Help! Someone Driving A Rental Car Hit Me!
Florida has the pleasure of hosting millions of tourists every year, with a record-breaking year in 2014. Tourists are often unaware of many of our driving laws and miss vital traffic signs. They can be a real hazard.
They are also sometimes not in their own vehicles, which can complicate insurance claims and personal injury claims in some cases.
Rental Vehicle Coverage
If you are involved in an accident with a rental car driver, then their insurance will be the coverage that you deal with.
Most insurance companies will still cover their driver while they are using a rental car, but this is not always the case.
Florida law only requires that the renter driving the vehicle have $10,000 in coverage. In addition, that coverage only “kicks in” as secondary coverage. That means that the driver’s insurance will be affected first, assuming they have insurance of their own.
Of course, your no-fault insurance will cover you first. However, other states do not require no fault insurance, so that can complicate the insurance claims as well.
In addition, you may still have to involve the rental agency and its insurance company, even if your insurance company will cover everything.
Special Questions that Apply to Rental Car Accidents
If the rental car driver is violating any of the terms of the rental agreement, then you may not be able to collect on the additional rental car coverage.
You may still be able to use the driver’s personal insurance company, but that may vary as well.
Consider the following questions, as they might affect insurance coverage:
- Who is driving? The rental agreement only covers certain drivers. If another person is driving who was not involved with the rental agreement, then the extra coverage may not be available.In addition, if the other person driving is not in the same immediate family as the person who signed the rental agreement, then their personal coverage may not apply either.
- What type of vehicle was involved? There are special rules for coverage for moving vehicles, like U-hauls, pickups, or passenger vans.There may not be coverage available at all for these types of vehicles.
- Where were they heading? Or, where did the collision occur? Sometimes the rental agreement does not permit drivers to go to certain places (out of the country, for example).Take note of where the accident occurred or where the other driver said they were going—that might be important later.
If you are having trouble dealing with the insurance companies or rental agency after a car accident with a rental vehicle, you should speak to an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Don’t pay any more than you have to—call Glotzer & Kobren at 561-361-8677. We can help!
