As defined by Tennessee law, a rental car will be any car that an individual pays money to drive for a specific, generally short, period of time. The classification of a car can change between rental types. Someone may have a commercial rental, which can be a vehicle like a truck for business or commonly just pleasure. Anyone who finds themselves in an accident involving a rented vehicle should contact a skilled car accident attorney right away. A Tennessee rental car accident lawyer can help you seek the damages you deserve.
Common Accident Fact Patterns
The most common fact patterns include being hit by someone who was in a rental car because they just did not know where they were going. They probably rented the car and they are visiting wherever and they are trying to figure out directions and they got in an accident. That is probably the most common fact pattern we see.
Do Injuries Often Differ from Other Car Accidents?
Car accidents consist of the same injuries in rental car accidents. Common injuries could be anything from broken bones to somebody having a back injury or brain injury. It can be a severe accident or a normal accident. The fact that a rental car was involved generally does not play a role in the injuries.
Impact of Renting Timeframe
There is not a real big differentiation under Tennessee law between short term rental and long term rental cars. A lot of these short-term rentals are from just general rental car places. That is what people relate to most just for average purposes.
Role of Insurance in Rental Car Accidents
Unless the rental car has been driven by one of its employees, insurance should not differ between rental and owned car accidents. In early 2000, there was a federal law was passed called the Graves Amendment. The law states that rental car companies are not liable for accidents that were committed by a person driving one of the rental cars, that they will not be seen as an agent or vicariously liable for that driver. The rental car company has no liability unless it is their employee or unless they rented it to a person that they knew did not have a license or was intoxicated or something like that, a direct negligence claim, but that is rare.
Benefit of an Attorney
Renting a car can be stressful, whether it be for travel or temporary transportation. You should speak with a Tennessee rental car accident lawyer about how to proceed after the collision has occurred. They can help you assess what evidence can be useful when presenting a claim to the court. Contact an attorney after seeking immediate medical attention to support your recovery.
What You Should do After a Rental Car Accident in Tennessee
As a rental car accident lawyer Tennessee driver rely on, we frequently receive calls from people who have just been in a collision and are unsure about what steps they should take next. The following is a general outline of what our rental car accident lawyers advise:
1. Make sure everyone is okay, call 911 or the police, and get medical attention. Even if you feel “okay”, there are injuries that can take several days to show their symptoms. You should be evaluated by a doctor to ensure there are no internal or traumatic brain injuries.
2. Take pictures of the scene. As long as you are able to, and it is safe, you should take as many pictures of the scene as possible. This include the vehicles, road and weather conditions, surroundings, and your injuries.
3. Exchange contact information. Make sure you collect the personal contact details and insurance information from all other parties that were involved in the accident.
4. Contact the car rental agency. Let them know what happened. If you don’t know how to contact them, look in the glovebox. Here there is often a document or sticker that details a 24 hour emergency number. Ask them how to proceed, but be brief in what happened until you have spoken with a Tennessee car rental accident lawyer.
5. Contact your own insurance company. Under your policy guidelines, you will have a responsibility to let your insurance company know what happened. You do not have to talk with the other party’s insurance company.
6. Call a car rental accident lawyer Tennessee provides. No two car rental accident cases are alike, and some will not require the assistance of a lawyer. However, it may be in your best interest to explore your legal rights and options before making a sound decision on how best to proceed with your accident claim.
The insurance company has a legal team. You should too.
