Resources
Renting a Car After a Car Accident
Following a car accident, it is only natural that your immediate concern will be any injuries that you sustained. Seeking medical treatment is important not only for your health but for any later insurance or legal claims you may file. However, once your injuries are diagnosed and stabilized, there are other complications that you may realize. One of these is that you do not have transportation if your car was damaged or totaled in the accident.
The importance of transportation after an accident
If you sustain serious injuries in an accident, you will likely have to make several trips to the hospital, doctor’s office, or physical therapist in the days and weeks following the accident. In addition, your other obligations may not disappear simply because you were injured and you may still have to get your children to school and activities and get to work if you are able. Because many aspects of your life can be affected by your injuries, adding lack of transportation can cause severe issues.
Insurance claims can take time
Even if you called your insurance company right after the accident, even starting to process your claim can take time. Appraising the damage to your vehicle, finding an approved repair shop that can attend to your vehicle, deciding whether your vehicle is totaled can all take several days. The repairs themselves can also take a significant amount of time if the damage was substantial. Even if the insurance company agrees to compensate you for a totaled car, they still can take time to send the check or may insist on processing your entire claim—including your medical expenses—at the same time. During this time, the insurance company may also fail to provide you with a rental car.
If you need a car for transportation, you may have to pay for a rental car on your own. This can be extremely difficult, especially if you are incurring medical costs and losing income from missing work due to your injuries. Even if you choose to pay out of pocket for a rental car, you are assuming that your insurance company will resolve your claim favorably and compensate you for the rental fees, which may not always be the case. For this reason, it is always better to convince your insurance company to provide you with a rental as soon as possible after the accident.
While an attorney cannot assist with rental car fees due to ethical rules,1 they can help to negotiate with your insurance company to provide you with a rental car. At the office of Michigan Injury Lawyers, we are committed to protecting all of your rights following a car accident, including your right to rent a car so that you will continue to have the transportation that you need. If you have been in an accident and need to make an insurance claim, please do not delay in calling for a free consultation at 313-GET-HELP if you need help.
References: