A rental car accident can be confusing; you may not know who to target if you take legal action and each party may deny responsibility and point to the other. You should bear in mind that the liable entity is most likely going to be the driver himself, as a rental agency like Enterprise does not provide drivers to people, just cars. Therefore, the actions of each individual driver who rented a car can only be attributed to himself and not the business. However, there are exceptions, and one of our expert lawyers at Normandie Law Firm can help you file an Enterprise accident claim if necessary. You may want to know “can you sue Enterprise for a crash” or “can I sue Enterprise for an accident,” and the answers to both are yes, you can sue Enterprise, and yes, we can sue Enterprise for you.
How to Sue Enterprise for an Accident
Enterprise and other rental agencies are not generally responsible for the actions of drivers who rent their vehicles, so they cannot be targeted in lawsuits. The company does offer some insurance benefits to cover accident damages, such as collision damage to the vehicle; this means that the renter will not have to cover any expenses related to vehicular damage. However, if there are any physical injuries, Enterprise will not be accountable, and the driver will have to pay for those via his insurance company. Therefore, if you are involved in a car crash with Enterprise rental car, you would likely only be able to sue the driver.
However, there are certain circumstances in which you can file an Enterprise car rental accident claim. You must understand that personal injury lawsuits are based on negligence, and you need to be able to prove that the company was negligent in its duty. The four points of negligence that must be shown to be true are:
- You were owed a duty of care: Enterprise must not do anything that potentially places other drivers at risk.
- The duty of care was breached: By placing other drivers at risk, the duty to protect was violated.
- The breach led to an accident: An at-risk driver then got into an accident.
- The accident caused physical harm: The accident resulted in bodily injuries. Keep in mind that in order for you to file a personal injury claim, you must have suffered some kind of harm to your body.
A lawyer can help prove these points. They can be shown to be true if Enterprise provided a rental car to someone who was not legally able to drive one; that is, the company may have rented a car to someone under the age of 21, someone without a valid or updated driver’s license, or someone without personal auto insurance. Any ensuing accidents would be traced back to Enterprise’s decision to rent a vehicle out.
Moreover, Enterprise has to appropriately maintain all of its cars. They cannot rent out vehicles that have defects or problems; some have been returned with brake failure and electrical problems, and other vehicles have stalled on the road, leading to various accidents. Some Enterprise locations do not conduct inspections on the vehicles or make sure they are safe for the next drivers. They have even gone so far as to rent out recalled vehicles so as to never have a shortage.
It is crucial that you seek out an expert attorney to sue Enterprise for an accident that caused injury. We will be able to help you target the responsible party for the incident.
What Kind of Lawyer Do I Need to Sue Enterprise for an Injury?
You will need an experienced personal injury attorney who has handled Enterprise injury claims before. Your attorney will be able to prove the points of negligence and ensure that your claim is filed within the proper statute of limitations. You only have two years from the date of the injury to file a claim; if you wait longer, you will likely be rejected and unable to receive any compensation.
However, if the accident left you physically or mentally incapacitated, your deadline would not start until you recovered. Similarly, if the defendant left the state or the country, your time limit would not start until he returns. In the event you were under the age of eighteen at the time of the crash, the statute would not start until you turned legal age. An attorney can determine if you are eligible for any extensions on the statute of limitations.
What Do I Do after an Accident?
Immediately after a car crash with an Enterprise vehicle, you should get medical attention. If you were severely injured, you may need to go to the emergency room for surgery or other treatment. If you only suffered minor damages, you could be treated at the scene of the accident by the paramedics. Make sure that you receive a copy of the medical report no matter who examined and treated you. Your medical status after the accident is an extremely important part of filing a claim; if you wait too long to seek medical treatment, the insurance company could claim that your damages were caused by something other than the crash, and you will have a tougher time garnering compensation.
Next, you should take photos of the accident scene, the damages to your car and the Enterprise vehicle, and the injuries you suffered. You also need to take down the information of the driver and any eyewitness statements and testimonies. A police report can also be requested.
Once you have gathered the necessary evidence, you can alert Enterprise to the accident and call an attorney to learn how to file a lawsuit for an injury against Enterprise rental car.
Sample Settlements
Many clients call us with questions about their Enterprise car crash claims. They may want to know how to file a lawsuit for an accident against Enterprise rental car or what the average settlement value is for such claims. However, there is no calculator that determines the value of a case, and the averages can get skewed by outlier cases worth millions of dollars. Regardless, you should be aware of what can possibly be earned in a lawsuit; if your case is similar, it could yield comparable restitution. We have provided some sample verdicts below for you to consider.
- $900,000 Verdict: A driver in a rental car came to a stop while going through a toll booth. A man driving behind him was unable to stop in time, resulting in a rear end collision that caused various permanent injuries to his body, not to mention irreparable damages to his vehicle. He had head injuries, arm injuries, and mood disorders, and had to find work in a different field.
- $1,000,000 Verdict: A man in a truck was struck by a rental car that was traveling southbound on the northbound section of a highway. The accident happened late at night; the individual was not supposed to be driving the vehicle due to his license being suspended.
Your lawsuit can garner you various types of compensation. The insurance agent will determine how much your case is worth by evaluating your injuries and the extent the damages had on your life and career. If you suffered debilitating damages that forced you to switch jobs or if your injuries drastically altered your daily activities and way of life, you may be able to receive ample compensation. As it stands, you can earn coverage for:
- Medical expenses (surgery, medication, physical therapy, future medical procedures)
- Property damage (to your vehicle or any of your belongings)
- Lost wages (from the past and future due to recovery time or additional medical treatments)
- Pain and suffering (PTSD, anxiety, fear, and other emotional damages)
Do not hesitate to reach out to our law firm to get started on filing your Enterprise injury claim.
How We Help
Our team of expert lawyers at Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles has spent years handling Enterprise rental car injury lawsuits. We can help you sue the rental company if they were negligent in providing a vehicle and we can take legal action against the irresponsible driver. We will make sure that the appropriate parties are held accountable for your damages. We are aggressive lawyers who will go to court if necessary to prove that you deserve compensation. We tirelessly work to win your claim, and we emphasize you getting your proper rest so you can recover and focus on restoring your life back to normal.
Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation with one of our experienced lawyers. You can ask any questions you want about the case and we will give you the answers you need. You should not be in the dark about the law if you intend to file a lawsuit. We will also tell you more about our zero fee guarantee, which promises that you will not have to pay any out of pocket expenses for our services. We will only get paid if we win, and the money will be taken from the settlement that the insurance agency awards you. If we lose, you don’t have to pay us a single dollar, and we eat the costs of the case ourselves while you walk away with no negative funds.
Contact Normandie Law Firm for more assistance in suing Enterprise for an accident.
