When you sign up for a rental car, the company will verify that you have car insurance that’s up to date and meets the state’s coverage limits. However, these companies also have insurance policies that you can purchase as a supplement or replacement of your own insurance while the rental car is in your possession.

For example, you can choose to buy a plan for collision damage, which means the rental car company will take care of any cosmetic damage to another vehicle. Other policies are more expensive and offer a broader range of coverage for physical injuries and different damages that the other party is likely to ask for in an auto accident claim. So, whether you need to seek payment with the car rental company or the negligent driver’s insurance company is one of most important things you’ll need to figure out.

Always keep in mind that no matter who ends up paying the bill, insurance adjusters are not there to provide you with a fair and just resolution. Their job is to settle your case as fast as possible for the lowest possible amount. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to discuss your experience with an attorney that specializes in rental car accident cases. Otherwise, you may find yourself confused and overwhelmed, while the insurance company uses stall tactics and other manipulative games to pressure you into a low settlement.

With rental car accidents, most victims must file an injury claim with the other driver’s insurance company rather that the rental agency. However, the company is liable for an accident when they do not comply with legal requirements or take reasonable care to protect others from harm. Circumstances that indicate a breach of care by a rental car company include:

• Failing to properly check that the applicant for a rental car is at least 21 years old.
• Ensuring that the customer has a valid driver’s license.
• Checking that the customer has a current and valid car insurance policy, even if they plan on purchasing coverage offered by the rental agency.
• Taking care to inspect and maintain vehicles on a regular basis and ensuring they meet specific standards before they are rented out to a customer. Cars must also be inspected right after being returned to the agency.

In recent years, rental companies began partnering with rideshare companies, primarily Uber. There are numerous requirements that renters must satisfy before they can rent a car for the purpose of ridesharing. AVIS, for example, allows eligible drivers to rent a car through their Uber app. The rental price of the vehicle includes liability insurance, ensuring that drivers have adequate coverage in the event of an accident. AVIS vehicles can also be used for the purpose of delivering food for UberEats.

The coverage offered on these vehicles meets the minimum insurance requirements per the laws in California. It’s important to note that the coverage does not apply during times that are covered by Uber’s insurance plan. So, if the driver is on the way to a customer, transporting a passenger, or is active on the app while waiting for a ride, it’s Uber that pays for injuries when there is an accident. Outside of these times, it’s Avis that’s responsible for bodily harm and property damage to others.

In conclusion, an accident by an AVIS rental car used for ridesharing or food deliveries may be covered by either AVIS or the rideshare company. Similar partnerships exist for Lyft, GrubHub, DoorDash, and Postmates, with each company establishing its own rules on accident and injury coverage. If you got hurt in an accident with a rideshare or food delivery app driver, don’t hesitate to call and talk to a Los Angeles car accident attorney.

Car accidents, whether you own or rent a vehicle, happen for many different reasons. Though we can’t cover them all, let’s take a look at some common causes of car accidents involving rental cars:

• The driver is unfamiliar with the location, and possibly the traffic laws / patterns in the area they are visiting
• Distracted driving, like texting on the phone, eating, putting on makeup, reconfiguring GPS, etc.
• Drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs or prescription meds, which inhibits reflexes and reaction time.
• Dangerous conditions on the roadway, like defective street lights, fallen branches, patches of ice, and potholes
• Whether the rental company shares any liability for the accident (improper or lack of maintenance, renting out the car to an underage customer, etc.)
• Problems with the car, like defective brakes, worn out tires, broken axles, improperly designed seat belts, and airbags that fail to deploy.

Compensation from a lawsuit includes numerous damages that have to do with your monetary losses. You may also have grounds to ask for non-economic damages if you have significant levels of physical and emotional distress as a result of a car accident. From a car rental accident lawsuit, you may be eligible to receive:

• Immediate and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and other income you are unable to earn because of the accident
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage (if any of your belongings were damaged, destroyed, or lost)
• Punitive damages if a case is tried in court and the jury punishes the defendant for gross negligence, thereby awarding you additional compensation on top of your normal damages

Our legal team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so call us at your earliest opportunity to learn about your rights and legal options. All consultations with our attorneys are completely confidential and free of charge, with no obligation to do anything beyond speaking with us.

We also promise to protect your finances by contingency fee arrangement, meaning you will never pay out of pocket when you hire one of our attorneys. With the Contingency Fee Arrangement, all legal fees are deducted from your settlement or jury award, so in other words, we have to win your case in order to get paid.

The rental car accident lawyers of DTLA look forward to hearing from you and securing the compensation you deserve.