Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to get into a car accident while driving a rental than your own personal vehicle. It makes sense. You’re very familiar with how your car handles. You know how sensitive the brakes and steering system are. You know where everything is on the dashboard and in the vehicle, so you’re less likely to get distracted searching for the windshield wipers, trying to figure out the radio, or turning the vehicle’s lights on or off.
Even worse, car accidents involving at least one rented vehicle tend to be more dangerous than crashes involving personal vehicles. If you’re involved in a rental car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it’ll be important to know your legal rights and options - especially as you fight to recover from severe physical injuries.
One of the best ways to protect yourself and recover a maximum financial award is by hiring an experienced Albuquerque car accident lawyer.
At Singleton Schreiber, clients work with Albuquerque personal injury lawyers and benefit from our law firm’s national resources. We offer personalized representation that’s designed to leverage top-tier case results. As fearless advocates for crash victims and families, we've forced powerful multinational corporations to pay our clients billions in settlement agreements and jury awards.
Discover how we can help you after a rental car accident by contacting our Albuquerque law office for help. Your first case evaluation is absolutely free.
Who’s Liable For a Rental Car Accident?
For the purposes of liability, it doesn’t matter if you’re hit by someone in their own car or behind the wheel of a rental. Pursuant to New Mexico law, anyone who causes a car accident - in whole or in part - will be liable for resulting property damage, personal injury, and/or wrongful death.
So, if someone else causes a car accident and you get hurt, you’ll reserve the right to seek compensation from them. More specifically, you can seek compensation from their insurance provider under New Mexico’s fault-based insurance rules.
This is where it can become relevant that the at-fault driver was behind the wheel of a rental car.
How Does Car Insurance Work For Rental Cars in Albuquerque?
Rental cars, just like personally owned or commercially operated vehicles, must be covered by adequate insurance before they can be driven in Albuquerque.
Current minimum requirements ensure that victims will be able to recover $25,000 per person in bodily injury benefits up to a total of $50,000.00 of total bodily injury coverage and $10,000 in property damage liability benefits if the driver of a rental car causes a wreck.
Rental car companies like Enterprise and Avis must offer insurance coverage that meets these minimums when a person rents a car.
Most often, the following coverage can be purchased at the time a vehicle is rented in Albuquerque:
- Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) - covers medical bills related to a rental car accident
- Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) - covers a third party’s crash-related damages
- Personal Effects Coverage (PEC) - covers costs related to property damage or theft
If you have your own car, your personal car insurance policy will likely extend to your rental vehicle. So, there’s not necessarily a requirement to buy a car rental agency’s offered coverage. This is usually only necessary when you don’t have your own coverage or want to extend the coverage available to you and others if there’s a wreck.
What If I’m Blamed For a Rental Car Accident in Albuquerque?
New Mexico’s pure comparative negligence statute applies to civil personal injury disputes, including claims for insurance benefits and personal injury lawsuits.
Whether you’re driving a rental car or your own personal vehicle, shared fault will impose liability for other victim’s damages and affect your ability to recover compensation for your own crash-related costs and suffering.
The more responsibility you share for a rental car accident, the less compensation you can recover from another negligent party. If you’re assigned 10 percent of the blame for a rental car accident, you can recover 90 percent of the value of your legal claim. If you’re assigned 75 percent of the blame for a recent rental car accident in Albuquerque, your financial recovery will be limited to 25 percent of its initial value.
Can I Sue the Rental Car Company After a Car Accident?
Maybe. Remember, anyone who causes a rental car accident can be liable for the wreck.
This includes the rental car company, especially if:
- The agency failed to conduct regular inspections and maintenance
- The agency knowingly rented you a vehicle that was dangerous or defective
- The agency allowed the car to be driven without adequate insurance
In these situations, you’ll need to prove that the rental car service’s negligence or intentionally wrongful actions caused your car accident.
What Evidence Can Help Me Win a Rental Car Accident Claim?
You’ll need proof that someone else caused your rental car accident.
Depending on the specific circumstances of your case, helpful evidence might include:
- Vehicle maintenance and inspection records
- Records of vehicle rentals and usage
- Video recordings of the accident
- Cell phone records
- Eyewitness statements
- Expert witness testimony
- Property damage
- Photographs
- Medical records
- Accident reports, including notes of any citations issued at the scene
Winning your legal claim can help you recover much-needed compensation, including money for your medical bills, temporary and/or long-term disability, pain and suffering, and other damage related to your rental car accident.
Car Accident Victims in Albuquerque Choose Singleton Schreiber
Take the time you need to recover from your rental car accident injuries and trust Singleton Schreiber to take charge of your fight for compensation. Our Albuquerque personal injury lawyers aren’t afraid to take on the insurance company and fight for the financial award you’ll need after a rental car accident.
You have a limited time to pursue compensation from a negligent motorist, a vehicle manufacturer, a government agency, or an insurance company. If you miss the statute of limitations, you lose the right to demand compensation for your costs and suffering.
Benefit from an award-winning team with decades of experience and a billion-dollar track record of success. Call our Albuquerque law office today. There’s no charge for your initial case review.
