Huntsville Rental Car Accident Attorney

If you’ve been injured in a car accident involving a rental car in Alabama, you may be wondering who is responsible for your property and personal injury damages. Is the rental company liable for the accident, or the driver of the vehicle? More than 45 million people rented cars in 2019. Enterprise Holdings, which owns Enterprise, Alamo, and National, and is the biggest rental car company. The second-largest car rental company in the U.S. is Hertz, which also owns Dollar and Thrifty. The third largest company is Avis. Although a rental vehicle accident is very similar to other car accident claims, who is responsible can be a little more complicated. When you have been in a rental car accident, you need an experienced attorney who understands how the insurance companies work. Call now for your no obligation, free consultation with one of our experienced rental car accident lawyers. You pay nothing to talk to one of our attorneys. Call 256-534-3435 now. We can help.

Damages You Can Recover

Personal injury attorney Randy W. Ferguson is an experienced personal injury lawyer with a long track record of obtaining for clients the compensation and accountability they deserve. An individual who negligently injures you may be liable for a wide variety of damages that an accident can cause, including but not limited to the following:

• Disability and Disfigurement
• Loss of Consortium
• Medical Bills
• Prescriptions
• Future Medical Costs
• Lost Wages
• Loss of Earning Capacity
• Mental and Emotional Distress
• Out of Pocket Expenses
• Pain and Suffering
• Rehabilitative care
• Medical devices (crutches, wheelchairs)
• Automobile repaired or replacement value
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life
• Wrongful Death
• Disability and Disfigurement

Causes of Rental Car Accidents

Thousands are injured each year in automobile accidents in Decatur, Alabama. There are various causes of auto crashes including:

• Unfamiliar with automobile
• Driver fatigue
• Speeding: Almost 1/3 of all fatal car crashes in the U.S. are caused by excessive speeding.
• Weather and road conditions: Fog, ice, floods, snow and heavy winds create driving hazards and limit visibility for safe driving.
• Driver distractions: Some common distractions are passengers, cell phones, satellite radio, hands-free devices and outside distractions.
• Drunk driving: Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the U.S. It is responsible for nearly 30% of all fatal traffic crashes, resulting in more than 10,000 deaths per year.
• Pedestrians jaywalking and failing to yield to motor vehicles and drivers driving through pedestrian walk ways
• Failure to yield
• DVD players, music headphones
• Running red lights and stop signs
• Disregarding traffic signs
• Driving too fast for conditions
• Failure to stay in lane
• Failure to watch for motorcycles
• Following to close and or tailgating
• Improper passing
• Reckless driving
• Wrong way driving
• Texting and driving
• Construction zones
• Wet roads
• Road debris
• Icy or snowy roads
• Driver error
• Shoulder drop-offs
• Night driving: Night driving is particularly dangerous for new drivers and older drivers with vision problems.
• Drowsy driving
• Overweight trucking loads
• Defective vehicle parts: This can include brakes, tires, steering systems, airbags, and more
• Poorly maintained vehicle
• Hazardous road conditions such as a pothole, large crack, or another type of serious hazard
• Confusing signs
• Aggressive driving
• Trucks
• Potholes
• Passing on the right shoulder
• Driving erratically by randomly stopping or slowing down
• Incessantly honking, flashing lights, yelling, and making obscene gestures at other drivers

Rental Cars and Insurance

When you have been hit by someone driving a rental car, you have different options for getting compensation for your losses. A number of different parties and types of insurance coverage could come into play after a rental car accident, including:

• Driver’s personal car insurance
• Rental car company liability coverage
• Credit card company
• Your own insurance company
• Other driver’s insurance
• Rental car company if it failed to maintain automobile
• Manufacturer of vehicle

What is a “Collision Damage Waiver”?

When you rent a vehicle from a rental company, they will offer you something called a “collision damage waiver”, for an additional charge. The collision damage waiver only applies to damage done to the rental car, and it essentially shifts most costs of repairing or replacing the vehicle off of you and onto the rental car company. The coverage does not cover injuries to the driver or passenger if you cause an accident, and it could cover things already covered through your own insurance policy or through the credit card you used to secure the rental car reservation.

Why Hire an Attorney

An Alabama rental car accident lawyer can help you deal with all of the different insurance companies and parties potentially involved in your accident. An attorney in Alabama with experience handling car rental car injury claims can identify all possible liable parties, and get you the compensation you deserve. Call one of our Alabama car rental accident lawyers as soon as possible after your accident. Call 256-534-3435 for your free no obligation consultation.