Rental Accident

rental car accident

Because San Antonio is a popular travel destination, many people on the road here are driving rental automobiles. If a rental vehicle is involved in an accident that causes injuries, it may be unclear who should be held legally responsible. Pursuing compensation for injuries you suffered in a rental accident can quickly become a complex and time-consuming endeavor. But a San Antonio rental accident attorney with the Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover can help you identify who is financially responsible for the collision and pursue all of the compensation you are due.

For more than 30 years, attorney Troy Brookover has been dedicated to protecting the rights of people injured in accidents in San Antonio and South Texas. He will work to seek the best possible outcome in your case, as he has for thousands of clients. Troy is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury trial law. Only a small percentage of attorneys in Texas have attained that certification. We suggest that you contact our law firm if you’ve been injured in a rental accident to have an experienced attorney evaluate the accident at no charge and discuss your legal options to move forward.

If you’ve been injured in a rental accident, contact Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover today for a free legal consultation and an objective assessment of your case. Our firm can help you demand the justice and just financial compensation.

Causes of Rental Accidents in San Antonio

San Antonio is one of the top tourism and convention destinations in the United States. Many drivers here are driving rental automobiles on roads that are unfamiliar to them. This can lead to accidents caused by any of the following:

  • Distracted driving or inattention. Sights and sounds outside of the vehicle can cause driver distractions, especially for tourists new to the city.
  • Unfamiliarity with local roads. A driver who is not familiar with where they are driving is often distracted as they consult navigation systems, printed maps, or written to find their way around. A lack of familiarity with the roads may cause a driver to drive erratically or brake unexpectedly.
  • Drunk driving. Vacations and out-of-town conventions often involve the consumption of alcohol. Anyone driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher is presumed to be driving while impaired in Texas and regarded as a danger to all others on the road.
  • Driver fatigue. Active days and late nights on vacations or business trips can lead to fatigue, which can be as dangerous when driving. A drowsy driver may be slower to recognize hazardous traffic situations and fail to react in time to avoid a crash.

Other causes of accidents that rental drivers are not immune to include:

Certainly, not all rental accidents are the rental driver’s fault. A rental driver or a passenger who was injured in an accident someone else caused would have a right to seek compensation from the at-fault driver.

In a few cases, inadequate vehicle maintenance or a defect in the vehicle’s design is found to have caused a rental accident. The rental company or the automobile manufacturer might be held liable in these instances.

What To Do If You Have an Accident Involving a Rental Vehicle in San Antonio

After a rental accident, if you are able, you should:

  • Assess yourself and others in your vehicle for injuries and help anyone who is hurt.
  • Texas law requires you to contact the police if:
    • Anyone has been injured
    • A driver involved in the crash may be intoxicated
    • A driver involved in the crash has no insurance
    • A driver leaves the scene of an accident
    • A vehicle cannot be moved
  • Phone 911 to summon the police and request an ambulance if anyone has been injured.
  • Exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, vehicle license plate numbers, insurance information, and driver’s license information with the other drivers involved in the crash.
  • Take photos of the accident scene, including the vehicles’ positions before moving them, vehicle damage, your injuries, and any traffic hazards or road obstructions that may have contributed to the crash.
  • Get a medical evaluation within 24 hours if you are not transported by ambulance to the hospital.

If you see indicators that a vehicle in a crash is a rental automobile, such as license plates that don’t match the state on the driver’s license, ask to confirm whether it is a rental. If it is a rental automobile:

  • Ask whether the driver paid for insurance coverage offered by the rental company. If so, get information about it.
  • Ask whether the driver used a credit card to rent the vehicle. Some major credit card companies offer property damage liability when cardholders rent vehicles with their card. This is a potential source of compensation for you. All you need is the credit card company’s name, not the driver’s account number.

The driver should have paperwork from the rental company in the vehicle with information about supplemental insurance and how the driver paid for the rental. If you are uncomfortable or the driver is uncooperative, ask the responding police officer to check for this information for you.

  • Engage an experienced rental accident attorney. Attorney Troy A. Brookover has the knowledge and experience to handle every aspect of your rental accident claim. Troy has previously worked to defend insurance companies, so he knows what to expect from insurance adjusters and how they approach claims. He established the Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover in his hometown of San Antonio so he could help accident victims get back on their feet after being injured by someone else’s negligence.

How Can a San Antonio Rental Accident Lawyer Help You with Your Case?

If you’ve been injured in a rental accident in San Antonio, an attorney from Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover can help you determine who is liable and demand the financial recovery available by law.

If you were driving a rented vehicle at the time of the accident, unless you agreed to pay for a damage waiver (also called a “loss damage waiver”), your contract with the rental company may make you responsible for paying for the vehicle damage right away. As its name implies, a damage waiver forgives your financial responsibility for any loss or damage incurred to the rental vehicle, provided you have not violated the rental agreement’s terms and conditions, such as by driving under the influence or letting an unauthorized driver operate the vehicle.

Most people decline the damage waiver when renting a vehicle because their own automobile insurance or credit card agreement provides coverage for rental vehicle damage or loss. In this case, you would look to these companies for a payout, which you would either pay the rental agency with or keep to cover any payment you have already made to the rental company.

If another party were responsible for the crash, then you would have the right to file a claim against their auto liability insurance to recover your losses. This would include payment for your medical expenses, property damage, lost income, pain and suffering, and more.

When multiple motorists are involved in a rental accident, a claim becomes more complicated. It is easy for insurance companies to try to shift the blame and maintain that someone else must is financially liable. This is when you will benefit from the help of an experienced accident attorney who knows the applicable law and will fight for you.

As your attorneys, the Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover will move to:

  • Recover critical evidence, including accident scene photos or video, the police report arrest warrants, eyewitness statements, and surveillance video footage
  • Identify all potentially liable parties, including the other driver, the rental agency, or the employer of someone driving as part of their job duties at the time of the crash
  • Document your injuries and lossesto calculate the full amount of compensation you are owed
  • Vigorously pursue your rental accident claim at the negotiating table
  • Take your case to trial if necessary. Having an attorney who is certified in personal injury litigation is an advantage.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation About a Rental Accident in San Antonio

If you were injured in a rental accident in San Antonio that was not your fault, multiple sources of compensation might be available to you. But insurance companies and others will not voluntarily step forward to make a full settlement. You should contact a San Antonio car accident attorney at the Law Offices of Troy A. Brookover today for a free, no-obligation consultation about how Troy can help you demand full compensation for your losses. Every case stands on its own, but our case results speak to our extensive experience with personal injury cases.

Contact us online or at (210) 756-3644 to learn more about how a San Antonio rental accident lawyer from our firm can help you get justice and recover the financial compensation that you deserve.