National is a rental car company that serves hundreds of thousands of customers each year. Because of the large amount of users, it is inevitable that accidents will happen. You should be adequately prepared in the event of a car crash with National rental car; there may be an opportunity for you to collect compensation from various sources. No matter what the circumstances are surrounding your incident, you should contact an experienced lawyer to get advice on how best to proceed. Our expert attorneys at the top-rated Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles will help you through your National accident claim and bring you the compensation you deserve. You should not be expected to cover all of your own expenses if a negligent driver caused your injuries or if National had any contributing fault in the accident.
Accident Information
Rental car accidents often happen because the drivers are not familiar with the cars or the areas in which they’re driving. It is not uncommon for someone to suddenly realize he is in a turn-only lane or that he is about to have to enter a freeway if he has never driven in the city before; this can lead to a sudden panicked swerve or attempt to merge, resulting in a crash. Other times, drivers may simply exert less caution and care when driving rental cars because they know the consequences will not be too severe in the event of a crash. National will simply take its car back; the driver will not have to worry about financing a new car.
These reasons occur because of driver error; other examples include driving over the speed limit, tailgating other cars, turning without checking or signaling, ignoring the right of way of other cars, running red lights and stop signs, consuming alcohol or drugs before driving, operating the vehicle while tired, and more.
You may suffer numerous types of injuries from a National car rental accident, whether it is a head-on collision or rear-end crash. Some of the damages you can sustain include broken bones, fractures, internal organ damage, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, nerve damage, amputated limbs, coma, and paralysis.
After such crashes, clients will ask us, “Can I sue National for an accident?” The answer to that question is yes, you can sue National, but only if the company contributed to the crash in some way.
National’s Role
When National rents out a vehicle, it usually offers the individual a collision damage waiver that will absolve the driver of any costs for damage to the car in the event of an accident. National will take the car and have the repairs done. However, if there is any bodily harm, the responsible driver will be made to pay with his own insurance. The reason is simple: National does not provide drivers as a taxi service would; all it does is give vehicles to those who meet the criteria to rent them. The company is not responsible for the actions of the drivers.
However, National has a duty to following the law when it comes to distributing cars. The company cannot rent any vehicles to individuals who are under the age of 21, have suspended driver’s licenses or no licenses at all, or who have no auto insurance. This essentially places an at-risk driver on the road, an action for which National can be wholly blamed. Any accidents caused by such drivers, therefore, can be traced back to the negligence of National.
Further, National has a duty to inspect all of its vehicles before making any transactions. Some cars have problems that can appear seemingly overnight, and it is dangerous to rent these cars; the problems can worsen and cause accidents. Sometimes, a National representative might not schedule a car to be maintained and will just rent it out as soon as it is returned. Moreover, National has, on some occasions, not returned vehicles that were recalled due to various safety issues and chose instead to rent them out to customers. This resulted in numerous accidents.
If you can prove that National had some negligent action that contributed to your accident, call one of our accomplished lawyers today. We will tell you how to sue National for an accident.
Procedure after a Crash
It can be shocking and confusing to be involved in a car crash, but as long as you follow certain steps, you will be calm and collected while able to gather all necessary evidence to take legal action.
The most important step is to ensure that you and any passengers are all safe and healthy; if you are injured, you may need to be rushed to the hospital or taken away in an ambulance, depending on the severity of your wounds. Even if you feel that you are uninjured, you should still seek medical treatment. There are some damages that could show up after the accident happens or conditions that could be triggered or worsened because of the crash. By getting checked out, you may find that you have troubles you don’t notice because of the adrenaline. If you wait too long to get medical assistance, the insurance company can claim that you likely got hurt somewhere other than the crash if it took you that long to seek help.
Your next step should be to document everything with photographs and videos. You should snap pictures of the scene of the accident and the damage to your vehicle, as well as your injuries and any items you had that were damaged in the crash. Eyewitnesses can give you statements, and the police can provide you with an accident report.
Importantly, you’ll need to alert National that the accident happened. They will take the rental vehicle back and will give you necessary information to move forward.
Lastly, you should call an attorney to sue National for an accident that caused injury. Trying to handle a lawsuit by yourself may be too troublesome, and you will only be doing yourself a disadvantage by not hiring legal counsel.
Statute of Limitations
National injury claims, like all car accidents, have a statute of limitations of two years from the date of the injury; this means that if you wait longer than two years to take legal action, your claim will likely be thrown out and you won’t be able to receive any compensation at all. The statute of limitations is in place to keep cases moving as swiftly as possible and to prevent evidence from being lost and eyewitnesses to forget key details. It is in everyone’s fairest interest for lawsuits to be dealt with within a reasonable amount of time.
There are ways for the statute to be temporarily suspended, or tolled. For instance, if you were underage at the time of the incident, your statute would not begin until you turned eighteen. Further, if the accident left you mentally or physically incapacitated and prevented you from seeking a claim, the deadline would begin once you returned to normal. In the event that the defendant leaves the state, the time limit will not begin or resume until he returns.
If you need help with how to file a lawsuit for an injury against National rental car within the deadline, contact one of our attorneys at once.
Compensation from National Car Crash Claims
If you have a question like, “What kind of lawyer do I need to sue National for an injury,” the answer is simple: one who can bring you the maximum compensation available under the law. We have handled numerous National car accident lawsuits and have the ability to bring you fair restitution for your damages. We can help you recover:
- Medical expenses (surgery, medication, physical therapy, future medical treatments)
- Property damage to your vehicle and belongings
- Lost wages (and future missed income from recovery time or medical procedures)
- Pain and suffering damages (fear, anxiety, PTSD, psychological trauma, mental stress, and more emotional issues)
Many people want to know how much they can expect to earn from filing a lawsuit. There is no calculator that spits out numbers after you’ve been in all the relevant information; settlement offers are drawn up by insurance agents and negotiated by lawyers. We have provided some examples of verdicts from such claims, though, for you to get a better understanding of what can be earned:
- $1,300,000 Verdict: A young man driving a motorcycle was struck by a rental car. The motorcyclist had numerous damages to his head, body, and bike. There was no settlement offer from the insurance company; instead, they tried to lay fault on the motorcyclist. The responsible driver was from Canada and not familiar with driving laws in a U.S. state, such as giving other cars the right of way when turning.
- $1,000,000 Verdict: As a woman was traveling on the freeway, a driver struck her after mistakenly believing the road was going to split into two different directions. She was completely disabled from the crash, and upon pursuing a claim, discovered that the driver had no license or ties to the country. He left, leaving the rental agency solely responsible; the company denied liability but lost the verdict.
If your question is, “Can you sue National for a rental accident,” look no further, because yes, we can sue National to get you compensation.
Normandie: Helping Victims
Our expert lawyers at Normandie Law Firm have been handling National rental car accident lawsuits for years. We know the nuances of proving the company to be negligent and we will dedicate ourselves to your case. You should not have to worry about handling any legal documents or striving to win compensation after you have been injured; our attorneys will take care of all the legwork for you and aggressively hunt to secure you a fair settlement.
Call us today to schedule a free legal consultation with an attorney to learn how to file a lawsuit for an accident against National rental car. You are invited to ask us any question you need the answers to, and we will look over your case and tell you what we feel we can bring you. We will also inform you about our zero fee guarantee, which promises that you will pay no expenses for our services. We only get paid if we win and the insurance company will cover the bills. If we lose, you owe us nothing whatsoever.
Reach out to a qualified Los Angeles attorney at Normandie Law Firm to get started taking legal action.
