Accidents frequently occur on Colorado roads. Who pays for my rental car after an accident? Unfortunately, they can happen when you're driving a car that doesn't belong to you, such as a rental. If this happens, you may be scared and confused as to what happens next. However, it would help if you weren't scared; instead, it would be best to hire Firouzbakht Law Firm to represent you.
Driving a rental vehicle on Colorado roads carries the same accident risks you face when driving your vehicle. If you're on vacation, then the fact that you don't know Colorado roads may make you more prone to accidents.
The car rental agreement with the rental company, the rental car insurance, and the different insurance companies involved make rental car accidents more complicated. So, you should know what will happen if someone hits your rental.
Firstly, there's a strong possibility that you, the other driver, and any other occupants of both cars will sustain injuries. Your injuries may be slight or severe. Secondly, there will be various degrees of vehicle damages to both cars. Finally, you may even lose any personal property you had in the car.
Rental car companies require that you return their car in the same condition you hired it. Therefore, someone will have to pay for the cost of the rental vehicle repairs. If you weren't at fault, you might get compensation from the at-fault driver. However, you may bear all or part of the liability if you were at fault. It is also noteworthy that you aren't entitled to a substitute vehicle from the rental shop during the period of time the case is being settled.
Most Americans have an auto insurance policy. This personal insurance policy ought to cover any accident you have in a rental. However, it would be best to check with your company to know the extent of your coverage.
Most rental companies offer their type of insurance to their renters. Whether you should buy their insurance depends on multiple factors and your preferences. Firstly, you should know that rental insurance covers the following:
Collision/Loss Damage Waiver: With this provision, rental shops won't pursue you for any vehicle damages. Therefore, you'll be free from the costs of vehicle repairs. Furthermore, this waiver covers any theft or property loss in an accident.
If you have a comprehensive insurance policy covering the items listed above, you don't have to buy the rental shops' insurance. On the other hand, if your collision car insurance is insufficient, it would be best to purchase the rental coverage.
Rental car accidents, just like other car accidents, cause bodily injuries and personal property loss. As usual, someone has to be responsible for making these losses good. In 2003, Colorado adopted fault-based insurance laws. Therefore, if you're in a rental car accident, the fault-party is primarily responsible.
You can recover compensation from the fault driver in two ways:
Conversely, you can file a claim with your insurance provider if your policy has rental insurance coverage or the fault driver's rental coverage is insufficient. Furthermore, if you rented the car with your credit card, you may also have insurance on it. However, you should confirm this first.
Colorado operates a modified comparative fault system. So, you can only claim against the other driver if your contribution to the accident was less than 50%. Therefore, your percentage of fault affects your claim for damages. An excellent attorney can help you understand this better.
Usually, the rental company isn't liable to pay you compensation for the accident. However, if a problem in the rental car that the company knew about and didn't remedy caused the accident, they may be liable.
Many people think they don't need to hire a lawyer if the other party caused the accident.. This thought is wrong because it's based on the belief that everything will be fine since you aren't the fault party. However, this isn't always the case. If you survive a car accident, hiring personal injury attorneys can never be a wrong move. There are many ways a lawyer can help your case.
For instance, although you believe that you didn't cause the accident, the at-fault drivers' insurance company won't just take your word for it. You will need to establish the fault of the other party and absolve yourself. The fault determination process is quite technical and challenging, not something a non-lawyer can pull off. So, it would help if you had an experienced car accident attorney represent you at this stage.
Furthermore, insurance companies don't relish paying claims, and the at-fault driver's insurer won't be different. Therefore, they will devise many means to escape liability for your accident. Only an experienced personal injury attorney can help you recover the maximum compensation within the legal time frame.
There are some other incentives an injured person has for hiring lawyers, including:
Since rental car accident claims are more complex than other accident claims, it would be best to hire a lawyer. Still, not all lawyers have the required skill in this field. However, we've got you covered. Our attorneys at Firouzbakht Law have sufficient skill and experience representing victims of Colorado rental car collisions. We can use these to your benefit if you hire us. So, call us today.
