defect related to the car that could cause an
accident.
Under the above circumstances, if
you are involved in an accident while driving a rented car, make
sure to hire a Connecticut accident lawyer to represent you effectively.
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