Car accidents are common and many happen for the same few reasons, whether it’s a simple case of distraction or a reckless turn into oncoming traffic. They have the potential to be very dangerous or yield no damages whatsoever. In some cases, the way forward is very clear – you exchange insurance information with the other party and allow your insurance companies to handle the finer details. This gets murky once injuries get involved, and it can be even more confusing if you are involved in an accident with someone other than a citizen driving his own car. Commercial drivers and contracted workers may present a new set of problems, as does the possibility of getting in an accident with someone driving a rental car. A company that provides a rental car may be considered as a target of a lawsuit in the event of an accident in certain specific circumstances. If you were involved in a car accident that involved a rental car from Avis, call our expert lawyers at Normandie Law Firm today for more help.
Rental Car Information
Generally, most people use rental cars when they are traveling or when their regular modes of transportation are temporarily out of commission. They use a company like Avis to pick up the rental from the airport, designated lot, or dealership, and go about their days.
One of the options that is offered to renters is the possibility of purchasing insurance. This insurance may include different types of coverage, such as a collision waiver, which states that any collision damages, or damages to the vehicle itself, will be covered by Avis’s insurance agency. Liability coverage, or physical damages, is not offered. Rental car insurance may be a good purchase and come in handy if there are numerous physical injuries that you sustained in an auto accident. However, if you intend to file a lawsuit against Avis, you may find yourself unable to do so, barring certain circumstances. A rental car accident attorney in Los Angeles will be able to give you more information.
Causes of Accidents
When you are involved in a car accident, it is important to determine what went wrong. If you were struck by a person who was operating an Avis rental car, you should find out if he was driving carelessly or if something else happened. Often, car accidents occur because of drivers speeding, tailgating, changing lanes without signaling, ignoring the right of way for pedestrians and other vehicles, turning into oncoming traffic lanes, running red lights, running stop signs, texting while driving, and more. You may have been struck while turning, gotten rear-ended, or crashed into head-on.
If you were in an Avis rental car, however, and something went wrong with the vehicle, you may have grounds for a claim against the rental company. There could have been a malfunction with the brakes or engine that contributed to the crash. If so, you should contact a Los Angeles attorney for Avis accident injury cases.
Steps to Take after a Crash
As soon as you are involved in an auto accident, you should take certain steps. These steps will ensure that you are safe and that you are adequately prepared to take legal action.
- Call for medical assistance: Even if you feel you have not been injured, you should still be checked out by paramedics. You could have injuries that you do not recognize because of adrenaline. If you need to be rushed to the hospital or if you are severely wounded, the paramedics will be able to take care of you. Any other steps can wait if your injuries are debilitating and more than minor.
- Gather evidence: Gathering evidence is extremely important; you should take pictures of your injuries, the damages to the vehicle, the scene of the accident, and more. If you can record videos of anything, it may also come in handy.
- Collect insurance information: You should take down the insurance information of the other party. In the event that the other driver does not have any insurance coverage, you may have to look to your own policy to receive coverage under the uninsured part of your plan.
- Contact Avis: In situations involving an Avis rental car, you should contact the company to let a representative know that you were involved in an accident, especially if you were operating the rental car. The representative will be able to handle any insurance claims moving forward if you purchased a deal.
There is also the option of filing a police report, which could prove useful if there is a dispute as to who caused the accident. It can also be used as additional evidence if it can be shown that the Avis rental car was faulty in some way.
Once you have taken all of the above steps, reach out to an attorney that has experience with car rental company accident cases.
Avis Injury Claim Lawsuit
If you were hit by a rental car owned by Avis, you will likely have to sue the opposing driver; his insurance coverage will be responsible for your physical injuries. Rental car companies generally cannot be sued merely because a driver was using their vehicle. You cannot sue Avis for an accident by a rental car unless it can be shown that the car was faulty in some way and the company knew about it; for example, if there were a history of reported failures with the brakes on the specific model you were driving but no history of repairs, you could sue the company.
Additionally, if you were struck by someone driving a rental, you may have grounds for a claim if that person was allowed to rent a car under negligent circumstances, such as if his license were suspended or revoked, if he were not of legal age, or if he had no insurance coverage.
In this case, you will need a law firm that can take cases for a crash with an Avis car.
Injuries from an Accident
Involvement in a car crash can yield numerous types of injuries. If you sustained any of the following, you should hire a rental car accident injury lawyer to help you take action against the responsible party.
- Broken bones
- Lacerations and cuts
- Sprains
- Concussion
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck damage
- Severed limbs
- Nerve damage
- Torn muscle
- Paralysis
- Coma
- Death
A lawyer with expertise in personal injury lawsuits will be able to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
Compensation
With the help of a lawyer in Los Angeles for Avis injury lawsuits, you could earn various types of compensation for your damages. These damages include:
- Medical expenses, including surgery, hospitalization, medication, physical therapy, and future medical procedures
- Lost wages, including any income you will miss in the future because of injury, recovery time, or medical treatments
- Property damage, including any damages to your vehicle and personal belongings
- Pain and suffering, or coverage for emotional damages like fear, anxiety, PTSD, psychological distress, mental scarring, and more
- Punitive damages, which are handed out when an individual acts with gross negligence or intends to cause harm. These damages are purely monetary compensation and meant to punish the defendant; many courts view them as excessive, though, and are hesitant to award them, so only a skilled lawyer with experience in Avis injury cases will be able to win them.
- Wrongful death lawsuit, which can be filed if a loved one or family member dies as a result of a negligent driver. You can receive coverage for funeral expenses, loss of consortium, loss of expected inheritance and savings, pre-death medical expenses and pain and suffering, and more.
The Right Firm
If you are in need of a law firm that handles accident claims cases against Avis rental car, Normandie Law Firm is here for you. We have litigated dozens of rental car accident claims and have years of experience negotiating with rental companies. Our lawyers are aggressive and will do everything we can to bring you the compensation you deserve from a responsible drive or from Avis. If need be, we will take your case all the way to court to bring you the maximum settlement available under the law.
Call us today to speak with an attorney to sue Avis for an injury. You can receive a free legal consultation about your case in which we will discuss what we believe you can earn and what we can do for you. If you have questions, we will be glad to answer them and to give you necessary details about rental car accident lawsuits and laws.
If you hire us for legal representation, you will receive our zero fee guarantee that promises that you will not pay any expenses from your own pockets. Our fees will be taken care of only if we win your case, and the money will be withdrawn from the settlement we bring you. If we lose, you owe us nothing at all.
To speak with one of our lawyers with experience in suing rent-a-car for an accident, call Normandie Law Firm today.
