It may be devastating when your car is damaged in an accident that was due to no fault of your own. But what makes matters even more complicated is if the car does not belong to you, but rather it is a rental. Continue reading to learn who is responsible if you crash a rental vehicle and how an experienced St. Mary’s County car accident lawyer at The Dorsey Law Firm can help you hold them accountable.
What is the Graves Amendment?
It is more than likely that you may be barred from suing a rental vehicle company for the injuries and damages you incurred in an accident. This is due to the Graves Amendment. This amendment holds that it is only possible to file a lawsuit against a rental vehicle company if you can prove that your accident was directly caused by their negligence. For example, you may make an argument that the company failed to properly maintain your vehicle (i.e., getting it serviced and inspected regularly).
But say, for instance, that you were hit by a driver in a rental vehicle. In this case, you may place blame on the company if they negligently entrusted an unsafe driver with one of their vehicles or if they negligently trained or managed their employees.
Who else may be liable if I crash a rental vehicle?
So if you cannot hold a rental vehicle company liable for your crash, you may be wondering how you can relieve yourself from the damages you need to pay off. Well, you may reach out to the other driver’s insurance company if they drove negligently in any way. And if the insurance company does not send you a sufficient payout or denies your claim altogether, you may file a personal injury claim against them.
Or, you may be able to sue a government agency or a construction company if a road hazard was the catalyst of your accident. The bottom line is that you should not have to suffer the financial consequences of your accident if it was not your fault in any way.
What is the deadline for a rental vehicle accident claim?
If you need to file a personal injury claim to cover the damages you incurred in your rental vehicle accident, you must keep in mind that there is a deadline in place. That is, in the state of Maryland, the statute of limitations is typically three years from the date on which an accident occurred.
As you may likely conclude yourself, you may have an important case on your hands that requires immediate action. So you should not hesitate any longer in contacting a skilled St. Mary’s County auto accident lawyer from The Dorsey Law Firm.
