Can I Get A Rental Vehicle For A Car Accident?
There are usually two ways to get a rental car. The fastest, if you had “rental car coverage” from your own car accident insurance company. If so, they will usually pay up to their stated money limit for a rental car The second way to get a rental car is from the insurance company for the person that caused the car accident, which is much more common, as most people do not have “rental car coverage” with their own car insurance company. With both examples, above, you are generally not able to get extra car insurance, only the money for the rental car. As car accident lawyers, we assist our client so they do not get charged money that cannot be recovered.
Often times, a car accident leaves a person trapped without a car to drive. Not having your car can not only cause major problems. So, if you depend upon your car to you to school, work as well as personal errands, such as a car, motorcycle or SUV/sports utility vehicle, it is important to get a temporary car such as a rental car.
Because of this special problem, we are going to take a moment to discuss you rights to get a rental car when you are involved in a motor vehicle accident that is not your fault in California. If your vehicle is damaged and you are unable to drive it, you are entitled to be put in a like make or model vehicle by the person responsible for the auto accident. This simply means they only are required to pay for you to get a rental car that is similar to the car you own (for example, if your new Toyota is damaged, you can not rent a new Mercedes and expect to get repaid the rental car cost difference).
If the person responsible for the accident has automobile insurance, they will be responsible for assisting you in securing a rental vehicle. Unfortunately, insurance companies often drag their feet in helping you get your rental car, most of the time because they do not have enough people to timely investigate car accident insurance claims. The insurance companies often take their time in determining who is at fault for a car accident. Even if there is a police report, most insurance companies want to do their own investigation if they believe that their customer is not the cause of the car accident, which can take more time as witnesses may have to be located and cooperate in giving information.
Finally, it is important to know that securing a rental car or recovering money for a rental car is part of your property damage claim. This means you can recover these costs, or secure a rental car with out affecting your personal injury settlement.
Please contact us for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced car accident lawyer at (800) 655-6585 or click here to submit your case for a Free Review.
