Tuesday, May 31, 2016

What should I know about insurance and liability issues in rented car accidents?

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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