Accidents involving rental cars can be confusing because there is another party involved besides the two drivers. You may not be sure if you can file a lawsuit against Enterprise, a rental agency, for their part in the accident, if they contributed at all. There are certain circumstances that would allow you to file a claim for an auto accident with an Enterprise car, but not many. It is crucial that you contact an experienced rental car accident injury lawyer to discover your options and learn more about taking legal action. Your best bet is to go to a law firm that can take cases for a crash with an Enterprise car, and our law group fits that bill perfectly. Normandie Law Firm, located in Los Angeles, California, can help you receive the restitution you deserve for any damages stemming from a car accident with an Enterprise rental vehicle.
Rental Car Details
Some people choose to drive rental cars because they are currently unable to drive their normal vehicles. The cars may be in the repair shop or they may have been in accidents, rendering them without any reliable modes of transportation. Other people are simply visiting a different city for a few days and want to be able to get around town at their own leisure without having to rely on the inconsistencies of public transportation or the expensive nature of taxis and rideshare vehicles.
In order for someone to rent a vehicle from Enterprise, the individual must be over the age of 21, have valid insurance, and have a valid and updated driver’s license. Upon making the transaction, Enterprise may offer a collision damage waiver, which is essentially a supplementary insurance plan that lasts throughout the duration of the rental. It transfers responsibility for damage to the vehicle from the renter to the business. It is important to note that this only covers car damage; liability coverage, or coverage for physical harm, is not offered.
If someone driving an Enterprise vehicle crashed into you, call an attorney that has experience with car rental company accident cases.
Accident Procedure
There are a number of ways that you may have been involved in a car accident. The driver may have been distracted while driving or driving recklessly; many accidents are caused due to someone looking at his phone and rear-ending a car in front of him, and others are caused by someone ignoring the right of way laws and turning when he shouldn’t. No matter what the cause, you should take care to follow normal accident procedure.
Immediately seek medical attention if you believe you are seriously injured. If you are only minorly injured, or if you believe you aren’t hurt at all, you should still be treated by paramedics to ensure that your injuries are not severe or not present at the time. If you do not seek medical treatment and take legal action, the defendant can claim that the accident must not have been the cause of the injuries due to your delayed response.
Take photographs of the accident scene, the damage to the vehicles, any injuries you had, and more. If there are eyewitnesses, collect statements or testimonies from them, and try to expedite receiving a copy of the medical report or police report.
When you collect the insurance information and personal details of the other driver, you should also alert Enterprise to the fact that you were just involved in a car accident with one of their vehicles.
Lastly, you should contact a lawyer in Los Angeles for Enterprise injury lawsuits to help you get started on your claim. We will be able to help you assemble all of your evidence and issue a demand letter to the relevant insurance agency.
In order for your claim to be successful, you must be able to prove four points of negligence, which is the basis of personal injury lawsuits: that you were owed a duty of care, that the duty of care was breached, that the breach caused an accident, and that the accident caused actual physical harm. If you were not harmed in the incident, you cannot sue for medical expenses and other forms of compensation.
Reach out to a rental car accident attorney in Los Angeles for more assistance.
Important Legal Information
In almost all cases, you will only be able to file a claim against the driver of the Enterprise vehicle for his negligent actions resulting in bodily harm to you or other passengers. You will have to file a claim with his insurance company to seek compensation, and not with Enterprise. This is because Enterprise cannot be held specifically accountable merely for providing the driver with a vehicle. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.
If the driver was not legally allowed to rent a vehicle, Enterprise could be held responsible for the crash. The driver may not have been old enough to rent a car, had a suspended or expired driver’s license, or did not have updated or valid auto insurance. In this case, Enterprise could have negligently allowed the individual to drive; had they denied him the opportunity, no accident would have occurred.
Moreover, if the accident happened because of a defect with the rental vehicle, Enterprise may be responsible. Cars are supposed to be maintained and examined in between rides, and if an auto problem was apparent, it needed to be fixed. A car that was allowed to be on the road with any kind of issue, such as faulty brakes or unbalanced tires, could mean that Enterprise was negligent in its duty of care and should be held liable for any ensuing accidents.
In either case, you should consult with an attorney to file an Enterprise injury claim lawsuit.
Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in the state of California is two years from the injury or discovery of the injury. If you wait too long to file a claim, your lawsuit will be thrown out and you will be unable to receive compensation. Statute of limitations are put in place to ensure that lawsuits happen as speedily as possible; the longer a claim stagnates, the more likely it is that evidence will get lost, witnesses will misremember, and the damages will have rectified themselves.
The statute can be temporarily suspended, or tolled, in certain circumstances. If you were a minor at the time of the incident, or if you were physically or mentally incapable of filing a claim, the deadline could be extended. Further, if the defendant left the state or country for any amount of the time, the statute would not begin until he returns.
A Los Angeles attorney for Enterprise accident injury cases can give you more information.
Compensation from a Lawsuit
If you intend to sue Enterprise for an accident by a rental car, you may be able to receive various types of restitution from your claim. These damages can cover various expenses, such as:
- Medical bills (surgery, hospitalization, physical therapy, medication, and future treatments)
- Lost income (and future lost wages because of additional medical treatments or recovery time)
- Property damage (to personal items or your car)
- Pain and suffering (fear, anxiety, PTSD, psychological stress, mental trauma, and more)
- Punitive damages (only a skilled lawyer will be able to win these, as they are usually regarded as excessive by many juries; they are merely additional forms of monetary compensation meant to punish the defendant in times of gross negligence)
In the event that a rental car accident kills a family member or loved one, you could issue a wrongful death claim to receive funeral expenses, loss of consortium, loss of income and expected savings and inheritance, pre-death medical bills and pain and suffering, and more.
For more help, reach out to one of our lawyers with experience in suing rent-a-car for an accident. Our experience in Enterprise injury cases will be valuable in handling your claim.
Our Law Group
Our team of expert attorneys at Normandie Law Firm promises to help you through your rental car accident. If you need an attorney to sue Enterprise for an injury, we have you covered. Our aggressive lawyers will do everything necessary to bring you the compensation you deserve; we are willing to take your case to court if we have to, and we will not stop until you are satisfied with your offer.
Call us today to receive a free legal consultation with one of our qualified lawyers. You can ask us questions about Enterprise injury claims and we will give you answers and information about the law, as well as look over your case and tell you what we believe we can earn for you. We will also inform you about our zero fee guarantee, which promises that you will pay no out of pocket expenses for our services throughout the litigation process. We only get paid if we win your case, and the money will be taken from the settlement we bring you; if we lose, you won’t have to pay us a dime. We will cover the costs of the case ourselves and you can walk away with no change to your personal finances.
Contact Normandie Law Firm today, a law firm that handles accident claims cases against Enterprise rental cars.
