Rental Car Accidents in Florida: Navigating Insurance and Liability Issues
Whether you need to rent a car to travel for business or some other purpose, you should know what the rules are and your options should a car accident happen. No one ever gets behind the wheel of any vehicle and thinks that they will be involved in a crash, but accidents happen every day. In 2023, there were a total of 392,515 car accidents in the state of Florida.
It is imoprtant that when you rent a car you know your rights and what steps you should take if you are in an accident. Some of the immediate steps to take include:
- Check everyone in an accident to see if there are injuries.
- Call 9-1-1 for police and other first responders.
- Exchange information with the other driver or drivers.
- If there are witnesses, ask them if they would provide their contact information.
- Take pictures of the cars involved in the accident and the surrounding area where the accident took place.
- Call a car accident attorney.
Florida car insurance laws indicate that you must have at least $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage which will pay for 80% of your medical bills. So if you are a Florida driver, then you will have this minimum coverage because it is against the law in Florida for a rental car company to allow someone without insurance to have a rental. Though, if your medical bills are substantial, the costs can exceed your PIP coverage. Where can you get the additional compensation?
While it doesn’t happen often, it could be possible that the rental company is liable. This would be the case if the rental company did not properly maintain the vehicle you were driving and the poor condition of the car was a reason for your accident. However, in general, outside of negligence like failure to maintain a car, a rental company will not likely be liable for injuries that a person suffers while driving their car. This is one of the reasons why the state mandates that rental car companies must offer additional insurance options for renters.
Therefore, if you have opted to purchase extra insurance from the rental company, then this coverage may help you recover the full amount of compensation you are owed.
Another option is credit card coverage. The credit card you used to pay for your rental may also have rental auto insurance coverage that you can choose to purchase which can help you obtain compensation.
If another party caused your accident, then it can be possible to file a claim against their insurance to recover your damages.
When the party that caused your accident does not have enough insurance or has no insurance at all, then if you have uninsured/underinsured coverage, you may look to this insurance to recoup your losses.
Speak to Fulgencio Law Today
There are several factors that go into determining insurance and liability with respect to rental cars. Claims can get complicated. A knowledgeable Tampa car accident attorney at Fulgencio Law can help. Please reach out and call (813) 463-0123 to speak with an attorney during a free consultation.
