People tend to acquire rental cars for a variety of reasons. They may not have access to their current modes of transportation because of repairs or an accident, or they may simply be on vacation or a business trip in another state and have to get around somehow without relying on public transportation. These people may not be used to the rental cars and how they handle, which can lead to them being involved in various kinds of accidents. These accidents can be confusing for everyone involved; there may be different parties that can be sued for financial compensation, depending on who was negligent in their actions. A company like Budget that rents cars and trucks may be held responsible in certain circumstances. In the event you are involved in an accident with a rental vehicle, you will need to contact a law firm that can take cases for a crash with a Budget car. Normandie Law Firm is the right law group for you, and a lawyer in Los Angeles for Budget injury lawsuits will be able to handle your case.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Often, car accidents occur because of distracted driving or because of careless operation of the car. This is more common when individuals use rental cars; they do not take proper care because a car accident with a rental is not as debilitating as an auto accident with a personal vehicle. The rental will go back to the company, and if you purchased insurance from the business, you would likely not have to pay nearly as much for the damage.
Some reasons car accidents happen include:
- Speeding
- Tailgating
- Changing lanes without signaling
- Texting while driving
- Ignoring the right of way
- Running stop signs
- Speeding through intersections and traffic lights
- Driving while intoxicated or impaired
Any of these reasons can lead to rear-end crashes, head-on collisions, and broadside accidents. If a Budget car crashed into you, you may be able to receive a settlement with the help of a rental car accident injury lawyer.
Proving Negligence in Accidents
If you intend to file a claim against the responsible party, you must be able to prove the four points of negligence required for personal injury lawsuits. A rental car accident attorney in Los Angeles will be able to help you show these points.
- You were owed a duty of care: As a driver on the road, you are owed a duty of care by other drivers. There must be no intent to hurt anyone else and individuals must not place any drivers, passengers, or pedestrians in harm’s way.
- The care of duty was breached. By driving in a reckless manner, a driver placed other people at risk of harm or bodily injury.
- The breach led to an accident. If a person drove in a careless way and caused a car accident, the third point would be proven.
- The accident caused actual physical harm. If the accident did not cause any physical damage, you would not be able to file a lawsuit against Budget or any other liable driver. You must have received some type of bodily harm.
Once these four points are proven, you can show who was at fault and who caused the accident to occur. If a person were driving a Budget car at the time, you should speak with a Los Angeles attorney for Budget accident injury cases, as experience in that area would be crucial to winning a settlement for your damages.
Accident Protocol
There are certain steps you should take after being involved in a car accident to ensure that you have the best chance with winning your lawsuit.
You should first check to make sure you are not severely injured. If you require emergency medical attention, you should be transported to the hospital by the paramedics and treated; however, if your injuries are minor, you may be able to be treated at the scene. Some people refuse medical treatment, which is a bad idea; there may be injuries you cannot detect because of the adrenaline in your body. If you wait too long to seek medical treatment, your choice could be used against you; the opposing party could claim that you were well enough to walk away from the accident and there is no way of knowing if your damages were due to the accident.
Next, you should take pictures and videos of everything possible, including your injuries, the scene of the accident, the vehicles and the damage to them, and more. Any witness testimonies, police reports, medical notes, or other statements from other individuals should be recorded as well.
When you gather insurance information from the opposing party, you should also make sure to contact Budget to inform them that you were involved in a crash with one of their vehicles. This is true whether or not you were driving a rental or were struck by one.
Finally, it is important that you contact an attorney that has experience with car rental company accident cases. You will be able to receive all the crucial information about these types of cases and will be well taken care of.
Insurance Coverage with Budget
Budget, like most rental car services, offers collision coverage in insurance packages for those who rent vehicles. This means that property damage to the rental car and other vehicles can be covered up to a certain amount. Liability, or physical harm, is not covered.
To make matters worse, you cannot outright sue Budget for an accident by a rental car. You will only be able to bring a claim against the responsible driver and his insurance company because Budget did not actually have any part in the accident. A driver’s negligence cannot be attributed to the rental company, so you will not be able to initiate a Budget injury claim lawsuit.
There are two exceptions to this standard, however. One includes whether or not Budget was negligent in allowing the individual to rent the car in the first place. If the renter were not of legal age to rent a car, or if he had a suspended or revoked license, he should not have been allowed access to the vehicle. Budget can thus be held partially responsible because of their choice to let the individual rent the car.
Additionally, if it can be determined that the car had an issue with it, such as a faulty brake line or engine troubles, the onus of responsibility may lie with Budget. A car problem could have led to the accident happening, and Budget should be responsible for inspecting vehicles after every rental period. If they were aware of the issues but chose not to do anything about it, you may be able to point to Budget for responsibility and receive compensation.
In this case, you will need an attorney to sue Budget for an injury you sustained from a car accident.
Statute of Limitations on Budget Injury Cases
There is a two year limit to filing a lawsuit against a responsible party for an accident. This statute of limitation is in place to make claims happen as quickly as possible so evidence does not get lost or corrupted and so that witnesses remember all of the details possible. There is a possibility that this deadline can be extended, however, in certain circumstances. If you were under the age of eighteen at the time of the accident, or if you were mentally or physically incapable of filing a claim, your attorney may be able to argue that the deadline should be extended. Additionally, if the defendant left the state for a certain period of time, the statute of limitations would not begin or resume until he returned.
Normandie: Here for All Victims
Our team of expert attorneys at Normandie Law Firm is here to make sure you are covered in the event of an accident with a Budget rental car. We can help bring you coverage for medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Our lawyers have years of experience handling these types of claims, and we are no stranger to dealing with Budget lawsuits. Our lawyers are aggressive and will not stop pursuing your deserved compensation until the settlement is worth your damages. If necessary, we will take your case to court and fight for your rights as a victim. If you are in need of a law firm that handles accident claims cases against Budget rental cars, call our law group today.
When you contact us, you will receive a free consultation on your case. We will give you the information you need to make a knowledgeable decision and will tell you what we believe we can earn for you. You will also learn about our zero fee guarantee, which states that you will not have to pay any out of pocket expenses throughout the litigation process. We only get paid if we win your case, and the money is taken from the settlement we earn for you. If we lose, you owe us nothing at all.
Call our Los Angeles offices to speak with one of our lawyers with experience in suing rent-a-car for an accident.
