A Maryland rental car lawyer can help you through one of the most challenging times of your life. A car accident is already tricky. Tensions are high. You may not know what to do next. Worse, you might be in considerable pain that you will have to deal with for the next several months of your life. Things get much more confusing when you are in a rental car accident. You must be aware of the critical aspects of insurance law surrounding rental cars. Moreover, certain factors unique to rental cars may make rental car accidents more likely. We will discuss these critical factors below. Additionally, we will discuss the key parties in a Maryland rental car and how you fit into each scenario.
Rental cars present a unique set of challenges. First and foremost, if you rent a car, you may be in a foreign environment. You may be unsure of how to navigate to your destination. This may mean more time spent looking down at your phone for directions and less time with your eyes on the road. You may wonder what to do about repairs. Perhaps most stressful, your insurance company will demand payment right away for the property damage to the vehicle, even if you are not at fault. This can be avoided if you purchase rental insurance with the rental car company. However, many people who already have a car at home opt not to use this option. Unfortunately, you may be down thousands of dollars for an accident that is not your fault.
This is a stressful time. In our 70 years of practicing personal injury law in Maryland, our Maryland rental car accident lawyers have handled thousands of cases like yours. Call our office today for a free consultation.
This may mean you are the renter of the vehicle in the accident. Or, you could be interested in suing the renter. Regardless, at least one thing should be true regarding a renter. A rental car company will not rent a car out to a driver without insurance. If they rent a car out to someone without car insurance, they must sell insurance to the renter before allowing them to drive off. Failure to do so would breach the rental car company’s duty, which we discuss below. So, as a renter, some insurance coverage should be available to you. If a renter strikes you, the same is true. This is the advantage of a renter being involved in an accident.
However, there are disadvantages, too.
The rental car company may also be a defendant. This can be a more expensive case to litigate because it may require expert witnesses. However, that does not necessarily mean it is not worth pursuing. If your injuries are significant, it may be worth the cost of expert witnesses. An experienced Maryland rental car accident lawyer can help you determine whether it is worthwhile to pursue. When a rental car company’s liability requires an expert witness, it is as if it failed to maintain a car properly. Then, we will need to hire an expert to testify at trial about what should have been done to maintain the vehicle and testify that the defendant must not have done this correctly.
Another way to establish liability against a rental company is if the rental company was negligent in allowing the negligent driver to operate the vehicle without an active insurance policy. The rental car company has a legal duty to ensure the renter has an applicable policy. If they breach this duty, they are liable for your coverage.
Speaking to a Maryland rental car accident lawyer is imperative if you are a rental car driver. The Maryland accident lawyers at Gelb & Gelb regularly sue third parties for negligence. If you, a renter, and a third party caused your accident, you may have a viable claim against them. Ideally, you use their third-party liability coverage to cover what your case is worth. Then, you can use the coverage on your vehicle to make an underinsured claim if the third-party coverage is insufficient to cover your damages. However, the coverage on your car will not kick in until the third-party coverage has been exhausted.
Our Maryland rental car accident lawyer advises that it is the law for car insurance on your vehicle. Unfortunately, many drivers still operate vehicles in Maryland without an active policy. The difference with a rental car is that the company will generally not rent out a vehicle unless they have confirmation that you have a policy on a car at home or purchase coverage from them.
The most important thing to note is that if you do not have rental car coverage through the rental car company, you will have to pay back the rental car company for the damage to your vehicle, even if you did not cause the accident. Their bottom line is more important than your health and safety. They do not care about the facts of your accident. They want their car repaired and back working for them. Accordingly, you should consider that fact before purchasing additional rental car coverage.
Many common causes of typical car accidents also apply to rental car accidents. Below, we discuss common causes that remain unique to rental cars.
For many, an unfamiliarity with a car is enough to get into an accident. If it is your first time in a rental car, you may need clarification on where certain key functions are in the car. You may not know how to turn on your blinker. You may need help adjusting the side-view mirrors. Possibly, you forget to adjust your seat and decide to do it while on the road, getting distracted. Any of these unfamiliarities can lead to your driving performance being below standard. When this happens, you can get distracted or stressed. Either one of these two factors can lead to an accident. When this happens, speak to a Maryland rental car accident lawyer immediately.
If there is a mechanical failure in the rental car, liability may rest with the rental car company and not the driver. In these instances, it is best to communicate with a Maryland rental car accident lawyer regarding your potential case.
Navigational challenges can lead to distraction and panic. For example, if you are driving a rental car in a Maryland city you are unfamiliar with, you are more likely to get into an accident. Suppose that your navigation tells you to turn left up ahead, but it does not warn you that you will need to exit right immediately afterward. Your unfamiliarity with the city and the route may cause you to be ill-prepared to make that quick exit right. In a panic, a rental car driver may try to screech across three lanes to exit before it is too late. However, this is highly dangerous and can cause an accident.
The Maryland rental car accident lawyers at Gelb & Gelb have been practicing personal injury law for 70 years. Call our office today for a free consultation at (202) 331-7227.
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