As summer vacation is just is merely weeks away, many people are making vacation plans. Rental cars are an important part of many vacations, especially when flying to a destination. There are many factors that increase the risk of being involved in a San Francisco auto collision in a rental car including a driver’s lack of familiarity with the vehicle and driving on strange roads. The complexity of pursuing a San Francisco rental car accident claim is also more complicated because you must consider the role of the rental car agency in terms of liability.
There are a number of troubling issues that may concern you if you are involved in a collision while driving a rental car in San Francisco including the following:
- Pursuing a claim for a San Francisco auto collision when you live in another state
- Determining how the election not to purchase optional insurance from the rental agency affects your claim
While the prospect of pursuing personal injury litigation in courts in San Francisco or the Bay Area may seem like a daunting task if you live out of state, our experienced San Francisco car accident attorneys can handle virtually all court appearances without the need for you to appear. Most cases settle prior to trial so you could conceivably never need to step foot in California to obtain financial compensation for your Bay Area rental car accident. We also can coordinate discovery and other matters via conference call, facsimile, email and even videoconferences with out clients. Even if the venue and jurisdiction for your rental car accident case is in San Francisco or elsewhere in the Bay Area this does not pose much of an obstacle in pursuing your right to financial compensation.
Our experienced San Francisco car accident attorneys can also help you sort through the complex insurance issues involved in rental car collisions. If you purchased the optional insurance offered by the rental car agency, this insurance will generally be available to cover your accident. However, there are many other options. If the other driver is at-fault for causing the car accident and your resulting injuries, we may look to pursue a claim against the other driver’s insurance coverage. Depending on the facts of your case, we may also look to your own auto insurance to cover your losses. If the other driver has no insurance or inadequate insurance, for example, your uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may provide compensation for your injuries. The rental car company’s general liability policy may even cover your claim.
Rental car accidents may be caused by poor maintenance or vehicle defects. We use experienced experts who can investigate the accident and inspect the vehicle to determine if these types of issues contributed to your accident. If the vehicle was in an unsafe condition or has uncorrected defective components the rental car agency or manufacturer may be liable for your collision. We understand how quickly a car accident put a damper on your vacation experience. Our dedicated team of San Francisco car accident attorneys works diligently to minimize the hassle and maximize your recovery so that you can make the best out of an unfortunate situation.
Contact Us For Your Free Consutlation Today.
Our San Francisco car accident attorneys invite you to contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman offers a free initial consultation so that we can assess your case. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.