Who Pays Damages or Injuries in a Rental Car? - Sgarlato & Sgarlato PLLC
Rental cars are probably needed when on a business trip or vacation, but the last thing anyone expects or plans for while renting a car is getting into an accident and being responsible for any damage to the rental car.
It is essential to note that when renting a car, you are responsible for any damage to the vehicle even when it was due to someone else’s negligence. Although things get a little bit easier if the accident wasn’t your fault as the perpetrator of the accident has to be in charge of footing the bills.
But then a question comes to your mind:
“If the accident was my fault, who pays for the damages or injuries?”
The answer to your question would be – different insurances are set in place in case of an accident to help foot the bills for the damages and injuries.
Auto liability coverage: This covers both bodily injury and property damage
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage: This covers bills where the driver at fault doesn’t have any insurance, or perhaps his insurance isn’t enough to foot the bills.
Comprehensive coverage: This covers for damages like theft or fire accident
Collision coverage: This covers the repair of the car during a collision with an object or another car
Medical payments coverage: This covers hospital bills for surgery, x-ray, etc.
Personal injury protection: This covers medical expenses after an accident.
Credit Card Company Rental Car Insurance:
Most credit cards offer liability coverage, which solely depends on the terms of agreement with the financial institution. It’s advised to use a card with liability coverage when getting a rental car, as it ensures that the insurance would pay for damages to the rental vehicle within the rental period.
If there’s insurance on your private car, it could cover the rental car. It is important to know what your insurance company covers to prevent passing on insurance not covered by the company to the car rental company.
After renting a car, the company offers some insurances that would last you throughout the period you rented the car, although applying for these insurances is not a must, but if accepted, it would be added to the fee paid.
If you are having issues with your rental car insurance, do well to contact us as we’ve helped hundreds of people clear up all payments involving rental cars without having to bring out money from their pockets using just their insurance. Go ahead and give us a call, or better yet, fill our contact form to get in touch with us.